Jane Eyre (review)

Spoilers ahoy!

Begin with a disclaimer.  I have seen pretty much every English language film adaptation of Charlotte Bronte's most famous novel.  So I had to make myself not compare performances.  More, the poster (seen here) frankly gives a somewhat wrong impression, or at least my reaction to it proved inaccurate.  

I was expecting a very surprising adaptation, one that would make startling choices forcing me to look at this familiar story with fresh eyes. 

What greeted me on opening night was a very straightforward adaptation, faithful almost to the extreme, with a very clear theme in mind (major kudos for this btw), some dazzling production values, and just a generally enjoyable version of Jane Eyre, one of the most famous novels in the English language so far!  I sat there enjoying myself, and felt the rest of the audience swept up in the story, up to and including the famous climax of lovers coming together at long, long, long last.

Does it seem like I'm about to include a "but" in here?  Well, the production had a few problems, and I think anyone would be absolutely justified in calling me picky. 

I like to be surprised, to see something new even in a old story.  Twice in this production, that happened.  When Jane (Jeanne Syquia) all but tore off her wedding dress on stage, my breath caught.  Also when Grace Poole (Trisha Miller) quietly warned Jane to keep her door latched at night, suddenly I saw this character in a totally new light.  Both these actors brought a lot to their parts, the former frankly all but carrying the show on her shoulders for over two whole hours.  

Earlier I mentioned theme, and I really want to praise playwright Elizabeth Williamson for maintaining focus on this.  Many don't realize how shocking this novel was in its time, because the title character and object of such a vast romantic passion is explicitly described as plain (okay Miss Syquia maintains the tradition of casting very attractive women in the role, but she played Jane as someone who knew she was not pretty, a very nice feat).  She also has a job, which young ladies of good society did not.  Today neither is quite so strange.  This play re-focuses on the plight of women in general, making this one of the most topical such adaptations ever in my view!  Director Geoff Elliott clearly understood this!

Yet it bothers me only the major players get much of an arc, which is not at all true of the novel.  The plot is streamlined in an extremely able and intensely intelligent manner (remember this is not a short book).  I personally feel the monologues to the audience did not work, and some of the dialogue was too faithful to the novel--because words read and words heard are subtly different.  One side effect of this it seems is creating some comedy, which to be fair was a welcome surprise and added to everyone's enjoyment of the performanc!

Told you I was being picky.

Frederick “Freddy” Stuart portrayed Mr. Rochester, with lots of energy and sometimes clearly having so much fun it was infectious--especially in the fortune-telling scene, a magnificent entry so often cut!  

The whole cast (Deborah Strang, Riley Shanahan, Bert Emmett, and Julia Manis) did very well but in some ways the biggest standout apart from the leads and Miss Miller was Stella Bullock, most especially when in flashback she portrayed a very young Jane Eyre. 

Jane Eyre will be performed Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays at 7: 30 p.m. plus Saturdays and Sundays at 2 p.m. until April 20, 2025 at A Noise Within, 3352 E Foothill Blvd. Pasadena, CA 91107

Are You the Last Bite? (review)

Spoilers ahoy!

I caught this (almost) one woman show on its last performance here in Los Angeles.  The creator, Yixin Wang, told me this piece is very personal and "very much a work in progress."  Have zero idea when or where you might have a chance to see this work, but when such an opportunity arises, go.  Just go.

Are You the Last Slice? proved to be a magnificent example of what I call "theatre of dreams."  Rather than a tale told about the world in which we live--with or without some kind of style (such as a musical, puppets, verse, etc.)--the play is more akin to a dream.  A dream performed on stage, to be taken (and understood) that way.  

In this case, though, it felt not so much a dream to watch, but a dream I myself was having.  It literally began the moment I walked into the theatre, as we the audience were welcomed, informed this was an upcoming bride's apartment, and given things with which to adorn the bride.

We had become part of the dream.

Soon, after we'd explored the space, gotten some hints as to the bride and her identity (subtle but clear hints of strong dichotomies at play), we all sat down and two men brought Wang onto stage.  Carried like a mannequin.  Unmoving.  Almost unblinking.  Posed as they examined her exactly like an object, decorated with a wedding dress and silver shoes.  I say decorated because this was done much the same way one mounts curtains, or puts ornaments on a Christmas tree.

Then we were invited to do the same.  

Rarely have I felt so sucked into a world on stage, so much so at one point I genuinely felt the urge to go on stage!  As Wang at one point struggled to push this wedding gown off her body, a garment clearly designed to need help either donning or exiting, I very nearly stood up to help her!  Only my belief this was part of the show made me stop--and at that it was a near thing!  

At just about one hour, Wang's performance mesmerized me.  Everything seemed without rhyme or reason, even to the point of eating a piece of red velvet cake at one point (a close up of her face doing so projected against the back wall).  Yet it all seemed perfect, the way every tiny shade of color seems vital in a Rothko painting or every note in an instrumental work of music.  At the end I was left shaken, and haunted, and full of curiosity as well as hope for this character I barely knew, yet had exposed so much.

If you get a chance, my advice remains.  Go.  See this. 

This performance was at the Actor's Company, 916 A North Formosa Ave West Hollywood, CA 90046, which is also a venue for the upcoming Hollywood Fringe Festival.