New Paul Gordon Website Launch

Paul Gordon has launched a new website where you can catch the latest developments on his current and upcoming musical projects. Hopefully we will hear more news of the much-anticipated premiere of Jane Eyre: The Musical in Tokyo, Japan in 2009 as well as the ongoing development of a big chamber version of the piece. Visiting the "Songs" section provides you with a small sample of music to get a taste for Jane Eyre: The Musical (along with his other projects, such as an adaptation of Jane Austen's Emma).

Clips from the Dutch Version of Jane Eyre the Musical

Thank you to Robas for sending along the links to these rehearsal clips from this Dutch language production of Paul Gordon and John Caird's Jane Eyre: The Musical. This production is currently running in the Netherlands until April 30th. For more information, visit the show's homepage here.

New Clips from Wichita Jane Eyre: The Musical

These clips are from the first public version of Jane Eyre: The Musical as performed in Wichita, Kansas in 1996. Marla Schaffel is Jane, Anthony Crivello is Mr Rochester.

Secret Soul


'Oh God' A piece cut from the show (and new to me!)


The Proposal

Jane Eyre: The Musical in Dorset

The Big Little Theatre School’s production of Jane Eyre – The Musical Drama is being staged at the Regent Centre, Christchurch, Dorset from April 11th – 14th. Tickets are available from the Regent Centre box office on 01202 499148.

For more information, read this post on the Bronte Parsonage Blog.

Performance Schedule for Jane Eyre: The Musical

Thanks to Mrs. Dionysius O'Gall:

CHARLOTTE CHRISTIAN SCHOOL
CHARLOTTE, NC US From 3/8/2007
Until 3/10/2007

HIGHLANDS RANCH JR SR HIGH SCH
HIGHLAND RANCH, CO US From 4/12/2007
Until 4/21/2007

HOMESCHOOL PERFORMING ARTS
ALTO, MI US From 4/26/2007
Until 4/28/2007

NIAGARA-WHEATFIELD HIGH SCHOOL
SANBORN, NY US From 3/29/2007
Until 3/31/2007

NOCCA/RIVERFRONT
NEW ORLEANS, LA US From 3/14/2007
Until 3/18/2007

VIEWMONT HIGH SCHOOL
BOUNTIFUL, UT US From 3/9/2007
Until 3/17/2007

WATERTOWN LYRIC THEATER PRODUCTIONS, INC.
WATERTOWN, NY US From 5/3/2007
Until 5/5/2007

WESTMINSTER ACADEMY
FT LAUDERDALE, FL US From 3/16/2007
Until 3/17/2007

A Brief Note About Emails Etc.

I have only just begun to tackle the emails that have built up inside my inbox (there's only 841 new messages now!). It's slow going. I hope that no one's message gets lots but if you have sent word to me and I have not replied, remind me please. I am also aware that I am behind in replying to comments as well. It is more difficult to keep up with those.

This week is going to be quite hectic. I will be readjusting my Bronte thesis proposal. I've met with my advisor who has advised me to trim it down to two adaptations. The reasoning behind this decision is that I have such a huge amount of new material I could contribute it seems wasteful to retread adaptations which have already been studied. These two adaptations will be the 2006 mini-series and the 1996-2001 musical by Paul Gordon and John Caird. (Which reminds me, Anthony Crivello, if you're reading this, I have been carrying the package I prepared for you in my backpack for months now. I WILL post it! I feel like the world's worst fan...).

To make matters more interesting, I am once again in the middle of marking essays (some of which make my brain feel like bursting and not in a good way), I have a paper of my own due monday, and I will be presenting my first lecture on thursday (it is on Dickens, monomania and class tensions in Victorian England. I only briefly contemplated throwing in a Wuthering Heights reference but I've been good about sticking to Mr. D's work).

Jane Eyre: The Musical Touring Company

From Avid Touring Group Ltd:

You will fall in love with this lush piece of musical theater storytelling and sweeping, unforgettable melodies by Paul Gordon.



A troubled young orphan wishing for liberty and the strength to rise above the hardships of her childhood grows to learn that true love and forgiveness do indeed overcome obstacles. As an ambitions young woman, Jane soon meets the gregarious and wealthy Edward Rochester. Their destiny unfolds when a deep, secret bond grows between them. But will class distinctions keep them apart, or can their hearts beat strongly enough to bring them together? And when a darker family secret and haunting tragedy unfold, will they be brave enough for love?

