Jane Eyre?

[TheaterGeek91]

Posted: 5/23/04 at 10:24pm

Does anyone, besides me, EVER think about Jane Eyre? Yes, it was short lived, but yes, the rights are being sold and I've seen it performed other times besides when I saw it on Broadway. It may be one of the darkest musicals of all time, but I definitely think it has its pluses. Great music for a rainy day or if you're in a dark funk and you don't want to get out of it.

[EponineThenardier]

Posted: 5/23/04 at 10:30pm

I don't know the show (or novel) at all. I would like to see/hear the score but I don't wanna go out an buy it on a whim.

There was a woman in it, in a supporting role (can't for the life of me remember the character OR the actress) but she was in Jane Eyre and I saw her as Fantine in the US tour of Les Miz. She was THE best Fantine I have ever heard, or seen...so incredible.

[iflitifloat]

Posted: 5/23/04 at 10:38pm

Yes. Actually, I still play the CD. Saw it twice. It's the perfect music for a certain mood.

[secret-soul]

Posted: 5/23/04 at 11:43pm

I ADORE Jane Eyre--both the book and the musical itself. I read the book a while ago and then after simply hearing about the musical I went out on a whim (with a gift card to barnes and noble) and bought the CD and I think it's brilliant and the talent is amazing. Although Mrs. Fairfax is a little off...they kinda deranged her as a character...but overall it sounds amazing.

[bongoboy]

Posted: 5/23/04 at 11:51pm

I'm a lover of Jane Eyre as well. I cried like a baby when I saw it. It is one of my favorite books of all time and I did NOT feel as if the musical short changed it. Certainly any movie or play/musical can not capture the brilliance of the novel but the musical is brilliant in it's own way. I haven't listened to the whole album recently but we do listen to a mix cd that has several of our favorite songs from the show on it.

[bythesword84]

Posted: 5/24/04 at 12:00am

I saw Jane Eyre a few times, I absolutely loved it. I just listened to it yesterday actually. I'm a sucker for James Barbour's voice...

[CATSNYrevival]

Posted: 5/24/04 at 12:34am

Yes, I'm an Eyre-Head. I love both the Broadway and Canadian cast recordins. Pure joy. Dark, but joy none the less....

[Broadwayboobs]

Posted: 5/24/04 at 8:44am

I Love James Barbour's voice too since I saw him in Jane Eyre - I was very disappointed that he never showed up for "Standing Ovation" last night, even though his name was in the program...I was so looking forward to hearing him sing.

[nesatchr]

Posted: 5/24/04 at 9:34am

Love love love Jane Eyre. When I first came across the CD, I thought the novel would make a crappy musical. I listened to it anyway, and was thrilled to be wrong. I love the score. I love teaching the songs, too; now we have the vocal selections. I'd love to do the show at school.

[bwaysinger]

Posted: 5/24/04 at 11:12am

Wow. Jane Eyre was my first purely professional gig. I loved working on it. It had its problems (namely in that the existing score was mostly from a previously through-sung adaptation...I think they should have started fresh, so to speak) but was fulfilling at least because Marla Schaffel was so compelling as Jane.
By the way, whomever it was who mentioned the incredible Fantine they saw on tour in Les Miz: that would be Jayne Patterson. I have to tell you, too, as amazing as Marla was, I'll never forget the first understudy rehearsal with Jayne as Jane. We finished "Sweet Liberty" and we had to applaud her. Breathtaking.
She's currently in Mass. right now starring in a musical of Lizzie Borden.

[Mister Matt]

Posted: 5/24/04 at 3:12pm

I think about it quite often. It's one of my favorite shows I've seen on Broadway. I love the story and the score. Marla, James and Mary all delivered Tony-worthy performances. The staging was BREATHTAKING. John Napier, Jules Fischer and Peggy Eienhower deserved Tonys that year. That perfectly captured the feel of a "memory" play with the cyclorama, projections, lighting and that amazing cocentric turntable perfectly in sync with the lighting carousel. For design, it ranks in my top three choices (with Les Mis and An Inspector Calls). I still can't believe The Producers beat out Jane Eyre for design. There was nothing innovative in The Producers, just more stuff. If I could go back and see just one show again, it would be Jane Eyre.

