Audios
Jane Eyre - Original Toronto Cast Recording
Jane Eyre - Original Broadway Cast Recording
Jane Eyre
1991 Demo recording (with bonus tracks)
Sally Dworsky, Vonda Sheppard, Joseph Williams, Donna DeLory, Hope Levy, Robin Skye, Ruch Hebert, Debbie Shapiro Gravitte, Mark Smith, Nell Balaban, Marla Schaffel, Paul Gordon
Known as the "26 track demo", only the first 18 tracks are from 1991 (which makes me assume that the original 1991 demo should have only been 18 tracks). Tracks 19-26 date from somewhere between 1996-1999. All of the tracks seem unfinished somehow - they fade out and you can hear there must have originally been more to the recording. Whether this was the way it was originally 'released' is something we'll probably never know. However, this is still a gem and includes many early versions of songs, and many things that changed along the way.
(This recording is also listed on my OCR/Demo page where it technically belongs, but given it's rarity I wanted a fuller description here.)
A
Jane Eyre
Toronto, 1996
Marla Schaffel (Jane Eyre), Anthony Crivello (Rochester), Sara Farb (Young Jane), Angela Lockett (Helen Burns), Elizabeth DeGrazia (Blanche Ingram), Mary Stout (Mrs. Fairfax), Aloysius Gigl (St. John Rivers), Brooks Almy (Mrs. Reede/Grace Poole), Frannie Diggins (Adele)
Originally analog and it shows - hiss overlaying the entire audio, some minor distortion. Not sure if this was a victim of HSD or not, but the distortion makes me think yes - it has this wobbly sound at times. I'd LOVE to find a better quality copy of the Toronto production, but I'll admit finding THIS one was like a Holy Grail just for Anthony Crivello ... his Rochester might not be as dark as Barbour's (don't think that'd be possible) but there's just SOMETHING about him I keep coming back to. Also nice to hear the show in an earlier form. Some things are definitely different from the Broadway production - Sirens had obviously not been written yet, for example.
For the record, the only reason I'm not giving this a C for quality is because there IS a perfectly listenable audio under the hiss, but it just scrapes by that B- in my opinion.
B-
Jane Eyre
Toronto, December 28, 1996
Marla Schaffel, Anthony Crivello, Aloysius Gigl, Don Richard, Frannie Diggins, Angela Lockett, Nell Ballaban, Brooks Almy, Bill Nolte, Sara Farb
Better quality of the two Toronto audios I've been able to track down by a longshot. Still some analog hiss of course. Possible that the volume was boosted somewhere along the way - it's decently loud. I don't have that sense of HSD with this one that I had with the other Toronto audio. At any rate, a better audio to hear the pre-Broadway differences, there is a lot of material from the 1991 demo still present in this production that would later be scrapped. Very interesting to listen to in a sense that it shows just how much the show changed from this production to La Jolla and then to Broadway.
A-
Jane Eyre
LaJolla Playhouse, 1999
Marla Schaffel (Jane Eyre), James Barbour (Rochester), Tiffany Scaritt (Young Jane), Megan Drew (Helen Burns), Elizabeth DeGrazia (Blanche Ingram), Mary Stout (Mrs. Fairfax), Christopher Yates (Jane's Father), Jayne Patterson (Jane's Mother)
SOUNDBOARD. Awesome sound quality - the sound effects were obviously patched through the board - the crackle of the fire in Rochester's bedroom, birds chirping during outdoor scenes, thunder during the storm in the Proposal scene, etc. And this means that dialogue that's sometimes difficult to make out in other audio recordings of the show are crystal clear in this one. Slightly quiet though, but that's being seriously picky.
From the Pre-Broadway tryouts in California. To anyone who knows the show, you'll hear some differences - Sirens had been added by this point, but it's after the Fire and Secret Soul is after the Pledge, basically flipping their Broadway positions.
A+
Jane Eyre
Broadway, November 24, 2000
Marla Schaffel, James Barbour, Gina Lamparella (us?), Mary Stout
Lovely quality audio from the previews, among the better ones from this time period. The barest hint of hiss when you jack the volume up, barely noticible otherwise. Other than a fair bit of coughing here and there, and some mild audience mumbling, nearly perfect.
Not sure what role Gina Lamparella is understudying, but she's listed in the Metadata, (most likely Helen Burns since it's NOT Jane Eyre and I don't think it's Blanche.)
A
Jane Eyre
Broadway, December 10, 2000
James Barbour, Maria Schaffel, Mary Stout, Neil Balaban, Andrea Bowen, Marje Bubrosa, Stephen R. Buntrock, Elizabeth DeGrazia, Bruce Dow, Gina Ferrall, Bonnie Gleicher, Rita Glynn, Gina Lamparella, Marguerite MacIntyre, Lisa Musser, Bill Noite, Jayne Patterson, Don Richard, Lee Zarrett
Opening night. Some minor crackles and pops in places in the audio, but nothing too distracting. Also some odd track cuts. Still, the sound quality on this one is probably my best OBC with both Schaffel and Barbour (not counting La Jolla, obviously lol.)