Star Casting to be announced shortly.

There are, of course, no dates for the tour yet but I'll keep you posted. Thank you, jess_squirrel, for the tip!

Possible Professional Tour for Jane Eyre: The Musical and Japanese premiere in '09


Today is the anniversary of the official opening of Jane Eyre: The Musical. I thought it was fitting to share these few words from Paul Gordon, the composer of Jane Eyre: The Musical. Last week he informed his devotees that Jane Eyre is continuing its long journey... There is still hope that the show will be revived professionally for the tour circuit or concert venues:

Still discussing the possibility of a Jane Eyre tour. No word yet when it will happen but maybe 08'. There is a production slated for Tokyo in 09'.

Upcoming Productions of Jane Eyre: The Musical

Thanks to Mrs. Dionysius O'Gall for the tip!

CAPILANO COLLEGE
NORTH VANCOUVER, BC CA
From 12/15/2006
Until 12/15/2006

CHARLOTTE CHRISTIAN SCHOOL
CHARLOTTE, NC US
From 3/8/2007
Until 3/10/2007

HIGHLANDS RANCH JR SR HIGH SCH
HIGHLAND RANCH, CO US
From 4/12/2007
Until 4/21/2007

HOMESCHOOL PERFORMING ARTS
ALTO, MI US
From 4/26/2007
Until 4/28/2007

PITTSBURGH IRISH AND CLASSICAL THEATRE / PICT
PITTSBURGH, PA US
From 11/30/2006
Until 12/23/2006

STAGECOACH PRODUCTIONS
MONT VERNON, NH US
From 1/19/2007
Until 1/21/2007

VIEWMONT HIGH SCHOOL
BOUNTIFUL, UT US
From 3/9/2007
Until 3/17/2007

WESTMINSTER ACADEMY
FT LAUDERDALE, FL US
From 3/16/2007
Until 3/17/2007

Everyone's a Critic...


I cannot understand the absolute drought of Bronte news lately. All that is coming over the wire are scraps of news items from months ago, and trivia which is in no way interesting. I have come to think that theatre critics are some of the most viciously snarky people there are. This comes from a review of Les Miserables by a critic who has never liked Les Miserables:

This time I did my best to set aside my previous experiences and see the show fresh. And what do you know, Hugo’s great story rings through loud and clear. I have new admiration for Boublil, who has told this complex tale with economy and emotional directness—Schönberg is clearly the person on the creative team who rubs me the wrong way. Well, him and co-director John Caird, whose direction of "Jane Eyre, The Musical" is one of the most heinous crimes against the theater and literature that I have suffered.

And... that's it. Nothing more substantial than this, folks. My final projects should be in next week after which I will start to delve into my archives again for bloggy material until the news picks up again.

Buttons, Buckles, Ruffles and Lace Represent the Human Race!

I have been searching high and low for an article I read some time ago about the setting of Jane Eyre. Both sides in the debate are convinced they are right (that it ought to be set in the Regency, or the Victorian period). This article was in the Victorian camp, and mused on what Mr Rochester might have been doing in France during the Revolution (I have never read articles which have seriously considered why he would be chewing bon bons and dating ballet dancers in Paris during the Terror). Well, they said he'd probably be something like the Scarlet Pimpernel.

This is funny. Yes, it is. And also fortuitous for me. The Gordon/Caird musical had been continually compared with three other musicals: Les Miserables, The Secret Garden, and The Scarlet Pimpernel. The comparison with Pimpy makes little sense besides the flouncing white shirts, cravats, and breeches- unless we use our imagination to indulge in the Regency Jane Eyre theory.

It also gives me an excuse to call a post 'buttons, buckles, ruffles and lace represent the human race' which is just one of many fabulous lines from the show. It also gives me an excuse to share these scenes: witness the fop love below:



Or watch Alayna's beautiful clip here (I almost cried at the end from the funny):



And an editor's note: I hope regular postings will be resuming soon. It is the end of term, and naturally my life is in shambles. I have papers to mark, a ph.d proposal, this publishing project, two papers, and to top it all off I am officially homeless. That was the family crisis I spoke of earlier. Yesterday my mother was evicted back home, so I don't officially have one anymore. She's alright for the moment, but I've been desperately trying to find her a permanent residence from 1000 miles away. She might be settled as early as tonight.

