Engaged at the Parsonage

This is from a recent press release by Diane Kay:

‘Reader I married him. [..] All my confidence is bestowed on him,
all his confidence is bestowed on me. […] To be together is for us to be free.’
Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë

Staff at the Parsonage have seen a rush of engagements recently with earnest chaps going down on one knee at the door to the world famous home of the Brontë family in Haworth to ask for their girl's hand in marriage.

The family home of the Brontës has been a magnet for enthusiasts for many years with visitors enjoying a taste of what life was like in the 1800s for Charlotte, Emily and Anne. The romance created in their books draws courting couples from across the globe wishing to create their own piece of Brontë magic.

One such couple from Oxfordshire chose the Parsonage as the perfect setting for this important romantic gesture. Ben Heather proposed to his girlfriend of three years on the Parsonage steps and thankfully got a positive response!

Holly Simpson said yes on the couple’s third anniversary. Ben chose the Brontë home because of Holly’s interest in their novels through her studies in English, Media and Creative writing at the University of High Wycombe in Buckinghamshire. One of her favourites is Wuthering Heights.

Ben said, “Holly knew nothing at all about it so was very surprised. She started to cry the minute I pulled out the ring. We would like to thank everyone at the Parsonage for their hospitality and kindness, and for the wonderful gift we received on the day.

"I'm very sure we will be back in the future, as the museum will hold a special place in our hearts and memories. No date has been set for the big day as we both still live with our parents and are desperately saving up for a house first, then we will save up and sort out the big day, hopefully in a couple of years.”

Holly is currently finishing her final year at University and writing her dissertation which is on women's writing before, during and after women's emancipation and women's battle to get published. The Brontës were an inspiration.

John Joubert's song cycle

Brontë Society member Ian Emberson has told this blog that there is a new CD out which includes John Joubert's song-cycle Six Poems by Emily Brontë. The performers are : Lesley-Jane Rogers ( soprano ) and John McCabe ( piano ).

Full details as follows : John Joubert Four Song-Cycles Toccata Classics - TOCC 0045 - £13.99

Toccata Classics can be phoned at +44 (0)207 821 5020 or emailed at info@toccataclassics.com

John Joubert is pictured below

Birthplace auction

Barbara Whitehead, owner of the Brontë Birthplace in Thornton, wants it to be known that it is to be auctioned by Eddisons on 21 June. The website is at www.eddisons.com

The auction will be held on 21 June 2007 in the Banqueting Suite of the Leeds United Football Club at Elland Road in Leeds. I am told that the catalogue is still being prepared. If you want one, phone Eddisons at the Leeds office with your details: +44 113 243 0101

The guide price is 200,000 pounds

Page 99 test

Marshal Zeringue writes:
I edit a books blog that has recently run a couple of items that may be of interest to members of The Brontë Society.


The Page 99 Test invites authors to look at page 99 of their books at see if it faithfully represents the entire work. This "test" was inspired by Ford Madox Ford's observation, "Open the book to page ninety-nine and read, and the quality of the whole will be revealed to you."


Leading scholars are also invited to apply the test to classic works.


Recently, Wuthering Heights and Jane Eyre made appearances on the blog.


See Patsy Stoneman's take on Wuthering Heights at http://page99test.blogspot.com




Thank you for your attention.

'Who were the Brontës?' exhibition opens

Emma King - whose photo appears below - was primarily responsible for the new exhibition at the Parsonage which hopes to tackle some of the commonly held myths and perceptions about the lives of the Brontë family head-on when it opens to the public today for two years. It was officially opened yesterday evening by Chairman of the Brontë Society Richard Wilcocks, who described it as "excellent and very accessible".

He went on to talk briefly about the enduring mythic power of some of the characters created by the Brontës, one obvious example being the 'madwoman in the attic' created by Charlotte. This Bertha, or perhaps Antoinette, was still intriguing and influencing creative spirits like, for example, the theatre director Polly Teale, who had made her a central character in the Shared Experience play Brontë.

