Wasted Brontës

A press release on British Theatre (and a few other sites):

Wasted, a new musical about the Brontës by Christopher Ash and Carl Miller is coming to Southwark Playhouse this autumn.
Wasted the musical comes to Southwark Playhouse
Through the lens of a rock documentary, Wasted is a brand new musical that gives an access-all-areas account of the struggles, heartbreaks and triumphs of the three Brontë sisters Charlotte, Emily, Anne, and their brother Branwell.  Brought up in a remote, poverty-stricken town in Yorkshire, without money or opportunity, they fought ill health, unrequited love and family feuds to write some of the most celebrated literature including Jane Eyre and Wuthering Heights.
Never afraid to rebel against expectations, the lives behind the pages expose a struggling, squabbling, ferociously driven, drug-fuelled crash and burn trajectory from obscurity to celebrity and ultimately to their untimely deaths.  Coupled with a rock score from Christopher Ash (Showstoppers – Oliver Award winner for Best Entertainment), book and lyrics by Carl Miller (Emil and the Detectives, National Theatre), directed by Adam Lenson (Superhero), the Brontës ask – was it all wasted?
This is the Brontës as you’ve never seen them before. Wasted will play at Southwark Playhouse from 6 September – 6 October 2018.
Early performances of Wasted were developed at BEAM and showcased at Theatre Royal Stratford East’s Musical Theatre Workshop. It played four ‘work in progress’ performances at West Yorkshire Playhouse as part of their Brontë Season in autumn 2016. This production is the world premiere of the full show. Casting and further creatives are to be announced. (Douglas Mayo)

Tickets can be booked already.

Still on stage, Spectator Life recommends 'Five literary ballets to book ahead for', including

Jane Eyre, Sadler’s Wells and The Lowry
‘Poor, obscure, plain and little,’ is how Charlotte Brontë’s heroine Jane Eyre describes herself. You cannot say the same for Abigail Prudames, Dreda Blow and Hannah Bateman who give governess Jane new grace in choreographer Cathy Marston’s adaptation. This Northern Ballet production is on at Sadler’s Wells before heading to Salford for a short run at The Lowry. Sadler’s Wells May 15-19, The Lowry June 6-9 (Laura Freeman)

SciFi Pulse interviews Pam Smy about her first graphic novel, Thornhill.

Nicholas Yanes: Given your experience, who are the illustrators you think all students in this field should study?
Smy: I grew up in a mostly bookless house, but I had been given a bind-up for Christmas of Frances Hodgson-Burnett stories – Little Lord Fauntleroy, The Little Princess, and (my favourite) The Secret Garden. I read and re-read this book, and loved it. In adult life I developed a passion for Jane Eyre and re-read it every couple of years and collect it in different editions with different cover designs. I love how many similarities there are between The Secret Garden and Jane Eyre – both heroines find themselves in a daunting new home, both are troubled by mysterious sounds in the night, both uncover uncomfortable mysteries, and, most importantly, both heroines are stronger by the end of the story the they were at the outset. I borrowed from both of these books in Thornhill. The name of Thornhill is based on the two homes of Jane Eyre – Lowood school and Thornfield Hall, my character Mary is based on the Mary of The Secret Garden. There are other similarities, and clues in the illustrations – but I’ll leave it up to your readers to seek them out.
Yanes: To me, your work perfectly balances dread with a sense of childhood wonder. How did your art style develop? Was there a moment in which you realized what type of style you wanted your illustrations to be in? [...]
And the feeling dread? I don’t believe that childhood is a time of blissful innocence – at the very least children live in the same spaces as adults, who often have complicated existences. This crops up again and again in folktales and literature… and, of course, features in The Secret Garden and Jane Eyre. 

Another author interviewed: Madeline Dyer by No Wasted Ink.

What authors have most influenced your life? What about them do you find inspiring? My list of authors who’ve most influenced me includes Virginia Woolf, Richelle Mead, and Rachel Caine. I think how prolific these writers are in producing books is definitely the biggest thing that inspires me on a daily basis—but also their versatility and how they’ve written in several different genres. I’m also greatly inspired by Charlotte Brontë and Charles Dickens due to how they created such believable characters, and Jean M. Auel for her immense world-building. (Wendy Van Camp)

Vents Magazine interviews singer/songwriter Violet DeLancey.

How Kate Bush has influence your music? [sic]
I was a fan of Kate Bush long before I ever started playing music mostly because I was a huge fan of the Brontë’s and always got a kick out of her song “Wuthering Heights.”  I also listened to her music constantly when I was in London, and “Hounds of Love” has always been my favorite work of hers.  It didn’t occur to me to use her as a musical reference until I began thinking about this record, partly because her music feels abstract and it seemed difficult to dissect what actually gave it that timeless and otherworldly sound.  When I started thinking about wanting to go in a direction that was more authentic to my interests outside of music and trying to achieve a sound that would correspond, she was the natural choice.  Luckily Andy was able to dissect the elements of her music that were appealing pretty quickly! (RJ Frometa)

Mr Porter gives a list of '50 books every man should read', including

08. Jane Eyre
Ms Charlotte Brontë
Ms Charlotte Brontë was both a great storyteller and an acute anatomist of the human heart. Damaged, secretive, tragic Mr Rochester is a romantic icon for the ages. (Sam Leith)

Daily Mail reviews the book Britain by the Book by Oliver Tearle.

Many writers praised in their lifetimes are no longer read. Some were attacked but are now hailed as geniuses. Emily Brontë’s Wuthering Heights received scathing reviews on first publication.
‘We rise from the perusal of Wuthering Heights as if we had come fresh from a pest-house’, one critic remarked. Even Emily’s father, who outlived all six of his children, never managed to read her book. (Nick Rennison)

We don't have any account of him reading it, but that doesn't mean he didn't.

Oxford Mail looks back on the latest events at Vale and Downland Museum:

Another event which helped bring in extra visitors was a two-night 'Victorian extravaganza' in March put on by sixth formers from Wantage's King Alfred's Academy.
More than 350 parents, siblings and other locals attended both evenings and watched costumed students staged a scene from Jane Eyre.

Bustle features Storybook Cosmetics' Beauty Book Club.

According to the press release, fans can expect to see collectible boxes based on classics like Little Women, Jane Eyre, and Romeo & Juliet.
Each month will cost subscribers $24.99, which is ironically the price of a new book. Of course, you're not getting an actual book with the subscription. You'll just get a box that is based on a classic novel. (Kali Borovic)

El empresario (Spain) likens the ongoing Brexit negotiations to Wuthering Heights. The Brussels Brontë Blog tells more about the recent talk by Lucasta Miller.