REVIEW: Dear Spectator, See 'Jane Eyre The Musical'
When I first read the 19th-century novel Jane Eyre as a teen, I idolized the heroine’s granite integrity. Despite a childhood of neglect and abuse, Jane grows into a warm and generous woman. When offered her first and likely only opportunity for love and family, she declines in deference to her virtuous fortitude. In our contrasting 21st century, “steadfastness” is not a popular aspiration. Character development as a whole has been replaced by sheer ambition. Life is spent in the pursuit of having it all, not being it all. I wondered, will a story that revolves around a supposedly “outdated” moral constitution hold up as a contemporary play?