He chose Branwell as the member of the family who was often perceived as merely a drunk and a drug-taker who couldn't hold down a job. "He definitely had talent," said Mr Wilcocks before reading an excerpt from a poem written in Branwell's despair over the end of his secret relationship with Lydia Robinson. He then read lines which Branwell had written to be set to music, adding, "Branwell was the equivalent of the boy today who gets the wrong advice after finishing high school: I am sure he could have been a successful musician."

Visitors to the Museum will be taken on a journey of discovery and invited to interpret the evidence for themselves through the fascinating collection of objects, drawings, letters and hair samples of the Brontës, to arrive at their own conclusions to some fundamental differences between reality, fiction and established Brontë myths.

The lives of the Brontës have inspired many hundreds of biographies, novels, films and plays and Curator of the exhibition, Emma King, believes many of the stereotypical ideas of Charlotte, Emily and Anne Brontë are at least partially or wholly untrue. She said, “The popular story says that the Brontës lived a remote, rural life. It describes three sisters who lived in poverty with a distant father and unfriendly aunt. Their brother drank away the family money, forcing them to work. Yet before their tragic, early deaths they each wrote novels that would become famous around the world – the story is an attractive one, but not entirely true. This exhibition hopes to challenge some of these perceptions."

One of the earliest documented writings about the lives of the Brontës came from Charlotte Brontë’s first biographer, Elizabeth Gaskell, whose manuscript of The Life of Charlotte Brontë, published some 150 years ago, is on display at the Museum until June 2007. Gaskell made the
most of the tragic aspects of Charlotte’s life and her unkind portraits of Charlotte’s father and brother have been accepted as fact. Even 150 years ago, the book was met with libel action and threats of legal action. Mrs. Gaskell vowed never to write another biography, complaining that the book had landed her “in the hornet’s nest”.

The thoughtless critics, who spoke of the sad and gloomy views of life presented by the Brontës in their tales, should know how such work was wrung out of them by the living recollection of the long agony they suffered – Elizabeth Gaskell.

Hopefully, the exhibition will encourage visitors of all ages to decipher for themselves what is the real truth about this unique family with the help of some 21st century technology. New scientific research by The University of Bradford has recently thrown new light on a small part of the Brontë story. Dr. Andrew Wilson, an archaeological scientist at the University, carried out tests on Brontë hair from the museum’s collection for a recent ground-breaking Cornelia Parker exhibition at the Parsonage.

He discovered that the Brontës ate a healthy and balanced diet which was better than that for people living in the East End of London at the same time. The research disproves the myth that their father, Patrick, restricted his children’s
food.

The exhibition is free on admission to the Museum.


Diane Kay

A talk in Milan

Brussels events

Over the weekend of 21-22 April the newly-formed Brussels Brontë Group organised a day of events to coincide with Charlotte Brontë's birthday, for which we were joined by a small group from the Society's London and South-East group led by Margaret McCarthy.

Our members Eric Ruijssenaars, Selina Busch and Maureen Peeck O'Toole (all in the Netherlands) helped to organise similar events for the Society's 1993 and 2003 trips to Brussels.

This time we were guided round the Brontë places by Derek Blyth, a British writer living in Brussels who has written some of the main guide books on the city (his Brussels for Pleasure - 13 walks through the historic city includes a Brontë walk) and is fascinated by some of the unanswered questions about the Brontë places.

The weekend marked an interesting departure from previous Brontë Society events in Brussels. Although the 1993 and 2003 trips were able to benefit from Eric Ruijssenaars' findings on the Pensionnat Heger and Isabelle quarter, this was the first event organised by members actually living in Brussels who could offer our visitors an insider's view and insights.

To his main Brontë walk centred on the site of the Pensionnat, Derek Blyth added a second one, a mystery tour devised especially for our visitors. As soon they arrived we were all whisked off by him to see some spots with lesser-known or speculative Brontë connections, such as the building in front of which Derek thinks Lucy Snowe may have fainted after her visit to the cathedral.

Next day, after lunch on the roof terrace restaurant of the Museum of Musical Instruments with its fabulous view of Place Royale, so often crossed by Charlotte Brontë, and a visit to Chapelle Royale where she worshipped, came the Brontë walk proper. The territory for this one was more familiar but some novel features were incorporated: readings from Villette and from letters by an obliging "Charlotte" in the group, visual aids (old street views, pictures Charlotte saw in exhibitions during her stay), and, again, Derek Blyth's own theories about some of the routes taken by Lucy/Charlotte.