New Adaptation of Wuthering Heights

Here we go again! This time ITV has commissioned a new adaptation of Emily Bronte's novel. There is another version being planed by the company producing 'Becoming Jane.'

The three-hour adaptation of the nineteenth century novel will be screened either in late 2007 or early 2008, after a series of Jane Austen dramas next year.
It was commissioned by Laura Mackie, ITV's controller of drama, and will be produced by Mammoth Screen, a new independent production company set up by former ITV drama producer Damien Timmer.
The writer is Peter Bowker, who was behind the BBC's 'Blackpool' musical thriller and 'The Canterbury Tales: The Miller's Tale'. It has not yet been cast.
Classic costume drama remains a reliable crowd-puller, with the BBC's recent four-part adaptation of Charlotte Bronte's 'Jane Eyre' attracting 6.7m viewers for its final episode.
ITV has already lined up three Jane Austen novels for next year: 'Mansfield Park', 'Northanger Abbey' and 'Persuasion'.
'Wuthering Heights', the only novel by Charlotte's sister Emily, is a darker tale of the twisted relationship between Heathcliff and Cathy, who comes back as a ghost to haunt her lover.
The last TV version of the book was filmed in 1998 by LWT and starred Sarah Smart and Robert Cavanah. Film versions have starred Ralph Fiennes and Timothy Dalton as Heathcliff, and there are reports of Johnny Depp and Angelina Jolie having been lined up to star in a new version.

The Pledge and Sirens

I have been trying to upload a clip for one of my readers (Kathleen I think?) of the song Sirens from Jane Eyre: The Musical but I'm experiencing some technical difficulties. I did get a clip uploaded but it looks like cravat porn. For some reason there's a 200% zoom or something trained on Mr Rochester's cravat and Jane's bust.

Oh dear.

This is the act one finale. It actually includes two songs, The Pledge and Sirens. Since there's the 200% zoom I should explain that they are talking in the garden when Robert the butler interrupts them.



I'll keep trying to upload a normal clip!

ETA: Oh, there is one other thing I should mention and since there's such an extreme closeup of his hands you can see this perfectly. There is a ring of Mr Rocheter's hand. Throughout the show he will look to it or touch it as a memento of his father and brother- although this is never explicitly stated in the show. It is a way of keeping his past before him, as it were.

ETA: Oh... and I suppose you can't see this either. At the end we can see Bertha through a window above them holding a candle and singing (she's the third voice which comes in near the end).

La Jolla 'Child in the Attic'

Another piece of Jane Eyre theatre history has turned up mysteriously. This is a scene from the La Jolla production of Jane Eyre: The Musical. Tiny pieces of this recording are surfacing when I least expect them to. This one is especially exciting because it is the ballad Child in the Attic which was only used for this production- and there's something peculiar about the staging...

It appears that Mr Rochester is watching from upstage left. The book she holds is Milton's Paradise Lost which plays an important role in the musical.

Secret Soul in the Studio

Thisbeciel sent me this clip long ago, but only now did I realise that I could upload it to YouTube! Here is a clip of Marla Schaffel and James Barbour recording part of the duet 'Secret Soul' from Jane Eyre: The Musical.



It's a shame that I'm not technologically savvy enough to make my own clips. I would love to make available some clips from my archives. I know how much everyone must be missing that Patrick MacNee!Rochester and his lechery, in light of the unbounded lust for Toby Stephens unleashed last weekend. And many of you are surely curious about Charleton Heston as Mr Rochester. Alas.