A
Jane Eyre
Broadway , December 30, 2000
Jayne Paterson (u/s Jane Eyre), James Barbour, Mary Stout, Elizabeth DeGrazia
Very oddly tracked, as though whoever did so didn't really know the show very well.
Major amount of hiss and tons of distortion. Also some skipping, like the CD it came from was damaged (Given the likely age of the cd source this rip came from, not all together surprising.) The skipping is particularly bad in "Sirens" and pretty much destroys my enjoyment of the track. The sound also cuts in and out, as well as moving from mono to stereo - and switching channels when it is in mono from left to right. VERY odd, but given how HARD it is to find anything Jane Eyre any more, I'm not going to complain, but I have to put these things out there for other traders who may someday want this.
Features clips from two other recordings - Jayne Patterson & Stephen Buntrock singing 'Secret Soul' (Which quality wise is much louder, possibly digital, and Jayne seriously overpowers Stephen, you can barely hear him!) and Marla's closing night speech (Whose quality suffers from analog issues).
C
Jane Eyre
Broadway, March 11, 2001
Marla Schaffel, Stephen Buntrock (u/s), and the OBC (except St. John)
Some overload but no where near the shape I thought it'd be judging from other reviews. I can actually understand not only the lyrics but the dialogue - I've had issues with understanding the dialogue on other Jane Eyre audios. At the moment, the best quality Jane Eyre audio I have. I suspect it's digital while the others are analog.
Would *LOVE* to find a video of this cast ... I found myself pleasantly surprised by Buntrock's Rochester ... given how I'd disliked his Phantom.
A-
Jane Eyre
Broadway, April 18, 2001
Marla Schaffel, James Barbour, Lisa Musser (Young Jane), Jayne Patterson (Helen Burns/Mary Ingram), Elizabeth DeGrazia (Blanche Ingram), Mary Stout (Marigold/Mrs. Fairfax), Stephen Buntrock (Mr. Eshton/St. John Rivers)
Some analog hiss, but there's a nice clear audio underneath it. I can not guarantee this was not ripped from a possible early copy of the video from this date - there are some skips in some of the same places as the video I have - not all however-, but they are slightly different in tone, if that makes sense. Oddly tracked in some places.
A-
Jane Eyre
Broadway, April 25th, 2001
Marla Schaffel, James Barbour, Erica Schroeder? (U/S Blanche) Stephen R. Buntrock
Some overload, but mostly clear. Very mild hiss, almost not even there unless you jack the sound all the way up. Among the better quality of the Broadway audios. I'm not completely convinced it's Erica Schroeder in this audio, because it sounds an AWFUL lot like Elizabeth DeGrazia (But I don't have a confirmed track of Erica to compare with so I'm not 100% sure.) I took "The Finer Things" from this audio and another audio (with DeGrazia) and put them side by side to compare. And while they're definitely two different performances (I was mildly worried about that possiblity with the fact that another April audio I got having also been the same as one of the April audios I already had) it's not true with this one. The tracks didn't start out at quite the same point but they synced for about 30 seconds around the middle, then fell out of sync again. One thing about live theatre - there's always going to be minor differences in tempo like that.
At any rate, it's DEFINITELY different from both the April 18 and April (21? 26?) audio.
A
Jane Eyre
Broadway, April 21? (26?), 2001
Jayne Patterson (u/s Jane Eyre), James Barbour, Erica Schroeder (u/s Helen Burns), Elizabeth DeGrazia (Blanche Ingram), Mary Stout (Mrs. Fairfax), Michael Babin (u/s St. John Rivers)
Not sure on the exact date, it's apparantly been traded as both the 21st and the 26th.
Lots of hiss; on the quiet side. It must have been originally analog.
Features clips from two other recordings - Jayne Patterson & Stephen Buntrock singing 'Secret Soul' (Which quality wise is much louder, possibly digital, and Jayne seriously overpowers Stephen, you can barely hear him!) and Marla's closing night speech (Whose quality suffers from analog issues).
B
Jane Eyre
Broadway, June 10, 2001
Marla Schaffel, James Barbour, Mary Stout, Elizabeth DeGrazia, Stephen R. Buntrock
Final Performance. I now have a replacement copy from the damaged one I had (Yipeeee!) so it is now the full show. Some minor pops here and there, but otherwise gorgeous quality. Sadly the speeches are not included (I know they were recorded because Marla's is available as a bonus track on another Jane Eyre audio I have). Among the better quality Jane Eyre audios out there.