Concentrating in fascinating detail on what is geographically a smallish area, in two hours we covered a lot of ground in terms of the history of Brussels and the background to the Brontës' visit: not only where their English friends lived but the wider British community of the time and its amenities in and around Place Royale, for example.

After a "birthday" tea party and a dinner, the day was rounded off by some Brontë activities: a quiz and readings from Villette by Selina Busch and Brian Speak, introduced by Maureen Peeck.

It was wonderful to have Margaret McCarthy's group with us for this event. We are planning to make this April Brontë weekend an annual event and would love to invite more groups of members to join us in between the big excursions organised by the Society. Is anyone interested for next year?

Helen MacEwan

Below: Reading Villette in a Brussels restaurant and the whole group in front of the Cathedral.

From the Visitor's Book

It was a poem last time - see the archive. This time, here are some of the comments made by visitors in February and March. Thanks to Liz Walton for compiling them. If you wish to add your belated comment after a visit, please email it to hevelius@poriruacity.com

FEBRUARY


NICE COMMENTS:
Still feels like a family home
Very good exhibits and good value
Very professional
This will help me with my school work
The letters were very well presented
Liked the leaflet for children
Family tree was the best bit, it helped with my school work
An amazing, emotional place – not least because Daniel proposed to me upstairs
Well explained and maintained and a wonderful balance of information and preservation
The amount of seats was good – most museums make you tired and you fall down with exhaustion
Kids enjoyed upstairs activities
Best bit – virtual tour
It has inspired me to find out more about the Brontës, and read their books

CONSTRUCTIVE CRITICISM
Would have liked more linked arrows to the place – got lost twice
I loved it, but there were too many noisy schoolchildren
Very interesting and enjoyable, but would have been nice to have a proper tour
Liked it, but could be bigger
Short but interesting
Show a film of the Brontës' lives
It was great fun, but would have been nice to dress up (young girl from Leeds)

OTHER COMMENTS
I am about to read Wuthering Heights at school – seeing Heathcliff and Cathy’s gravestone have kind of ruined it, but I know how Emily was inspired.
The house is big, but the beds very small – why?

MARCH

NICE COMMENTS:
Really interesting, excellent displays and friendly staff
People who work here are friendly and lovely
The numbered rooms are a good idea
I was amazed at how talented as artists they were
Great collection of letters
A wonderful place to show the children (teacher from Huddersfield)
Friendly Pam
I thought there was really good info and liked the Bonnell Collection
Very enjoyable to wander at one’s own pace
Nice and cheery
Exhibition panels clear and readable. Liked layout of rooms and items in them – airy (Visitors from the Wordsworth Trust)

CONSTRUCTIVE CRITICISM
You need to have loos!
More on laptop would have been useful as I cannot always see clearly
Need more text in Spanish
The atmosphere is wonderful – shame some parts have to be ill lit
Original artefacts should be here, with reproductions in the National museums
Would have appreciated guides to answer questions (American visitor)
Bit of classical music/piano?
I was shocked – came many years ago & it was the Brontës' home. The Brontës wouldn’t recognise it. It was stark and cold like the moors – such a disappointment. Where are all the little books, soldiers and Emily’s paintings?
Very impressed by its presentation. Would like to have some interactive presentations to show my students in Pakistan
Poor signs to get here (confusing)
It was great but too short

In the Blood

A large and appreciative audience listened to Andrew Motion yesterday evening in Haworth. In the first half, the Poet Laureate read a number of his poems, one or two dating from his early twenties, others more recent, and extracts from his recently-published In the Blood, subtitled 'A Memoir of My Childhood'.

In the Blood is about growing up in post-war England, and is an evocation of family life, school life and country life. It also tells the story of how these worlds are shattered when his mother suffers a terrible riding accident. It is written from the point of view of a teenager, without the benefit of adult hindsight, capturing the pathos and puzzlement of childhood with great freshness of memory.

The main extract read out in Haworth was about a cricket match in which his father played, against a team called 'The Gentlemen of Essex'.

