Jane Eyre at Seattle Musical Theatre

You've only got one weekend left to see Jane Eyre at Seattle Musical Theatre! This adaptation of the Charlotte Brontë novel, with book by John Caird and music/lyrics by Paul Gordon is musically and emotionally compelling; I have to admit it greatly exceeded my expectations and provided a thoroughly captivating experience. Why did it exceed my expectations? Well, I love musicals and I love Jane Eyre, but I wasn't sure how I felt about such a beloved novel being delivered in musical form. When I think about it, though, Jane Eyre is particularly well-suited for the task: the novel contains your basic "girl rises from tragic background, meets boy, survives further drama and receives happy ending with aforementioned boy" story, which has been the basis for many successful musicals, plays and a few operas (although in the operas the girl and her boy usually survive their drama only to die at the end). Fortunately we all know that a happy ending awaits Jane, and so I was able to watch the drama unfold without the anxiety of wondering what would happen to her and her beloved Edward.

We went to see Jane Eyre last Saturday night and were enchanted by the production. I was amazed at what a large, lovely sound the band produced, and their musicality dramatically enhanced the action onstage. I frequently forgot that there were only 5 instrumentalists because their sound was so full and lush. Olivia Spokoiny stood out as Jane's childhood friend, Helen Burns, and Jenny Shotwell was great fun as the obnoxious fiancee Blanche Ingram; for me, however, it was Danielle Barnum that carried the show along with James Padilla, who sang a passionate Edward Rochester. Barnum did a wonderful job with the deceptively plain lines of Jane (which I think fit the character perfectly), occasionally bursting forth from Jane's calm decorum to show the fiery emotion underneath. Keaton Whittaker convincingly portrayed the origins of that emotion as the young Jane, and she and Barnum had a natural rapport - an important detail in a production that requires the child and adult Jane to repeatedly share the stage.

SMT has provided a study guide for those unfamiliar with the novel, detailing the plot synopsis, major characters and their relation to one another, a timeline of Charlotte Brontë's life, and several other extension ideas to help audience members delve further into the story of Jane Eyre. It's rare and refreshing to see a company go to this extent to enhance their audience's enjoyment of a production. If you're looking for something to do this weekend, get yourself out to Magnuson Park and settle in for an evening of great theater.

Read the Seattle Times' review of Jane Eyre here.