Jane Eyre?
Jane Eyre?
Jane Eyre?#1
Posted: 5/15/07 at 1:13am
How did everyone feel about this show? I just bought the cast recording and I think its pretty good, and there are a few songs that are exceptional. But I'm intrigued to learn more about the physical production, the cast, critical reception, and everything.
If you saw it what did you think?
Stand-by Joined: 1/18/05
re: Jane Eyre?#2
Posted: 5/15/07 at 1:16amMarla Schaffel was BRILLIANT in the show, and robbed of the Tony if you ask me. Her performance was beautiful.
Joined: 12/31/69
re: Jane Eyre?#2
Posted: 5/15/07 at 1:18am
I have to admit I kinda ignored it at the time--it looked like a 3rd rate British Megamusical attempt. Now I've heard some fo the music and regret not paying more attention--John Caird was director and I believe even helped with some of the writing--he of course co directed Les Mis and Nicholas Nickleby as well as directed 1999 National Theatre London Candide I saw which was one of the best pieces of theatre I've ever experienced
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Featured Actor Joined: 1/2/07
re: Jane Eyre?#3
Posted: 5/15/07 at 1:21amBesides being one of my favorite books, I adore the cast recording. It's incredibly solid in that I'm barely, if ever, tempted to flip to the next song. I, too, missed it while it was playing on Broadway, but I always keep an eye out for regional productions.
re: Jane Eyre?#4
Posted: 5/15/07 at 1:23amI adore Jane Eyre. I put some of the Canadian tracks on my mp3 player so that when I listen to the Broadway CD I can actually have the opening number and stuff since so much was left off of the OBC, but otherwise it's great.
Joined: 12/31/69
re: Jane Eyre?#5
Posted: 5/15/07 at 1:27am
I actually only know (and love) the Toronto cast CD--was it changed much? I remember that the song performed on the Tonys was a new one--and were the Tonys after the show closed? Becuase I remember it was a very bare bones performance. I wonder why it flopped so badly.
One last question--has the composer Paul Gordon done any other theatre work? I know he's apparantly form a pop background but I don't know any of the pop music he's done either...
Updated On: 5/15/07 at 01:27 AM
re: Jane Eyre?#6
Posted: 5/15/07 at 3:13pm
I worked on the show and really loved it (OK, so I had some bias). Marla was absolutely amazing, and definitely deserved that Tony. The set was really incredible with the rotating carousel grid which allowed the lights, scrims and flying pieces to rotate with (or against) the turntable. But I also think it kind of limited what could be done with the show because everything was kind of floating in space, and often the stage looked very empty. They also had to really cram it into the Brooks because it was designed for a larger theatre, and that probably led to more compromises as well. There were a number of effects that never felt quite finished, like the fire and the scene with Rochester falling off the horse. It was like they were "this close" to making it look amazing, but didn't have the time to figure it out. Personally, the impression I got was that the whole show -- writing as well as staging -- just ran out of time to achieve what it could have.
To sum it up, I would say it was a case of opening at the wrong place at the wrong time. It had taken a long time to get to Broadway, and that was the worst possible season for a serious musical to try to succeed -- people just weren't in the mood. And JE was not alone in being overlooked that season. Just about everything that wasn't The Producers had some talent that deserved a Tony more. Now I walk past the darkened St. James and think, "What was all that about?" It's a shame that such a mockery was made of the Tonys and the theatre in general over what proved itself to be no more than your average hit musical comedy.
re: Jane Eyre?#7
Posted: 5/15/07 at 3:24pm
Jane Eyre is my second favorite novel ever. I fell in love with the musical when I first saw the Tonys performance of "Sirens." I've never seen the stage show, however.
I admit that I prefer the Toronto version to the Broadway, minus a few songs (I love "Sirens," "The Finer Things," etc, for instance.) But I prefer James Barbour's Rochester vocally.
