Hear Jane sing (or talk)

At BrontëBlog we should be used to see these kinds of things, but we never cease to be surprised by the amazing vitality of Charlotte Brontë's Jane Eyre:

1. An article published in the most recent issue of Studies in Musical Theatre:

Hear Jane sing: narrative authority in two musical versions of Jane Eyre
Marc Napolitano
Studies in Musical Theatre
Volume 2 Issue 1 June 2008

Charlotte Bronte's Jane Eyre focuses heavily on the development of the protagonist's voice, as the reader can trace the young Jane's transition from a vulnerable gothic heroine to an authoritative autobiographical narrator. Film adaptations of the novel often fail to convey this transition due to the inability of the film-maker to successfully incorporate Jane's narration into the piece. Two recent musical versions of Jane Eyre present interesting solutions to this problem; the ability to layer voices through song, along with the potential for musical commentary as opposed to voice-over, allows for innovative approaches to rectifying the problems regarding Jane's narration in other media. However, although the stage musical version by John Caird and Paul Gordon and the chamber opera adaptation by Michael Berkeley and David Malouf both attempt to preserve Jane's narrative authority, the writers are unable to fully capture the novelistic nuances of the heroine's development from abused orphan to omniscient storyteller.

2. A student production of a theatrical adaptation of Jane Eyre:

PHS Theatre (Pearland High School, Pearland, Texas)

Director: Kimberly Robb
Technical Theatre: Tabitha Day

All productions will be held in the PHS Auditorium, South Campus.
Jane Eyre September 18-20, 27 7 pm
September 27 2:30 pm
September 28 2:30 pm

3. A Book discussion in the Rock Rapids Public Library, Iowa:

Book Discussion
September 18, 2008 from 07:15 pm to 08:30 pm
Library basement
Lynn Carr 712-472-3541

Adult book discussion group meets on the third Thursday of each month (Sept.-May).
The two books to be discussed on September 18 are Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte and Little Heathens by Mildred Armstrong Kalish.

EDIT:
4. And a talk in Portsmouth by Dudley Green about the father of the creator of Jane Eyre:

Talk given by Dudley Green at 7.30pm. Museum and Record Society members free, guests £2

Categories: Alert, Jane Eyre, Journals, Patrick Brontë, Talks, Theatre