BBT artistic director and co-founder Lora Adams proves again there’s just about nothing she can’t put on at this priceless, 60-seat gem of a theater in downtown Moline. She again wears multiple hats in directing this mighty big show (39 musical numbers, 14 actors, boundless expanse of the human heart), as well as designing another tasteful, spot-on-set and elegant costumes. [...]This is the largest production Adams has ever brought to the Black Box stage, and you’d have to have a soul of ice not to be drawn into the bewitching story – commandingly led by the intoxicating trio of leads Martin, Urbaitis and the powerhouse soprano Shelley Cooper as Blanche Ingram, a rival for Rochester’s affections.I was most moved by Martin – who reveals an uncanny, preternatural calm and poise as the poignant, sensitive heroine. While both sopranos, she and Cooper offer a fascinating, delightful contrast in their equally stunning, heart-pounding portrayals.Martin (like Jane) possesses a more humble, even, less showy and entirely captivating singing voice and personality – still glorious in its radiant beauty. She and Cooper share a wonderful duet in the second act, “In the Light of the Virgin Morning” that complement each other and fit together like perfect puzzle pieces.Martin also has what every actor should aspire to – affecting and absorbing reacting, in being able to communicate greatly by facial expressions alone. She does that first in watching and telling of her young self (played by Em Foster) at the beginning, and most touchingly, in her second act acceptance of Rochester’s marriage proposal. Martin’s look of bliss and yearning are transcendent.Urbaitis is just as sentimental and touching in his daunting mountain of a part, which he scales triumphantly. He and Martin have a voluminous amount of stage time and they both are strong, mesmerizing presences – “My Hope of Heaven,” “Sail Away” and the inspiring closer, “Brave Enough for Love,” are among their duet highlights.“Sweet Liberty,” “Secret Soul” and “Painting Her Portrait” are among Martin’s best numbers and she imbues Jane’s dream to be free and happy with admirable intensity and fervor.Other standouts in the consistently solid cast include Karen LeFebvre (Mrs. Fairfax, who has two of the most vocally tricky songs – “Perfectly Nice” and “Slip of a Girl”), Stephanie Perry (Mrs. Reed/Lady Ingram), Eden Myers (Helen Burns/Adele), Daniel Williams (St. John Rivers), and Tyler Henning (Mason).The entire ensemble often shines off stage in their choruses, displaying great harmonies, such as the Act 2 opener, “Sympathies Exist.” (Full disclosure: I had the pleasure to be a substitute accompanist for a few rehearsals.)Special kudos to the enthusiastic music director Amy Trimble, who’s loved this show since it first came out, with her small but capable pit (joining Deb Swift on keyboard and flutist Karen McClintock).This bountiful entertainment has what we all could use a bit more of — elegance, taste, style and enviable moral example. (Jonathan Turner)
The Black Box Theatre is giving you the incredibly good fortune to see an absolutely beautiful musical adaptation of one of, if not THE, best known and most beloved romance novels, Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë and I do not have enough superlatives to describe how stunning it is. It is yet another feather in the cap both of BBT founder and director Lora Adams as well as Music Director, Amy Trimble. [...]This is going to sound kind of sappy, but one of my favorite film roles is Olivia de Havilland as Melanie Wilkes in Gone with the Wind. Let’s face it, NOBODY is that sweet, loving and forgiving, but de Havilland completely and utterly sells it, sucking us into a sugar induced coma of utter belief. For me, that is the highest compliment I can assign to Kiera Lynn’s portrayal of Jane Eyre. Her performance is tender, endearing and oh so genuine, and it certainly doesn’t hurt that she has the singing pipes to back up her acting skills.Counter-balancing Lynn’s Jane Eyre is Joe Urbaitis as the troubled master of the manor house, Edward Fairfax Rochester. It’s been decades since I read the novel, but my recollection of Rochester is that of a tortured and taciturn curmudgeon. Here the character is interpreted as a kinder, gentler Rochester which makes him easier to like as he and Jane follow the winding and pot-holed path to eventual happiness.Adams has expertly accommodated this rather large-for-the-venue cast of 14 by concealing the cast in ensemble numbers behind screens which gives them a retrospective haunting quality. And speaking of numbers, this 38 chapter novel is adapted to a whopping 39 songs to tell this classic tale resulting in a close to 2 ½ hour production. But don’t worry, you’ll savor every minute.This uber-talented cast also includes Shelley Cooper in the dual roles of Miss Scatchard and Blanche Ingram and Karen Lefebvre, who I especially liked, not only for the quality of her singing but also for the way her songs were cleverly written in a recurring syncopated style.There were a couple of technical glitches at the performance I attended but they are so minor that most people may not have noticed them and certainly didn’t diminish this excellent production. And circling back to music support, Trimble has reduced instrumentation to only two keyboards and a flute. Believe me, you won’t miss a full orchestra. (Chris Hicks)