Questions from the audience occupied most of the second half: Motion spoke about the poets he reads ('More great ancients than great moderns nowadays'), about his opinions on how classic texts are poorly treated in schools and on what he does with the butt of sack given to him each year as payment. Apparently, he hates sherry.

Andrew Motion at the Parsonage

Yet another reminder that Andrew Motion will be coming to Haworth on Wednesday 18 April at 7.30pm, at the invitation of the Parsonage. Contact Andrew McCarthy by phoning 01535 640194 or by emailing andrew.mccarthy@bronte.org.uk if you intend coming.


Here are some preliminary comments:


'Compelling, simple and mysterious' Sean O'Brien Sunday Times


'His voice is unlike any other' Lavinia Greenlaw New Statesman & Society


'Motion is a beautiful lyricist unpretentiously and precisely describing those things worth having even as he casts unsettling shadows across them' Robert Potts The Guardian


Andrew Motion was appointed Poet Laureate in 1999. ‘I see myself as a town crier, can-opener and flag-waver for poetry’ His work has received the Arvon/Observer Prize, the John Llewelyn Rhys Prize and the Dylan Thomas Prize. He is Professor of Creative Writing at Royal Holloway and recently co-founded The Poetry Archive.


During the evening he will introduce his acclaimed autobiography In The Blood A Memoir of my Childhood (Faber), poems old & new and his work as Laureate.


‘Andrew Motion’s childhood memoir In the Blood is funny and spare and honest and clear. He captures perfectly the anxious yet optimistic incompleteness of being young.’ Julie Myerson Independent on Sunday


‘The great value of a memoir such as this is not only its revelation of someone else’s experiences, someone else’s consciousness, but the realisation of how much we share. He does write beautifully, of course, but I expected that; what’s given me even more pleasure is the amber-like quality of his memory, and the things I found myself recalling in sympathy.’ Philip Pullman


‘Deeply engaging … the innocence and the hardness of childhood are beautifully put together ... it’s a strikingly good book, framed by tragedy but full of intense life.’ Helen Dunmore


His website is at www.andrewmotion.co.uk

John Brown's for Easter?

Visiting Haworth at Easter or after? Need a place to stay? In February, this blog gave news of the refurbishment of John Brown's House. Perhaps February was a little early, so here is the item again:

The Brontë Spirit blog - www.brontespirit.blogspot.com - has an item which might be of interest to you: John Brown's House, aka The Sexton's House aka Haworth Church Cottage, can now be booked. Could you get any closer to the Parsonage without camping on the lawn?

Visit the blogsite to find the whole story and the phone number.

Thanks for supporting us

The Friends of the Bronte Parsonage would like to say a big thank you to everyone who supported the St.Patrick's night Ceilidh, their first fundraising event.

Over seventy-five people enjoyed a lively evening of great music from local band Northern Comfort, a tasty supper provided by the Friends and good company. Many local businesses donated prizes for the raffle for which we are very grateful.

The Ceilidh was a great success raising over five hundred pounds for Museum projects and is already being spoken of as becoming an annual event. If you missed it we look forward to seeing you there next year!




Pat Berry
Chairperson, The Friends of the Bronte Parsonage.

What's in a name?

Richard Wilcocks writes:

The last few days have been so hectic that I have not had a moment spare to sit down and put new material on the blog. The new material uppermost in my mind is the news release which I had sent to the local and the national media on Monday, which to my surprise brought more responses than my pessimistic mind had imagined.

It was timed to coincide with the posting of the individual (mail-merged) letters to the managing directors of a selection of companies which use the Brontë name. The response from the locals was immediate: soon I was talking to Clive White from the Keighley News (who did plenty of ringing around and googling for us), chatting on the Radio Leeds breakfast programme, answering emails and grabbing phones with not much space in between.

Today was similar, but I did reserve some special time for my son in London, because this morning I became a grandfather for the first time.

I have browsed through the write-ups so far, and I am generally pleased. I quite liked the Independent's article today in spite of the faces which went with it, but I am not sure what Mr Nevin is getting at. I shall look at a copy of the Keighley News soon.

