musical based on a famous novel, Czech premiere
Charlotte Brontë (1816–1855), the well-known writer of classic English literature, was born into the family of a vicar and spent most of her life in Haworth, Yorkshire. The third of five sisters, she had to watch all her siblings (including one brother) die of tuberculosis. After the death of her siblings, she was left alone with her father for some time, but then moved to London in order to enjoy the success that the novel Jane Eyre had brought her in a more urbane social setting. She got married in 1854 but died one year later, probably pregnant, of one of the diseases prevalent at that time – typhoid or tuberculosis.
In her most famous novel from 1847, she described her experiences at the girls´ school in Cowan Bridge and elsewhere. The story of Jane Eyre, an orphaned girl, who has to fight her way to happiness through a life filled with misery and terrifying events, was a dazzling tale for readers from the very beginning. It is quite unsurprising that it has been adapted for television, film and finally also the theatre so many times. The musical version also tells the romantic story of the love between Jane Eyre and Edward Rochester together with all the often almost horror-movie-worthy events of the well-known saga. Adolescent Jane´s closest friend Helena dies, but Jane learns from her that the worst injustices can be faced with forgiveness. This understanding eventually allows Jane to achieve the happiness she truly deserves.
The musical had its world premiere in 1996 in Canada, reaching Broadway four years later. It received five nominations for the Tony Award and saw over two hundred repeat performances. The author of the music and song texts is the experienced American composer Paul Gordon, while the libretto was written by English playwright and director John Caird, who also has, among other things, a Tony Award under his belt for the direction of Les Misérables in 1987. Our production of the musical will be a Czech premiere directed and translated by Petr Gazdík.