Upcoming Regional Productions of Jane Eyre The Musical


Thanks to Mrs. Dionysius O'Gall, here is a brief list of productions to keep an eye out for (hopefully) in your area:

CAPILANO COLLEGE
NORTH VANCOUVER, BC CA
From 12/15/2006
Until 12/15/2006

DUNDALK COMMUNITY COLLEGE THEATRE
BALTIMORE, MD US
From 11/3/2006
Until 11/12/2006

PITTSBURGH IRISH AND CLASSICAL THEATRE / PICT
PITTSBURGH, PA US
From 11/30/2006
Until 12/23/2006

ROLAND PARK COUNTRY SCHOOL
BALTIMORE, MD US
From 11/17/2006Until 11/19/2006

Jane Eyre: The Musical (2000) La Jolla Disc Two


Here are the rest of the tracks from the soundboard recording of a 2000 performance of Jane Eyre: The Musical from its pre-Broadway run in La Jolla California, starring Marla Schaffel and James Barbour. This half includes only a few songs which do not appear in the other revisions of the show, including the beautiful ballad 'Child in the Attic.' Once again, since this was made from the soundboards of the theatre the sound effects are very loud. 'The Chestnut Tree' will be known to my long-time readers as 'Rochester Triumphant.' As much as I like the show, I am very glad this was cut. It sounds like Rochester hit the jackpot at a slot machine and won a marriage to a plain, quakerish governess.

If you're new to the show, no one knows what the apricot thing is about, although there are theories. In one recording I have Rochester is always rubbing his chest and smelling his hands. We suspect that he's very scent-oriented and has picked up a subtle fruity smell about Jane which is not otherwise perceptable. And this is good since he is blind for two years of their marriage.

I have posted disc one here. And here you can read more about this version of the show.

http://www.sendspace.com/file/194hwh Secret Soul
http://www.sendspace.com/file/ennxwd Presentiments
http://www.sendspace.com/file/p3f91a Sirens Reprise and scene
http://www.sendspace.com/file/4adgvp Painting Her Portrait
http://www.sendspace.com/file/rhf6zt In the Light of the Virgin Morning

http://www.sendspace.com/file/qa8pkl The Gypsy
http://www.sendspace.com/file/ww3s8l The Proposal (Second Self)
http://www.sendspace.com/file/739gct The Chestnut Tree
http://www.sendspace.com/file/6ol3s8 Slip of a Girl
http://www.sendspace.com/file/yhetr6 The Wedding

http://www.sendspace.com/file/d8q94qScene: Bertha is revealled.
http://www.sendspace.com/file/ss01t2 Wild Boy, Gypsy Reprise, farewell scene
http://www.sendspace.com/file/ifdr1g Farewell, Good Angel
http://www.sendspace.com/file/asger6 My Maker Reprise, scenes at Morton and Gateshead
http://www.sendspace.com/file/q6ibzi Child in the Attic

http://www.sendspace.com/file/jkw0umForgiveness Reprise, Morton
http://www.sendspace.com/file/d098dn A Voice Across the Moors
http://www.sendspace.com/file/x29aim Graveyard Reprise, Poor Sister
http://www.sendspace.com/file/ldu5bq Return to Thornfield
http://www.sendspace.com/file/skwjo4 Finale

Screencaps Jane Eyre The Musical 2001

Thisbeciel, dear Thisbeciel has come across yet another tape of Jane Eyre: The Musical and this time you can actually see things! Well... you can see more of the action if not more of the detail than in the other tapes out there. Unfortunately the special effects are still invisible but that cannot be helped, I suppose. Still, these are pretty nice:

Jane Eyre: The Musical, La Jolla Production

Back by popular demand is the full audio recording of Jane Eyre The Musical. The recording was made when the production was playing in La Jolla California before its run on Broadway. This version is half-way between its Toronto and Broadway incarnations and includes some songs which are not in any of the other versions. It is taking me awhile to upload these track so please be patient.

I think this recording was made in 2000, and is obviously from the theatre soundboards (the sound effects are very loud). It includes most of the regular cast with the exception that Helen is played by a little girl. It stars Marla Schaffel as Jane Eyre and James Barbour as Edward Rochester. If you're not familiar with this show, the chorus is used to express Jane's thoughts at times although the chorus includes all of the cast members (thus, we hear Mr Rochester commenting on being the unloved orphan Jane. You'll know him by his deep, resounous voice). There are many posts in this blog about the musical, but this is the my main critique of this version. Here they experiemented with the Jane/Bertha duality.

Video clips from this and other productions are available from my YouTube group for the show, here.