In Moline, director Lora Adams (also the theatre's co-owner and artistic director) and music director Amy Trimble, along with their staff, crew, musicians, and 14-member cast, fit the technically challenging script and score beautifully into this intimate venue.The descriptor "Gothic romance" brings visions of gloomy mansions with foreboding airs. But that's not simply an overused literary device – large, drafty dwellings without electricity or plumbing actually existed in the mid-1800s. And in real-life English boarding schools, children endured horrific conditions and indiscriminate cruelty. (Charlotte and her siblings lived at one until their father wisely brought them home.) In this production, Em Foster plays young Jane, banished to such a purportedly educational hellscape, who is understandably bitter and defiant. Foster, a college student, offers a natural and believable portrayal of a preteen, as does high-schooler Eden Myers as Jane's calmer, wiser friend Helen. Both have lovely voices to match their acting prowess.In "Graveside," Foster's young Jane and the grown Jane portrayed by Kiera Lynn sing alternate lines, then the same words and melody in unison, then diverge, singing in harmony – a nice transition of actors out of and into the role, and of Jane from girl to woman. Lynn has a marvelously sweet yet straightforward singing voice here. I last saw her a few months ago as Ralphie's snarky teacher Miss Shields at the Circa '21's Dinner Playhouse's A Christmas Story: The Musical. Naturally, Lynn's Jane is quite a different creation. Gratifyingly, in the Black Box venue, I was close enough to see the changes in Lynn's face throughout the story: sorrow becoming determination; hope becoming heartbreak.When Jane leaves boarding school to become a governess, she's welcomed to Thornfield Hall by housekeeper Mrs. Fairfax, played by the golden-voiced Karen LeFebvre. In LeFebvre's first of several numbers, "Perfectly Nice," she provides backstory, and plays the character's scripted slight confusion and hearing loss as gently amusing without making her a buffoon. Jane's charge Adele is played by Myers – distinct from her previous role as Helen, and now in a dark, corkscrewed wig and frilly dress. (Here, I must laud Adams, who has created yet another range of gorgeous costumes and a versatile set. Don't know how she keeps doing it, but I hope she never stops.)Joe Urbaitis is a wonder as master of the mansion Mr. Rochester, a slightly gruff but appealing fellow with a melancholy soul and a mysterious past. Urbaitis, a veteran of many QC musicals, always impresses with his characterizations. For example, in a small yet critical detail, he nails this English dialect. (I expected no less.) In his Mr. Rochester, I saw hints of Urbaitis' charming Emile in Countryside Community Theatre's South Pacific, a character that had a similar character arc. Shelley Cooper plays Rochester's admirer Blanche, who hilariously blows the roof off the mansion with her operatic grandstanding. Half the Jane Eyre cast take on two roles apiece, and the ensemble as a whole are superb: Abby Berg, Daniel Williams, Douglas Kutzli, Heather Lueder, Jakob Berg, Kirsten V. Myers Sr., Stephanie Quade-Perry, and Tyler Henning. Meanwhile, this musical's "pit" – more accurately a pocket at stage right – holds two keyboardists and a flutist. The simple orchestration with unamplified voices is excellent, effective, and does not sound spare in the slightest.There are so many well-executed aspects of this production, big and small: the perfect little laden tea table; the lower-class London accent of Heather Lueder's Grace; the artworks visible during "Painting Her Portrait”; the warmly flickering fireplace; the birdsong punctuating "In the Light of the Virgin Morning”; Abby Berg's frightening spectre with an angelic voice; the transformation of a parlor into a garden with a flip of blossoming vines over a wall; everything about Urbaitis' "As Good as You." With an astonishing 39 musical numbers and many shifts in scene, Adams' troupe makes this complex, ambitious undertaking run smoothly. There were a few technical glitches when I attended, but I trust they've been subsequently worked out.When I saw Jane Eyre's opening-night performance, I didn't know what shape or tone this production might possess. Beyond that, I was decidedly under the weather on Friday, and on glancing at the program's long song list, I wondered how on Earth I was going to last through the show. However, I found myself absorbed, time flew, and at the end, I was sweetly uplifted with no saccharine aftertaste. I also felt inspired to endure and persevere – and believed that what doesn't kill us really does make us stronger. (Pamela Briggs)
6 'Wuthering Heights' (2011)Director: Andrea ArnoldBased on Emily Brontë's 1847 novel of the same name, Wuthering Heights is a British Gothic romantic period drama that focuses on the childhood and different upbringings of its two main characters, Heathcliff (SolomonGlave and James Howson) and Catherine (ShannonBeer and Scodelario).Directed by American Honey's Oscar-winning director Andrea Arnold, this 2011 film is an intriguing take on the epic love story (its absence of music was an interesting choice) that meditates about social class, gender, love, and obsession, introducing audiences to flawed, layered, and three-dimensional characters. Although it doesn't rank high among other classic novel adaptations, Wuthering Heights is the perfect choice for period drama enthusiasts, featuring dream-like scenery that fully immerses audiences in it, and an incredible acting performance by Scodelario. (Daniela Gama)
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