To date, I have had one reply from a company and it was friendly. I shall make a personal visit in the near future. Readers of this blog will be updated. Meanwhile, here is the original media release:

MEDIA RELEASE

Date: 19 March 2007
For Immediate Release

What’s in a name?

The Chairman of the Brontë Society in Haworth is more than a little irritated by all those companies which use the name Brontë in their names.

“Very few of them have ever been in touch, and even less than that have given us anything by way of sponsorship or financial help,” he said.

“There are dozens of them in Britain alone, making or supplying a range of products, from stone to spring water and from outdoor clothing to cooked chicken. I decided to write to their managing directors”

Here is the letter:


Dear (name of Managing Director)

I am writing to you for the simple reason that your company uses the name Brontë in its title. I am guessing that this was chosen because it confers a certain prestige upon you, associating you in the public’s imagination with the Brontë family and perhaps the Brontë Parsonage Museum as well. Bronte is both the name of a town in Sicily and the Greek word for thunder, and it was chosen by the Reverend Patrick Brontë (with the addition of the diaeresis) as a new version of his family name of Brunty early in the Nineteenth Century, mainly because of its associations with Lord Nelson, a national hero at the time.

I hope that «Company_Name» is currently prospering. I am wondering whether you have recently visited the Brontë Parsonage Museum in Haworth, which is run by the Brontë Society. If you have, you will know that the home of the Brontë family, the Georgian house where Charlotte, Emily and Anne Brontë wrote the books which made them world famous, is lovingly preserved by a dedicated staff in spite of a tight budget.

There is a programme of special events at the museum which runs throughout the year, which includes special exhibitions, talks, day-schools, courses, children’s holiday workshops, film, theatre and musical performances. Its education programme is ‘inspired’ according to the Judges’ Citation for winners of the prestigious Sandford Award.

The Brontë Society possesses one of the most important collections of Brontë items in the world, housed in the Parsonage, an invaluable resource for the many researchers seeking to shed further light on the Brontë writings, the Brontë family and the social, political and economic history of the Brontë times. Thus, there will always be a demand on the Society’s financial resources as newly-discovered and existing Brontëana come on to the market. There is also a considerable cost in the professional care, conservation, storage and management of the Society’s existing collection.

The Brontë Society gets no direct government assistance, so it is reliant on the generosity of its supporters and visitors to the museum. This is where you come in, because I believe that you could help. I am inviting you to make a donation to us, which would be gratefully received and publicly acknowledged.

Your company could sponsor an appropriate artefact, a special event, an exhibition, a children’s workshop…….the list is long. Or, you could contribute to our Acquisitions Fund, with a focus on a particular item. Your company’s name would feature in our publicity.

Please do not hesitate to get in touch with me by letter or email, or by ringing me directly on xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx I would be very happy to meet you personally to discuss how you could help us.

Best wishes,

Yours sincerely,


(signed)

Richard Wilcocks

Chairman of the Brontë Society

Wuthering Heights at the BFI

The image below is from Emily Brontë at Haworth - A Personal Impression by Beryl Bainbridge (1973)

Simon McCallum writes:

I am a curator at the British Film Institute working on the Mediatheque, a resource in our new BFI Southbank venue where members of the public can access a range of material from the BFI National Archive.

I would like to let readers of the Brontë Parsonage Blog know that one of our opening collections, in a regular strand called The Book Group, is this month featuring Wuthering Heights. Users will be able to watch five TV and film adaptations of the novel and a range of documentary material on the Brontës. See below for the full listing of available titles - and I should stress that these will be available in their complete form, not just clips:

Wuthering Heights (BBC 1962) (starring Claire Bloom and Keith Michell)

Wuthering Heights (BBC 1967) (4-part dramatisation starring Ian MacShane)

Wuthering Heights (BBC 1978) (5-part dramatisation)

Wuthering Heights (ITV 1998)

Wuthering Heights (1970) (feature film starring Timothy Dalton)

The Brontës Lived Here (1973)

Emily Brontë at Haworth - A Personal Impression by Beryl Bainbridge (1973)

The Brontë Business (1977) with Joan Bakewell

The Brontë Connection (1979) - 'an investigation by Mary Butterfield'

Top of the Pops 78 (featuring music video for Kate Bush's Wuthering Heights)

The Mediatheque opened to the public today, and is open to everyone, free of charge. Some viewing stations can be booked in advance by telephone, or visitors can turn up on the day and book themselves in for a session.