CD one of two:

http://www.sendspace.com/file/tf00dp (A Voice Across the Moors)
http://www.sendspace.com/file/ej72oo (scene with John Reed)
http://www.sendspace.com/file/flgyie (The Orphan)
http://www.sendspace.com/file/ehjyjg (Naughty Girl)
http://www.sendspace.com/file/52s5hx (Forgiveness)

http://www.sendspace.com/file/te8kxa (Helen's Death)
http://www.sendspace.com/file/qukpfj (The Graveyard)
http://www.sendspace.com/file/ezihnf (Sweet Liberty)
http://www.sendspace.com/file/allz51 (Secrets of the House)
http://www.sendspace.com/file/vpvlr9 (Perfectly Nice)

http://www.sendspace.com/file/q2jmem (scene in Hay Lane)
http://www.sendspace.com/file/jos3fa (scene of preparing for the master)
http://www.sendspace.com/file/tos41q (The Governess)
http://www.sendspace.com/file/h3qwa6 (scene with Adele acting out an opera)
http://www.sendspace.com/file/dvdh6u (As Good As You)

http://www.sendspace.com/file/tksa1l (As I Retired for the Night)
http://www.sendspace.com/file/1mnfya (scene of the fire)
http://www.sendspace.com/file/ldszt9 (Sirens)
http://www.sendspace.com/file/joo74r (The Aristocrats)
http://www.sendspace.com/file/km2uoo (scene with the aristocrats)

http://www.sendspace.com/file/82sbad (The Finer Things)
http://www.sendspace.com/file/ya2oe2 (How You Look in the Night)
http://www.sendspace.com/file/mm1z8n (The Pledge)

Poor Mrs Fairfax...

Christmas came a little early for Bronteana. Lily, one of my readers, unofficial research assistant and Santa's Jewish Helper sent me the special edition DVD of Jane Eyre: The Musical Classic (not to be confused with Jane Eyre: The Musical - or the six or seven other productions of that name). The parcel also enclosed a short note: "Enjoy. I guess. Good luck getting past intermission!" How I laughed... but, it is a good thing I don't have a kitchenette in my dorm because I was tempted to bake some muffins during act one.

I have actually seen worse acting. I defy anyone to find worse acting than the cast of Amazons and Gladiators. It will explode any delusions you have about what bad acting is like. The acting in JE is suitable for a middle-school production, I think. The blocking is very bad, and the performances remind me of my high school's productions. I think one of the problems here is that these actors are obviously singers, not actors who can sing- or, alas, singers who can act. They can sing very well (most of them). There is only one poignant moment and this is during the gypsy scene, but even then how seriously can you take a man when he looks like he is wearing his grandmother's underwear on his head?

One truly interesting element of this production is the treatment of Bertha. She gets a whole song. The song doesn't make too much sense, and is mostly an ear-piercing 'AAAAAAAAAASHES!' and 'pretty, pretty FIRE!' but there is some character work at least... She doesn't like being in cold, damp England so I assume this is why she likes the fire so much. She comes downstairs after the first interview, sings, then goes back wherever she came from. It also wasn't long before I realised that this show is based on the 1996 film with Charlotte Gainsbourg and William Hurt. Although it isn't credited, several pieces of dialogue were lifted directly from the film.

Generally, the show was super camp Jane Eyre. The guests were especially campy and made the show somewhat bizzare. What is Blanche Ingram exactly? A whore with a heart of gold? I'm not sure. She swaggers around talking about going to 'see the har- ohh! I mean starletts!' at the opera and actually pinching one of the men. The men, by the way, sing a cheery little ditty about cuckoldry and debauchery before grabbing their suspenders and having a good laugh. The ladies advise eachother to appear as dumb as their hats. The sight of Blanche and Rochester doing the tango was only bettered by Rochester dragging Blanche across the stage when she falls into his arms. She witnesses the exchange between Jane and Rochester after the fire in his room, and she and Jane then sing a duet 'He Was Nearly Mine' in which she laments losing the man she... loves? Wants because she can't have? She looks sick as she hangs, clinging desperately to the railings and eventually ends up in a heap on the landing. This song also has a seemingly endless passage with nothing but the two crying "If only I was the one to touch him!" When he finally proposes, he calls in Mrs. Fairfax and forces the poor woman to dance with him, he's so giddy.

I think its his red housecoat. I can't see any other reason why these women keep throwing themselves at him, unless they want his house with its drywall and poster paint walls.