A gorgeous production with a very limited run

Cleveland Jewish News reviews the revised production of the Cleveland performances of Jane Eyre. The Musical.

An original song list of 50 numbers has been reduced to 36, which is delivered by a 10-member cast rather than the original 30. A running time just shy of three hours has been cut to just over two. And all of this takes place within a single set – the stark interior of a large room in a gothic mansion, designed by Gabriel Firestone.
The musical traces the major moments in the novel – the courageous orphan Jane Eyre’s tragic upbringing at the hands of her dismissive aunt and sadistic cousin, the humiliation and friendship she encounters at the Lowood School and, of course, her passionate love affair with the damaged, brooding Edward Rochester.
But we never do witness the many experiences that result in what she calls her “expanded mind” or the evolution that takes place from her serving as Rochester’s employee to becoming his “second self.”
Still, this magnificent production proves that less is more, for what happens on that stage in this room is lush, imaginative and thoroughly engaging.
From the start, this production retains and accentuates the first-person intimacy of the novel by having every member of the ensemble – Alison England, Cody Gerszewski, Lauryn Hobbs, Greg Violand, Laura Perotta, Fabio Polanco, Emma McClelland and Genny Lispadilla – serve as Eyre’s narrative voice in addition to playing multiple roles. This keeps her from having to step out of the story; instead, she is an invested observer of it when not an active participant, which is intriguing.
The ensemble’s voices blend beautifully to form a rich tapestry of sound that gets woven into the storytelling. And they are also occasionally showcased, such as in England’s wonderfully comedic “Slip of a Girl” as housekeeper Mrs. Fairfax, Lauryn Hobb’s beautiful “Forgiveness” as Eyre’s childhood friend, Helen Burns, and McClelland’s “Lonely House” as the young Jane Eyre.
The string-centric music, with new arrangements and orchestration by Steven Tyler and Brad Haak, becomes a delicate, buoyant thing when performed by a mere seven talented musicians under Nancy Maier’s direction.
Everyone on stage executes Martín Céspedes’ graceful choreography with astounding fluidity as they usher in and remove furnishings that define a new location, transition from one character to another, or create dramatic tableaus that capture – along with T. Paul Lowry’s haunting projections, Benjamin Gantose’s gothic lighting design, Carlton Guc's dramatic sound design, and  Sydney Gallas’ period-perfect costuming – the tenor of Eyre’s memories.
Even with all the impressive stagecraft on display in this production, it is Céspedes’ inventive stage movement and Miles J. Sternfeld’s direction of it that truly defines this revisited “Jane Eyre.”
And even with an exceptional ensemble, it is the lead players who carry this show. Broadway alums Andrea Goss (“Great Comet,” “Beautiful”) as Eyre and Matt Bogart (“Jersey Boys,” “Aida”) as Rochester are magnificent.
Goss’ performance captures Eyre’s humble demeanor, ardent spirit, and the innate intelligence that Brontë bestowed upon this iconic character. And her pure and powerful voice raises the level of professionalism of this production and the audience’s enjoyment of it.
Much of Rochester’s dialogue fluctuates between melodramatic and melancholic, yet Bogart manages to use this to inform the portrayal of a more complicated, conflicted and intriguing man. His beautifully performed, impassioned duets with Goss, particularly “Secret Soul,” are absolutely stunning.
Eight stage adaptations of the much-beloved “Jane Eyre” appeared in England and America between 1848 and 1882. There have been many others since but it is hard to imagine any better than the one currently being staged by Cleveland Musical Theatre. This is a gorgeous production with a very limited run. (Bob Abelman)

Daily Mail discusses the 'modern touches' of the new screen adaptation of Vanity Fair.

The first twenty minutes for example seemed to eschew famously ‘faithful’ adaptations of Dickens, Austen, and the Brontës like Bleak House, Great Expectations, Pride & Prejudice, or Jane Eyre and instead were influenced more by the pop video glossiness of Sofia Coppola’s Marie Antoinette, Baz Luhrmann’s Romeo & Juliet, or dark, smart, American series like Desperate Housewives, True Blood, Big Little Lies, and so many others. (Jim Shelley)

Il Libraio (Italy) recommends Jean Rhys's Good Morning, Midnight while reminding readers of her more famous Wide Sargasso Sea. Book Fifty has some reading suggestions for September, including Jane Eyre. AnneBrontë.org discusses Anne's poem The Narrow Way and Anne's interest on universal salvation.