I don't like all of the songs, however. Mrs. Fairfax's especially. And I believe that in the Broadway version, the "Brave enough for love" theme was too thrown in and hammered across the head.
re: Jane Eyre?#8
Posted: 5/15/07 at 3:28pm
Marla Schaffel totally deserved the Tony over Christine Ebersol that year. I found the "setting" to be a bit dark per se, but the performances of Marla and James Barbour were wonderful.
I think the fact that Christine won that year is probably the reason I don't care for her.
re: Jane Eyre?#9
Posted: 5/15/07 at 3:46pm
Jane Eyre was a gorgeous show and my favorite of the season. I much prefer the Broadway revisions to the Toronto and La Jolla versions. The score, staging, lighting, direction, performances and concept were all excellent. And yes, Marla absolutely deserved the Tony that year. And I would have nominated Mary Stout over Mary Testa (as much as I love her) that year as well.
SporkGoddess - I didn't care for Mrs. Fairfax's song ("Perfectly Nice") at first, but seeing her perform it made all the difference. Mary Stout was genius in what could have been a forgettable role.
re: Jane Eyre?#10
Posted: 5/15/07 at 3:51pmJane Eyre is one of my favorite books and while I never saw the show, the cast recording gets a lot of play in my house. I can tell you now I'm a sucker for those big belty pop historical shows. But I think the score for this show has so many beautiful melodies that accurately reflect the novel. The cast on the OBC is phenomenal and Marla absolutely emodies Jane, her performance is perfection.
To Kill A Mockingbird
re: Jane Eyre?#11
Posted: 5/15/07 at 3:53pmI completely agree with you, Dover. I've always said that Jane Eyre just came along at the wrong time. It was the dawn of the Producers/Hairspray/Full Monty era, and people just weren't in the mood for that kind of darness and romanticism. It remains, for me, one of the most gorgeous scores ever, and one of the most all-around talented casts I've ever seen.
re: Jane Eyre?#12
Posted: 5/15/07 at 3:57pmI saw my HS do it, and to this day remains one of the most gorgeous things I have ever seen on a stage.
re: Jane Eyre?#13
Posted: 5/15/07 at 4:03pm
This show had its World Premiere in my hometown of Wichita when I was 10 years old. That premiere compounded with seeing the tour of Les Miz is what helped make me the theatre nut I am today. I saw that show 3 times and since my aunt was the musical director I got to go backstage and meet all of the actors.
I got the Toronto CD for my birthday the year that it was released and I'm amazed that I haven't worn it out. I remember that all of us kept waiting for it to come to Broadway, feeling a little more depressed as each season passed without it opening. Finally, it opened in 2000. I was beyond excited to see a performance on The Rosie O'Donnell Show, even though my aunt had warned me that it was very different and that the producers had dropped Anthony Crivello, who I absolutely had idolized when he was here.
I was completely taken aback. I almost didn't recognize the show that had such a profound impact on me. I didn't like the new songs or the cuts that had been made, and I certainly didn't care for James Barbour. As a result, I have never purchased the OBC nor do I plan to. While I agree with popular sentiment that this show was the product of a by-gone era, I woudl also argue that the subsequent changes that were made to the show between 1995 and 2000 didn't help matters either.
"Shut up! It's been 29 years!!!" --the incomparable Patti LuPone in her MUCH DESERVED Tony acceptance speech for Gypsy.
Kitzy's Avatar du Jour: Kitzy as Little Red Ridinghood in her college's production of "Into the Woods"
re: Jane Eyre?#14
Posted: 5/15/07 at 4:12pmI disagree. I can't speak for the production, but the Toronto cast recording on its own is basically numberless. They were smart to write in some new actual production numbers like "Sweet Liberty" and "Sirens". I'm not sure if those songs were in the original production and just not recorded for the Toronto CD, but they were definite improvements. It's a shame that the complete score has not yet been preserved.
re: Jane Eyre?#15
Posted: 5/15/07 at 4:27pmThe Toronto Cast Recording is so great. And I agree, I think Anthony Crivello was eons better than James Barbour was. I still wonder why he wasn't asked to move along with it...
re: Jane Eyre?#16
Posted: 5/15/07 at 5:01pmWhere can you get the toronto cast recording? I can't find it on amazon.
re: Jane Eyre?#17
Posted: 5/15/07 at 5:02pm
But it completely creeped me out that he played Jane's father in the Opening.
