Brontë theatre: WSU, Kalamazoo and Middlebury

Two new productions of the Gordon & Caird's Jane Eyre musical and another one of Polly Teale's After Mrs Rochester:

1. At the Washington State University (Pullman, WA):

Opera Workshop presents
Jane Eyre
Friday, April 3 8:00pm
Saturday, April 4 2:00pm
Bryan Hall Theatre

Based on the novel by Charlotte Brontë, the story is full of romance and suspense as a young, naïve governess falls in love with her dark and mysterious employer. Jane Eyre, one of the most famous heroines in English Literature, presents themes of love, forgiveness and redemption, making it a production for audiences of all ages.

Directed by WSU Associate Professor Julie Anne Wieck with assistance from Karen Savage, rehearsal accompanist, and Nick Wallin, conductor of the WSU Symphony Orchestra. Tewnty-three WSU students comprise the cast, including Emily Dahlgren as Jane Eyre, Jacob Woodbrey as Edward Rochester, Jordyn Palmer as Mrs. Fairfax, and Caryssa Gilmore as Blanche. The roles of Young Jane and Adele are played by Alex Neelon, a promising young actress from Deary, Idaho. Five students from Pullman public schools will also join the cast. The stage set and lighting are designed by James Harris.

The Moscow-Pullman Daily News gives more information (and several pictures of the rehearsals, Picture source Emily Dahlgren, as Jane Eyre, and Jake Woodbrey, as Edward RochesterCredits: Geoff Crimmins):

Dark, brooding and complex aren't words that come to mind when people think of musicals, but "Jane Eyre" manages to be all of those things, said Caryssa Gilmore.
Gilmore, a Washington State University freshman, plays Blanche Ingram in the WSU School of Music's production of Charlotte Bronte's classic novel.
School of Music associate professor Julie Anne Wieck said she has been in love with the story since she was a child.
"This does a beautiful job of bringing a book to life through music," she said.
Wieck said "Jane Eyre," which stars WSU student Emily Dahlgren as Jane Eyre, is the perfect musical to coincide with WSU Mom's Weekend.
"Even if college students don't know 'Jane Eyre,' moms seem to," she said. "The romantic suspense is wonderful; the music is very compelling and emotional."
The cast is made up 29 actors, most of them WSU students, with the exception of several children from the community.
"Jane Eyre" is the story of a "strong woman doing the best she can in societal conditions," Wieck said. "She's not afraid to go after her dream."
She said there are themes of redemption and forgiveness as the title character learns about forgiveness and brings redemption to her love interest, Edward Rochester.
Gilmore said her character is a high society woman who is looking to marry for wealth, but there is more to her character than meets the eye.
"At the beginning of the play she seems really uptight and really hoity-toity," she said. "... Later on, she shows a softer side. She's trying to go along with her mother's wishes and marry well, but she doesn't know if she can love him."
Gilmore said she likes the fact that "Jane Eyre" is not a happy-go-lucky musical in which everything works out perfectly.
"I enjoy that it does have a deeper meaning and darker side," she said. "Even though it's a mellower play, there is a lot of comic relief, and it's very funny and enjoyable."
WSU student Jacob Woodbrey plays the part of Edward Rochester and likes the intricate plot.
He has played the stereotypical male leads in musicals like "Grease" and "Cinderella" in high school but said he enjoys the challenge of playing Rochester.
"He has three personalities," he said. "He can be really dark, angry and sad. In the open, he's kind of scary. He has a sensitive side where he wants to show his emotions and be loved. He also adds another dimension, his calculating side. He likes to ask leading questions to make people say what they are thinking."
Wieck said the show is good for audiences of all ages.
"It's a beautiful family show - a dark story - but there is a romantic story in there and a sense of persevering through difficult times and finding love at the end," she said. "There are also lighter moments of comic relief that make it an enjoyable evening." (Omie Drawhorn)

More information in The Daily Evergreen.
2. In Kalamazoo, Michigan:

Farmers Alley Theatre
Jane Eyre
Music and Lyrics by Paul Gordon | Book by John Caird

One of the greatest love stories of all time has been transformed into this major new Broadway musical. True to its 19th century origins and the original novel by Charlotte Bronte, Jane Eyre is a lavish Victorian banquet of emotions; It is a story of passion, faith, forgiveness, and - most of all - the eternal healing power of an all-consuming love. Jane Eyre's sweeping love story is breathtaking in its scope and beauty, steeped in rich
tradition and overflowing with joy. Filled with soaring melodies, the score embodies a romantic lyricism uncommon in the modern Broadway musical. It is an inspiring musical that will delight
and amaze the entire family.

Friday, April 3rd: 8:00 pm
Saturday, April 4th: 8:00 pm
Sunday, April 5th: 2:00 pm
Friday, April 10th: 8:00 pm
Saturday, April 11th: 8:00 pm
Thursday, April 16th: 7:00 pm
Friday, April 17th: 8:00 pm
Saturday, April 18th: 8:00 pm
Sunday, April 19th: 2:00 pm

3. And After Mrs Rochester in the Middlebury College in Middlebury, Vermont:

April 3–5, Friday–Sunday
After Mrs. Rochester
8:00 P.M. Friday and Saturday; 7:00 P.M. Sunday;
Wright Memorial Theatre

Polly Teale crafts a bold and expressionistic play based on the life of the reclusive novelist Jean Rhys. As Rhys pieces together the shards of her life—her childhood as a white Creole in Dominica and the men who loved and abandoned her—Teale’s narrative intertwines Rhys’s reality with her 1966 novel, Wide Sargasso Sea, and her inspiration, Jane Eyre.
Directed by Vanessa Mildenberg, visiting assistant professor; sponsored by the Department of Theatre and Dance.

Categories: Jane Eyre, Music, Theatre, Wide Sargasso Sea