The clarity of her voice

The Epoch Times reviews Lifeline Theatre's stage production of Jane Eyre.

It was a relief to see Jane Eyre told as something more than a love story. The love story is fully present in Lifeline Theatre’s extended-run production of course, but it’s only a part of a bigger theme. The thrust of Christina Calvit’s adaptation captures the whole tale of a young woman who, staying true to herself, unites passion and principle. [...]
As always, Lifeline’s adaptation of a classic tells a big story on a little stage. What is lacking in space is made up for in creativity, and in this particular production, remarkable staging and technical solutions.
Galloping together, cast members create the horse from which Rochester is thrown when he first sees Jane, and in a comic touch, Pilot (Moaney), his dog, barks in excitement.
The fire scene benefits from the evocative use of lighting (designed by Kevin D. Gawley) on a long white piece of fabric, which covers Rochester and then hangs from his balcony-like bedroom.
The sparse scenic design (William Boles) adds to the many scene transitions, where the unique use of long upright two-by-four planks, easily adjust to create different locales. The sound design and music (Christopher Kriz) accent these transitional moments.
A talented cast adds to the effort. Roberts works well as the passionate, desperately lonely, yet trapped Rochester. And Bhatt as Jane, although anything but plain, is his equal in strength and will. She is not as young as Jane might be, but this makes her wisdom and strength easier for us to accept.
Currie is delightful as the garrulous Mrs. Fairfax as well as the oblivious yet doting Lady Ingram, mother to Blanche Ingram (Jhenai Mootz), an oozing flirt. Mootz also makes a fine wretched hag as Bertha.
Kayer contrasts the paunchy, self-righteous Brocklehurst with a humble, sweet Porter, another role.
Despite her stage composure, Hlava is miscast and likely too young to display Helen’s otherworldly, ascetic nature. Adding to this misstep is her makeup, which seems more ghoulish then saintly.
Because of these problems with Helen, we lose the contrast between the two ghosts who follow Jane on her journey to selfhood: Brocklehurst, with his harsh demands for deprivation in others, and Helen, with her otherworldly self-denial
Despite this failure, Lifeline’s “Jane Eyre” is another wonderful creation for the small theater, and puts Jane’s voice squarely front and center, the maker of her own life.
It’s all the more amusing, then, to read posted in the lobby snippets of the critical reception the novel received when it was published under the pseudonym of Currer Bell. This masterful work was considered too virile and insightful to be penned by a woman, despite of (or because of) the clarity of her voice. (Sharon Kilarski)

Bustle highlights Mallory Ortberg's Texts from Jane Eyre as one of '7 books you'll want to read this November'.

This book will genuinely make you laugh out loud (as opposed to the “lol” you might text when your honest response is more of a tepid “ha”). Toast co-creator Mallory Ortberg imagines what famous literary characters would sound like if they had cell phones. These informal, off the cuff missives are true to each character’s voice, as Ortberg understands them deeply — and the result is hilarious. Hamlet’s moroseness is amped up to an angsty teenager who texts his mom asking for her to leave a sandwich by his door but DON’T come in the room. Jane Eyre fends off an over eager Mr. Rochester who’s blowing up her phone way too often. John Donne’s seduction skills are exposed: the poem the “Flea” is basically simplified to: omg the flea already bit both of us, our blood mixed, you might as well have sex with me… please? How can you argue with logic like that? Don’t resist. Just give in to this crazy, wonderful book. (Laura Creste)

Flavorwire also reviews the book:

When we first got the Texts from Jane Eyre book in the office, I flipped through it with some curiosity, wondering if Ortberg was going to search for meaning in these funny bits, whether she’d expand beyond the medium of text; and thankfully, the book doesn’t even attempt to be anything but texts from your favorite fictional characters. What makes it a complete joy is the breadth of Ortberg’s knowledge and love — she understands, perfectly, how the extreme passions of literary characters (or writers like Emily Dickinson) lead to ridiculous, dramatic, over-the-top texts, and the juxtaposition of all these feelings with the universal mundanity of technology is hilarious. (Elisabeth Donnelly)

Refinery29 also mentions the Mallory Ortberg book.

While The Telegraph and Argus reports on the most recent goings-on back where it all started at the Brontë Parsonage Museum:

Youngsters used autumn leaves to create artwork in a workshop at Haworth’s Brontë Parsonage Museum.
They produced collages and woodland creatures in the session, led by village artist Vic Bhuta.
About 20 people took part in the event, held on Friday to coincide with the school holidays.
“The workshop went extremely well and some lovely pictures were produced,” said amuseum spokesman.
“Vic has done various projects for us and they are very popular.
“We usually do quite well for visitor numbers in school holidays and this last week was very good, certainly up on the same week in 2013.”

The Telegraph discusses how singers approach their most famous songs.

Imagine going to a Kate Bush show and not hearing Wuthering Heights? Well, that’s what happened to everyone who went to see the reclusive chanteuse’s much heralded comeback, in which she only played three hits amid two hours of less familiar work. It’s the kind of set list that forces you to confront the person on stage as an artist rather than a mere entertainer, but it can certainly backfire. (Neil McCormick)

Nathan Kotecki posts about Jane Eyre.