Jane's Journey Part Two

More transcripts! This time, I bring you the Broadway Beat 2000 interview with Paul Gordon, composer of the Jane Eyre musical. Part one can be read here- Broadway Beat interview with John Caird (lyrics and co-director for Jane Eyre).

Paul Gordon (composer): It began ten years ago for me. An I was looking for a project to musicalise. And I came across the novel in a bookstore and just decided that I was going to read it. And I got into about page twn and I was in tears and I knew that this was the project that I wanted to do. Then it was just the challenge of waiting until I finished the book before I'd start writing because I was so eager to write.

Richard Ridge: What did you love about the book initially when you read it? I'm sure there are millions of things...

Paul Gordon: There are a lot of things but I was initially attracted to Jane's journey-Jane's spiritual journey, the idea of forgiveness- that message. And that, even though it had a lot of darkness to it, and it gets very complicated and very deep in a lot of places, ultimately it is an uplifting journey, an uplifting tale. I was very attracted to that.

Richard Ridge: So, how has the music and lyrics changed since your initial readings at Manhattan Theater Club, to La Jolla, and now to here?

Paul Gordon: It's changed quite a bit. John Caird has come in and done so much work with me and together, since he became the book writer, he's really taken it several levels above where I initially started. And I've learned so much from him. And, you know, our Toronto production was sort of one concept and it was almost composed-through, not sung-through. And when we went to La Jolla we took a lot of the music, of the underscoring out and the songs sort of stood on their own as songs. So the musical's been developing in ways like that as we go about our journey.

Clockwise (from left): James Barbour (Mr Rochester), Paul Goron (composer), John Caird (lyrics), Marla Schaffel (Jane Eyre).

You can sample and check out Paul Gordon's latest work at his website, http://indieclectic.com. His current projects include a musicalisation of Emma, which should be very interesting!