John Caird - Jane Eyre: The Musical (Original 2000 Broadway Cast)
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Music CD Cover
Artist: John CairdComposer: Paul Gordon
Performer: Bill Nolte
Performer: James Barbour
Performer: Marla Schaffel
Performer: Mary Stout
Edition: Music CD
Format: Cast Recording
CD Release Date: 2000-11-21
Music Label: Sony
Soundtracks:
- The Orphan
- Children of God
- Forgiveness
- The Graveyard
- Sweet Liberty
- Secrets of the House
- Perfectly Nice - Original Broadway Cast
- As Good As You - Original Broadway Cast
- Secret Soul
- Finer Things
- The Pledge
- Sirens
- Things Beyond This Earth
- Painting Her Portrait
- In the Light of the Virgin Morning
- The Gypsy
- The Proposal
- Slip of a Girl
- Sirens (Reprise)
- Farewell, Good Angel
- My Maker
- Rain
- The Voice Across the Moors
- Poor Sister
- Brave Enough for Love
Free Music Notes for Jane Eyre: The Musical (Original 2000 Broadway Cast)
Free Music Review: A Broadway Romance That Truly Soars
Hit: 5 Stars
Charolotte Bronte would be proud, I have no doubt. I will undoubtedly be contradicted by other musical fanatics, but this truly enchanting musical version of the classic Gothic romance is the best page-to-stage musical to ever be brought to the stage for one simple reason: it has a beating heart and isn't afraid to be faithful to its source material. "Les Miz" may be touching, but I find the score in this gem of a shore to be truly more heart-wrenching as composer Paul Gordon doesn't write ballads for the sake of having a ballad. There are actually no "big" songs in this show to speak of in terms of structure - there "bigness" comes from the power of the story, and by the universally outstanding performances of the entire cast, especially the luminous Marla Schaffel as Jane Eyre, a role that should have won her more than a Tony nomination. As Jane, Marla positively shines. With a big belt and a lilting head voice, Marla has a big Broadway voice, but she is such a strong actress that you never feel as if you are listening to a performance: you are listening to THE Jane Eyre. Her voice soars in her numbers "Sweet Liberty," the heart-breaking "Painting Her Portrait," and blends perfectly with the overwhelmingly robust voice of James Barbour as Rochester. As the master of Thornfield Hall, Barbour is in excellent voice, but he doesn't truly become the character. Don't get me wrong, he does extremely well as Rochester, and no other baritone available at the time of this show's production could have played this role, but James performs his character, he doesn't become him, as Marla absolutely inhabits the role of Jane Eyre. However, James does bring a delightful sarcasm to his Rochester, not to mention a truly power-house voice. Compared to Anthony Crivello of the original Toronto production, however, James falls a little short, especially in his chemistry with Marla, which is barely apparent. For a full performance of Rochester, track down the out-of-print Toronto Cast Recording (sold used on this site by private sellers). As Mrs. Fairfax, Mary Stout is given two quick, bouncy numbers that show off her terrific comedic timing and bubbly, infectious presence. As Blanche Ingram, Elizabeth Degrazzia is a knockout, especially in the delightfully snobby tribute to material wealth, "The Finer Things." Paul Gordon's music is the biggest star next to Ms. Schaffel, writing many songs that will stand on their own two feet outside of the show, especially the exuisite "Brave Enough For Love," the honest and glimmering "Secret Soul," and the aching Act One closer "Sirens." Full of counter-melodies and lyrics lifted from or inspired by Bronte's original masterful prose, the score perfectly fits the story. If Jane and Rochester sang, this is what and how they would sing. Hopefully the show, overshadowed by THE PRODUCERS and robbed of the Tonys for Best Score and Best Actress, the show will never-the-less remain in the hearts of those who value it as one of the best musicals created so far this century.
Jane Eyre: The Musical (Original 2000 Broadway Cast) Poster
Here's another to join the parade of page-to-stage musicals inspired by 19th-century fiction. This ambitious adaptation of Charlotte Brontë's haunting classic Jane Eyre for the musical theater seems to be part of a trend represented most famously by Les Misérables. It also reflects the increasing pressure to schedule an original cast recording release as close as possible to a new show's Broadway opening: in this case, in fact, the CD was both recorded and released prior to the show's opening in December 2000 at the Brooks Atkinson Theatre. But what's most significant for the artistic character of Jane Eyre: The Musical is found in yet another pattern: like a number of his colleagues, composer-lyricist Paul Gordon comes to the project from a pop music industry background (best known for his hit "Friends and Lovers"). And quite a few of the show's numbers benefit from Gordon's catchy craftwork, weaving melodies that are clearly destined to be whistled long past curtain. Yet the effect is sometimes too facile, not diving as deep as we would like into the emotional predicaments of Brontë's characters. You begin to crave a more deftly defined and imagined variety of sound worlds (especially for the darker aspects of Thornfield Hall) than what is hinted at. Gordon doesn't forge any new paths, but his melodic fluency does have its moments of payoff--especially in the moving final duet "Brave Enough for Love," which is also strong enough to stand on its own.Gordon's predilections as a would-be son of Sondheim are nevertheless clear, and he's telescoped the story into mostly effective lyrics, with some thoughtful juxtapositions of material. Most importantly, he understands that this is more than a Gothic romance, foregrounding the central message of forgiveness that Jane learns as a girl. He attempts to explore the injured sense of self shared by both Jane and Rochester and sets them on a painful, mutual voyage of discovery.
The creative team also includes the veteran duo John Caird (book and direction) and John Napier (scenic design), who have collaborated on such epics as Les Mis and Nicholas Nickleby (not to mention the Las Vegas Siegfried and Roy extravaganza). And the show's creators seem to share a vision geared toward the more operatic end of the spectrum (it was opera composers, after all, who early on claimed 19th-century Gothic fiction for the stage, as in Donizetti's Lucia di Lammermoor), with an actual parody of coloratura in one showstopper ("The Finer Things") given to Blanche Ingram. Fortunately, the two principals have large, richly expressive voices to encompass the large, complicated emotions of these characters. Marla Schaffel singswith unusual beauty and brings dimension to her Jane, while James Barbour (whose resumé includes Beauty and the Beast) is never really threatening as Rochester, but rather a tortured soul who is sweet-voiced even at his most cynical. Mary Stout is a stitch as the blustery Mrs. Fairfax. While the show has already undergone a lengthy evolution from its very first workshops, the viability of its final, fully staged realization has yet to be determined. But this cast recording conveys an authentic sense of the musical's atmosphere and emotional scope. --Thomas May
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