Here are some useful links:

http://www.bfi.org.uk

http://www.bfi.org.uk/whatson/southbank

http://www.bfi.org.uk/mediatheque

A full Mediatheque website will be up and running soon but in the meantime there are some basic listings and information documents available.

This is a great resource for any Brontë fans or fans of the novel, and should be of interest to Brontë Society members and visitors to the Parsonage.

Vote Brontë Parsonage

Above - host Alan Titchmarsh

This year the Brontë Parsonage will be involved in UKTV History’s Britain’s Best campaign, which aims to find the nation’s favourite historical site.

Hosted by Alan Titchmarsh, the campaign will involve two television series and a final programme presenting the winner as decided by you and the British public.

As someone who values the Parsonage, please take the time to vote for it! You can do this from 5 April to 27 August in any of the following ways:

• visiting www.uktvhistory.co.uk and registering your vote

• texting BEST BRONTE PARSONAGE to 83222 (texts cost 50p plus standard network charges)

• calling 09011 31 2007 and quoting Bronte Parsonage (calls cost 50p)

• or visiting us and posting your vote into our voting box.

• For those of you who have Sky, you can also vote using your Red Button.

UKTV History is also launching a Britain’s Best directory on www.uktvhistory.co.uk that will help you find some of the best historical locations to visit across the UK, as well as reviews, pictures and videos for each place from people who have actually been there.

Britain’s Best will be on UKTV History (Sky channel 537, Virgin TV 203 and Freeview 12) from 9 April to 20 May and from 23 July to 27 August. Don’t miss the final result on 17 September to see if we’ve won!

New website

Congratulations to Brontë Society members who have set up a brand-new website with a focus on the city of Brussels.

It looks superb, and can be found at www.thebrusselsbrontegroup.org/

In particular, check out the Secret Mission collection in the Picture Gallery for a record of the direct action taken in 2004 by Selina Busch and Elle Vaessen to put up an appropriate blue plaque in the rue Terarcken. This exploit was featured in Brontë Society Gazette at the time. The plaque is there to this day.......

Parsonage people

Two members of staff have left the Parsonage recently - Curator Polly Salter and Weekend Manager Bill Dinsdale.

Polly (featured on this blog in October 2006) has moved to live by the banks of the River Derwent in Malton, North Yorkshire and is planning for consultancy and freelancing work.

Bill currently lectures in guitar construction on the Musical Instrument Technology course at Leeds College of Music and design and builds his guitars at his River Street workshops in Haworth. He is now concentrating on this. His website is at www.billdinsdale.com

Jane Eyre in Jeans

Are you “breaking the ice in the morning, scared what the references say?”

David Scott Crawford, Chicago singer-songwriter has penned a new genre of music for his album Belle Époque. He calls it ‘Pop Nouveau.’ It gives him the opportunity to combine music with literature - two things he knows well. As an independent artist, Crawford finds his song themes from extraordinary places or, as in this case, remarkable people.

In “Jane Eyre in Jeans” Crawford weaves Charlotte Brontë’s beloved heroine through a pop/ballad melody of piano, bass, drums, guitar and even mandolin. Lines such as “You swallowed the storybook ending in a Styrofoam cup full of tea” paint a vivid picture of Jane’s world meshed with our own modern-day dilemmas. The result is what Chicago writer and art critic Lucia Mauro calls, “racy, maudlin and romantic.”

Belle Époque, meaning “Beautiful Era,” refers to the glorious late ninetieth/ early twentieth century period of France. The album hosts an array of literary references from the start of track one, including Millais’ Ophelia model Lizzie Siddall, portrayed in “A Merry Little Afternoon.” Oscar Wilde, Sarah Bernhardt and Jim Morrison make an appearance in track thirteen entitled “Père Lachaise,” the setting of France’s famous City of the Dead Cemetery. But it’s not all about death.

