The latest production from Mercer University Opera brings a beloved Gothic novel to the stage.
“Jane Eyre: The Musical” will be presented in Fickling Hall in the McCorkle Music Building at 7:30 p.m. Oct. 22-24 and 3 p.m. Oct. 25. Tickets are free for students and $20 for all others and can be purchased online or at the door.
The show, written by John Caird and Paul Gordon, is based on the 1847 novel by Charlotte Brontë. Jane Eyre finds herself becoming the governess for Thornfield Hall under the employment of the mysterious and secretive Edward Rochester. To secure her own future, Eyre must navigate through the maze of love and deceit that resides at Thornfield.
“Jane speaks her mind,” said Samantha Mishima Freidman, D.M.A., assistant professor of voice and director of opera. “She doesn’t let anyone get away with anything. She’s not afraid to tell people they’re wrong, which at the time was kind of a big deal, and she was sort of ostracized for it. Mercer has some pretty big personalities, and we have some ladies in the opera program who are strong and amazing, and I thought (this show) would fit really well with the people we had.”
In addition, “Jane Eyre” is a particularly fitting production for the fall season.
“It’s a perfect October show. It’s got a sort of spooky aesthetic to it,” said William Little, CLAS ’28, who plays Rochester. “All of us have worked really hard. The songs are just gorgeous. We’re starting to sound really great, and I’m very excited to put it on for people.”
Anna Grace Martin, CLAS ’27, plays Jane Eyre and found the role to be a welcomed challenge.
“Jane Eyre is a very complex character. In a single scene, she can go through all the stages of grief. Being able to kind of feel all of her joy and pain has really been a challenge, but it’s been really rewarding to be able to work through some of her inner workings,” said Martin, a music education major.
Friedman said she was surprised at how much the students stepped up during rehearsals.
“Anytime I have asked them to get to the next level, to push themselves a little bit further, they have pushed themselves even further than that,” she said. “So every day it’s exciting to come back and to see what new ideas they bring.”
Friedman is assisted in the production by co-music directors Tim McReynolds, D.M.A., Helen Wall Rich Associate Professor of Collaborative Piano, and Richard Kosowski, D.M.A., chair of vocal studies and professor of music. Martin said it’s been rewarding to work with these faculty and her fellow cast members.
“They’ve been so understanding with all of the very complex aspects of the character and helping me think through how she thinks,” she said.
Friedman hopes the audience feels the message of forgiveness in the show.
“The musical does a really good job explaining that forgiveness and tying it throughout. It’s one of the hardest things to do in your life, to truly forgive and let go, and I think that if people see that, they will leave changed in the best way possible,” Friedman said.
