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| Reformatted "Jane Eyre" receives a terrific production at Cleveland Musical Theatre | |
| Last Edit: Ann 09:55 am EDT 09/07/18 | |
| Posted by: Ann 09:51 am EDT 09/07/18 | |
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| This is the premiere of a revised version of the musical, which CMT Artistic Director Miles J. Sternfeld, Paul Gordon and John Caird have been working on. Cleveland Musical Theatre is a company I was not aware of (and a friend who lives in nearby Akron said she didn't notice any advertising there, so I wonder how wide their marketing goes). They perform in a very nice community college 600-seat theatre. The theatre was not full, but the audience showed a very enthusiastic positive response to the show. The cast consists of 10 actors (plus an extra for Young Jane, which is double-cast) and three listed as "vocal ensemble" (they are also in the list of understudies). I think there were 19 on Broadway. And the orchestra numbers 7 players, but sounds like a lot more. There is no curtain and the stage and proscenium are already dressed as it will stay all evening (the interior of a home); with changing lighting it represents the settings for different parts of the show. Additionally, the actors use a space that is a step down from the stage, between the stage and the orchestra pit, and a rolling staircase to represent, somewhat abstractly, other locations. As minimal staging is nothing new these days, I think it all works very well. And the actual set is very impressive for this two-weekend run. The casting has been done extremely well (most, but not all, are Equity). Matt Bogart is Rochester - and he is perfect for the role. Andrea Goss is Jane, and she is great (but I couldn't stop thinking about Marla Schaffel). Alison England is a crowd pleaser as Mrs. Fairfax and Mrs. Reed. The whole cast is works really well, vocally and in handling multiple roles. There are some new songs and some gone, or at least the musical number titles don't match up (maybe Paul with clarify) and now list 36, including reprises. There's a lot of very good singing, and a lot of songs, but it's one gorgeous melody after another, I'm not complaining - a score that matches the dramatic nature of the story. I don't know what is changed in the libretto (I did see it on Broadway 17 or 18 years ago), but with intermission it's about 2-1/2 hours. I think this is a very successful revision, congratulations to all, and I hope other regionals will produce it more often, with less demands on cast size and orchestra. On Playbill, Paul Gordon is quoted as saying "“Once we have the show exactly where we want it creatively, the next step would be to capture and stream the show to a worldwide audience.” It runs through Sunday on the Tri-C East Campus in Highland Hills OH, near Warrensville Heights and 271. |
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| Link | Here's a video at Plabill |
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| re: Reformatted "Jane Eyre" receives a terrific production at Cleveland Musical Theatre | |
| Posted by: KingSpeed 11:47 pm EDT 09/08/18 | |
| In reply to: Reformatted "Jane Eyre" receives a terrific production at Cleveland Musical Theatre - Ann 09:51 am EDT 09/07/18 | |
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| I wonder if I could sit through this. The original was one of my least favorite musicals ever. And I wasn't alone. It was #1 on USA Today's Worst Shows of the Year (2000). | |
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| re: Reformatted "Jane Eyre" receives a terrific production at Cleveland Musical Theatre | |
| Posted by: dooey 10:48 am EDT 09/07/18 | |
| In reply to: Reformatted "Jane Eyre" receives a terrific production at Cleveland Musical Theatre - Ann 09:51 am EDT 09/07/18 | |
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| Looks and sounds lovely. I really like the stylized approach this production seems to take. Very fitting for a "memory" play. I hope there is a filmed version at some point. I always found this score beautiful and haunting and find myself going back to the cast album often. |
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| re: Reformatted "Jane Eyre" receives a terrific production at Cleveland Musical Theatre | |
| Last Edit: Delvino 10:07 am EDT 09/07/18 | |
| Posted by: Delvino 09:58 am EDT 09/07/18 | |
| In reply to: Reformatted "Jane Eyre" receives a terrific production at Cleveland Musical Theatre - Ann 09:51 am EDT 09/07/18 | |
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| In some ways, it sounds like the re-tooled "Scarlet Pimpernel," or better yet, "Carrie," simplified and made more accessible. The new iteration of that show -- admittedly, dissimilar in other ways -- ended up much produced, and one imagines this may entice high schools and others to give "Eyre" a try. I enjoyed the first production, particularly the performances and score, but it's shadowy, and I recall that it seemed unfocused and slightly overwrought (built into the story, admittedly). This sounds thoughtful and well considered by all involved. | |
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