The sweeping poetic images we see when listening to this album, in part, stem from Crawford’s own experiences, living and traveling to several countries including Scotland, Libya, South America, Australia and England, combined with his passion for literature in historical context. His improvisational, compositional, and piano playing skills are all self-taught. Belle Époque was recorded at the Chicago Recording Company & Beachaus Studios in Chicago with Crawford on Steinway and Böesendorfer grand pianos.

The album was mixed in England by David Hentschel and mastered at Abbey Road Studios, London. It boasts collaborative artists such as string arrangements by Paul Buckmaster and guitar solos by Mark Goldenberg. Lisa McClowry provides gutsy backing vocals for “Jane Eyre in Jeans.”

For more information on Belle Époque and to listen to “Jane Eyre in Jeans” visit: www.davidscottcrawford.com or http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/dscrawford.com

Belle Époque = Literature with Rock!

Kim Crawford

Jane Eyre - The Musical - in Dorset

One of the South’s largest youth theatre companies has embarked on its most ambitious project yet, and it’s leaving nothing to chance. The Big Little Theatre School brings new levels of professionalism to its production of the Broadway show Jane Eyre - The Musical Drama with West End directors and state-of-the-art stage effects and set design.

John Caird (Les Miserables) and Paul Gordon’s musical adaptation of Charlotte Brontë’s classic tale of passion, tragedy and forgiveness won the show no less than five TONY award nominations on the occasion of its Broadway premier in 2000.

Now, some of the West End stars of tomorrow are bringing Brontë’s Gothic romance to life in one of the first performances to be staged here in the UK.

Directing is Graham Hubbard whose impressive achievements include directing West End productions of Amadeus, Sweeney Todd and Mack and Mabel. “The challenge of producing Jane Eyre - The Musical for Big Little was irresistible,” says Graham. “The company’s talent belies their age, and who better to bring Charlotte Brontë’s classic love story to a new generation than performers from that generation itself."

Musical Director Colin Billing of the London School of Musical Theatre has long been associated with The Big Little Theatre School. His professional credentials include musical direction of Beauty And The Beast, Beggar’s Opera and Creatures of The Night. “Forget everything you ever feared about youth productions," says Colin. “The huge vocal talent and natural acting ability of the cast is more than a match for the moving lyrics and sumptuous musical score.”

Natasha Barnes from Ringwood plays Jane Eyre. Now 17, she has progressed through the ranks of Big Little since the age of 6 and is no stranger to lead performances both amateur and professional. Her credits include the title role in The Diary of Anne Frank, Laurel in The Chalk Garden, Cosette in Les Miserables in Concert with the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra, Hope in her school production of Anything Goes, Marta Von Trapp in The Sound of Music and the title role of Annie in Fastlane’s Touring company for the National Youth Music Theatre.
Natasha is operatically trained by Jon Andrew and works locally with him and the Silhouette Opera supporting local charities.

The part of Rochester is played by John Sandberg from Bournemouth who also has worked through the ranks of BLTS, becoming a prominent member of their ‘Vision’ Cabaret group. John recently performed as the lead, R.P McMurphy in One flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest and has also received operatic training with Jon Andrew. John also played Seth/Shem as one of the few selected to perform in Children of Eden, the Steven Schwartz Broadway hit as produced and performed by BLTS in 2006.

A total cast of 45 young people, selected through auditions from the 250 strong main company are involved in bringing Jane Eyre – The Musical to the stage, and the production will benefit from 21st Century imagery and sensory set design to create an authentic feel for the period. The set has been designed to transport the audience seamlessly from the cold dormitories of Lowood School, through bleak English moorland, to the interior of a Gothic mansion. Superb costumes reflect the fashions of the 19th century by recreating authentic colours and fabrics from the Brontë era.

Broadway and West End musical theatre pedigree, soaring melodies, imaginative sets and contemporary innovation, lavish costumes, prodigious young talent and a classic love story by one of the most popular English writers of all time. It doesn’t get much better than that.

The Big Little Theatre School’s production of Jane Eyre – The Musical Drama is being staged at the Regent Centre, Christchurch, Dorset from April 11th – 14th. Tickets are available from the Regent Centre box office on 01202 499148.

Julie Barnes