And, yeah, I'm sure that Mrs. Fairfax's song is something that you'd have to see performed.
Featured Actor Joined: 1/2/07
re: Jane Eyre?#18
Posted: 5/15/07 at 5:11pm
sing_dance_love, I believe the Toronto recording is out of print, but it's available for (free) download here (hope this is okay):
http://www.currerwells.net/janeeyre/torontocd.html
Updated On: 5/15/07 at 05:11 PM
Understudy Joined: 7/23/06
re: Jane Eyre?#19
Posted: 5/15/07 at 5:15pm
I absolutely LOVE Jane Eyre. (AS everybody else in this thread obviously does.) I've only heard the Broadway version so I am baised in LOVING Barbour's performance (I think Rochester as the more Baritone sound is absolutely perfection for what I look for from the novel). But I've heard a few songs with Crivello and I like him as well, but AH! Just thinking about the musical melts me. The book is so rich and I love that they really entwined the themes from the book, not just the story. (Jane as a fairy, Jane as a bird, Rochester and light/sight.) I'm a sucker for that kind of literary stuff in the stage. Probably why I appreciate Stoppard so much...
Every single musical theatre person I've introduced this musical to has fallen in love as well. It's the show I dream of doing, and directing, and doing it over and over and over again! Though I do question the performance of "Sirens" at the Tonys... They could have thrown together something better than that I'd think... I've seen the performance and I just wanted something more meaty, more interaction... Showcase how freaking brilliant the score is!
I also second the question about where to find the Toronto recording.
re: Jane Eyre?#20
Posted: 5/15/07 at 6:01pm
Thanks to this thread, I have now been listening to the recording (Broadway) all afternoon. I'm sure my co-workers are about to kill me!
I really regret not making more of an effort to see this show. This is definitely one recording that I have always loved and can listen to all the way through each time.
re: Jane Eyre?#21
Posted: 5/15/07 at 6:02pm
The Minneapolis Musical Theatre did this a couple of years ago, but it followed their outstanding production of Bat Boy, so it was a bit of a disappointment. The book is so great, and the musical gets so much of the plot right, but sadly, it's not an especially good show onstage.
The Guthrie is doing another stage version this year. I don't think I'll see it. The new version on Masterpiece Theatre was very good recently. It should be out on dvd soon.
re: Jane Eyre?#22
Posted: 5/15/07 at 6:10pm
The Toronto recording is currently on-sale at www.footlight.com.
Having only seen James Barbour and heard Anthony Crivello, I prefer Barbour...but then again, I've always been a fan of his. I don't dislike Crivello at all though. Their two voices are very different. Barbour's is a more straight-forward Broadway baritone, whereas Crivello has an edgier, one-might-say rock sound. They both sound perfectly valid, but having gotten to know the show first with the Broadway cast, that's the one I tend to listen the most.
EDIT: Well, it WAS on-sale this morning, but now I can't find it listed on the site anymore. 
Updated On: 5/15/07 at 06:10 PM
Stand-by Joined: 6/20/06
re: Jane Eyre?#23
Posted: 5/15/07 at 6:29pmMy sister's highschool did this show her freshman year. The show is to this day, the most moving piece of musical theater I have ever seen. The cast for the show was professional caliber (even though it was mostly seniors in heighschool), it was simply amazing. The score is beautiful and solid, it is so upsetting that it was so overlooked on Broadway.
Broadway Star Joined: 9/8/04
re: Jane Eyre?#24
Posted: 5/15/07 at 6:54pmI love this cast album. I wish I could see it onstage (or play Jane). Gorgeous music.
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