[lostwallflower]

Posted: 5/24/04 at 3:51pm

I, too, love Jane Eyre. I love the stanza from Helen that comes back in Brave Enough For Love (I will never lose faith...). I saw it at the very end of its run and the at the door were mostly die-hard fans. They were talking and chatting with the cast, but you could tell they weren't really personal friends. I was so surprised at the door to see how shy James Barbour was. Everyone was wonderful, though.

My friend saw it and she said there was a little boy that was at the stage door waiting to get in. She started talking to him and found out he was in Seussical and that he had tutoring with the kids from JE. I thought that was kind of cool. I wish I had been a B'way kid!!!

[ckeaton]

Posted: 5/24/04 at 3:56pm

I have to add that I love 'Jane Eyre' too.
I *sigh* never got to see it live. But I have gone on a pilgramage none the less.

The time I was lucky enough to spend some time backstage at the Brooks Atkinson during 'Noises Off', I dragged my hand along the brick, knowing that those pieces of stone were present for each performance of 'Jane Eyre'.

When I found out that Marla S. was in the tour of 'Sound of Music', I subscribed to the whole season. There was a real taste of Jane in her governess.

[twogaab2]

Posted: 5/24/04 at 4:10pm

Liked the adaptation of the story (very much). Didn't think that the score added anything to the story at all. This version would have been just fine without all the music. Also, felt that when the Rochester and Jane are this pretty, the entire story is thrown COMPLETLY out of wack.

Just my opinion, I may be wrong.

[eponine88]

Posted: 5/24/04 at 5:10pm

Actually, I just bought the cd for Jane Eyre a week ago on a whim. I'm glad I did. I really love it, especially Helen's part where she sings "And I know you're afraid, I'm as scared as you are..." Wish I could have seen the show...

[Theatre_Lover]

Posted: 5/24/04 at 10:09pm

LOVE Jane Eyre! Been one of my favorite books for forever, and I thought that the musical captured it beautifully. I am crushed that I'll never get to see it -- praying for it to come back!

The chorus numbers are the only part that is lacking. Maybe because they are so short and so few, or maybe because the rest of the songs are so brillent.

Favorite song is diffenetly "Sirens" -- I love duets!

[TheaterGeek91]

Posted: 5/24/04 at 10:20pm

here here to the duets comment! However, I thought the chorus did a pretty good job on the opening of Act 2--beautiful harmonies, although the chorus wasn't the best... Gotta love Jane Eyre, such great lyrics!

[secret-soul]

Posted: 5/24/04 at 10:46pm

lalalalalalala...i LOVE this musical :) :) :)

[Theatre_Lover]

Posted: 5/25/04 at 6:10pm

The chorus was good, it was just that the songs weren't that great -- awful short, and not at all nessasary to the plot, IMHO.

I love how they put music to the part where Rotchester says, if I had a string tied under my rib... I love that!

[Musetta1957]

Posted: 5/25/04 at 11:13pm

"Does anyone, besides me, EVER think about Jane Eyre?"

Yes, and when I do, I remember that I liked the music the first time I heard it, in The Secret Garden.

[Mister Matt]

Posted: 5/26/04 at 7:33am

Except that the only thing the Secret Garden and Jane Eyre scores have in common is British accents. Sure, they are both lush and melodic, but if you really listen to both CDs, they are quite different.

[scooter38432]

Posted: 5/26/04 at 8:31am

I am a late bloomer when it comes to Jane Eyre fan-dom.
I didn't see the production when it was on Broadway, but I know the novel well, so I bought the CD sometime after the show closed.

I just cannot take it out of my CD player! I love it.

I have since seen it at the Lincoln Center Library on videotape, and it was even better than I had hoped.

I can see why some may compare it to THE SECRET GARDEN, as I did when I first heard it. As time goes on, it is less and less like SG. (In fact, I think I may even like it more.)

Does anyone know if the writers have done anything else available on CD?

[Mister Matt]

Posted: 5/26/04 at 12:17pm

Jane Eyre is their only show that was recorded, but there is a Canadian recording of the show that is slightly different before it transferred to Broadway. It's out of print now, but occasionally pops up on Ebay.

[bythesword84]

Posted: 5/26/04 at 12:21pm

Actually the weird thing for me was, out of the entire show the only part I didn't like was "Forgiveness"

[TheaterGeek91]

Posted: 5/26/04 at 5:25pm

Forgiveness isn't my favorite either. Sure, it has great lyrics, but I don't actually think the song itself is that great. And, while JE and SG share some qualities, both shows are fabulous... IN THEIR OWN WAYS!