Evening Standard gives 4 out of 5 stars to
Wasted.
The inspired idea of Christopher Ash (music) and Carl Miller (book and lyrics) is to have the Brontës star in their own “rise and fall”-style rockumentary. On they come to a bare platform to plug in microphones and start talking to an invisible interviewer, before launching into bracing blasts of song. Unfortunately, everyone has a tiresome habit of holding the microphones too close and thus distorting some of the lyrics.
Twenty-seven songs is too many when a number are unmemorable, yet when the music is good, it’s very good. No One to Marry for Miles is a country-type lament from Anne (Molly Lynch), who is nearly as heavy on the eyeliner as Siobhan Athwal’s marvellously lugubrious and melodramatic Emily.
Adam Lenson’s vivid production taps perceptively into the untamed energy of this moor-roaming clan, the “nobodies from nowhere” who revolutionised English literature.
The family, and this Brontë-soaring show, is anchored by Natasha Barnes as the pragmatic, forceful Charlotte, the only sibling who married. But, the piece asks perceptively, was this a dreadful waste of her talent? (Fiona Mountford)
The Seattle Public Library Blog has a few recommendations to read beyond Book-It's production of Jane Eyre.
The Secret History of Jane Eyre. by John Pfordresher
Why did Charlotte insist on hiding her authorship of Jane Eyre from everyone but her sisters? Pfordresher lays bare the painful parallels between Charlotte’s life and her novel.
Governess by Ruth Brandon
What was life actually like as a governess in the 19th century? “Not part of the family, not servants, yet not equals.” Brandon explores the economy, psychology, and sociology of governesses and the families they served.
Texts From Jane Eyre, by Daniel Mallory Ortberg
Ortberg, the voice behind Slate’s popular Dear Prudence advice column, created this hilarious collection of imagined text message conversations between famous literary characters. According to Ortberg, “If Mr. Rochester could text Jane Eyre, his ardent missives would obviously be in all-caps.”
The Brontë Sisters – Streaming Video
Heather Saycell’s 2008 film is an engaging examination of Charlotte, Emily, and Anne’s lives and their extraordinary insights into the human heart.
For additional Jane Eyre-inspired titles, check out this list created by librarians at The Seattle Public Library. (Elizabeth W)
And more on Seattle and
Jane Eyre on
The Stranger.
58. On Book
This unique book club invites you to read through the plays of the current season—Jane Eyre, M. Butterfly, John, and Office Hour—with facilitation by Makaela Pollock.
The Hindu features the Nilgiris Library.
Some of the books retain their original binding with the library’s insignia. There are treasures there and thrills as one takes out The Life of Charlotte Brontë written by Mrs Gaskell. A black and white illustration of the Haworth Parsonage where the Brontës lived is guaranteed to give goose bumps. (Pankaja Srinivasan)
The Sisters' Room talks about the Martin Heron's
Literary Landscapes installation on the Haworth moors, just in the way to Top Withins.
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