A
Jane Eyre - Original Broadway Cast Recording
Jane Eyre
1991 Demo recording (with bonus tracks)
Sally Dworsky, Vonda Sheppard, Joseph Williams, Donna DeLory, Hope Levy, Robin Skye, Ruch Hebert, Debbie Shapiro Gravitte, Mark Smith, Nell Balaban, Marla Schaffel, Paul Gordon
Known as the "26 track demo", only the first 18 tracks are from 1991 (which makes me assume that the original 1991 demo should have only been 18 tracks). Tracks 19-26 date from somewhere between 1996-1999. All of the tracks seem unfinished somehow - they fade out and you can hear there must have originally been more to the recording. Whether this was the way it was originally 'released' is something we'll probably never know. However, this is still a gem and includes many early versions of songs, and many things that changed along the way.
(This recording is also listed on my OCR/Demo page where it technically belongs, but given it's rarity I wanted a fuller description here.)
A
Jane Eyre
Toronto, 1996
Marla Schaffel (Jane Eyre), Anthony Crivello (Rochester), Sara Farb (Young Jane), Angela Lockett (Helen Burns), Elizabeth DeGrazia (Blanche Ingram), Mary Stout (Mrs. Fairfax), Aloysius Gigl (St. John Rivers), Brooks Almy (Mrs. Reede/Grace Poole), Frannie Diggins (Adele)
Originally analog and it shows - hiss overlaying the entire audio, some minor distortion. Not sure if this was a victim of HSD or not, but the distortion makes me think yes - it has this wobbly sound at times. I'd LOVE to find a better quality copy of the Toronto production, but I'll admit finding THIS one was like a Holy Grail just for Anthony Crivello ... his Rochester might not be as dark as Barbour's (don't think that'd be possible) but there's just SOMETHING about him I keep coming back to. Also nice to hear the show in an earlier form. Some things are definitely different from the Broadway production - Sirens had obviously not been written yet, for example.
For the record, the only reason I'm not giving this a C for quality is because there IS a perfectly listenable audio under the hiss, but it just scrapes by that B- in my opinion.
B-
Jane Eyre
Toronto, December 28, 1996
Marla Schaffel, Anthony Crivello, Aloysius Gigl, Don Richard, Frannie Diggins, Angela Lockett, Nell Ballaban, Brooks Almy, Bill Nolte, Sara Farb
Better quality of the two Toronto audios I've been able to track down by a longshot. Still some analog hiss of course. Possible that the volume was boosted somewhere along the way - it's decently loud. I don't have that sense of HSD with this one that I had with the other Toronto audio. At any rate, a better audio to hear the pre-Broadway differences, there is a lot of material from the 1991 demo still present in this production that would later be scrapped. Very interesting to listen to in a sense that it shows just how much the show changed from this production to La Jolla and then to Broadway.
A-
Jane Eyre
LaJolla Playhouse, 1999
Marla Schaffel (Jane Eyre), James Barbour (Rochester), Tiffany Scaritt (Young Jane), Megan Drew (Helen Burns), Elizabeth DeGrazia (Blanche Ingram), Mary Stout (Mrs. Fairfax), Christopher Yates (Jane's Father), Jayne Patterson (Jane's Mother)
SOUNDBOARD. Awesome sound quality - the sound effects were obviously patched through the board - the crackle of the fire in Rochester's bedroom, birds chirping during outdoor scenes, thunder during the storm in the Proposal scene, etc. And this means that dialogue that's sometimes difficult to make out in other audio recordings of the show are crystal clear in this one. Slightly quiet though, but that's being seriously picky.
From the Pre-Broadway tryouts in California. To anyone who knows the show, you'll hear some differences - Sirens had been added by this point, but it's after the Fire and Secret Soul is after the Pledge, basically flipping their Broadway positions.
A+
Jane Eyre
Broadway, November 24, 2000
Marla Schaffel, James Barbour, Gina Lamparella (us?), Mary Stout
Lovely quality audio from the previews, among the better ones from this time period. The barest hint of hiss when you jack the volume up, barely noticible otherwise. Other than a fair bit of coughing here and there, and some mild audience mumbling, nearly perfect.
Not sure what role Gina Lamparella is understudying, but she's listed in the Metadata, (most likely Helen Burns since it's NOT Jane Eyre and I don't think it's Blanche.)
A
Jane Eyre
Broadway, December 10, 2000
James Barbour, Maria Schaffel, Mary Stout, Neil Balaban, Andrea Bowen, Marje Bubrosa, Stephen R. Buntrock, Elizabeth DeGrazia, Bruce Dow, Gina Ferrall, Bonnie Gleicher, Rita Glynn, Gina Lamparella, Marguerite MacIntyre, Lisa Musser, Bill Noite, Jayne Patterson, Don Richard, Lee Zarrett
Opening night. Some minor crackles and pops in places in the audio, but nothing too distracting. Also some odd track cuts. Still, the sound quality on this one is probably my best OBC with both Schaffel and Barbour (not counting La Jolla, obviously lol.)
A
Jane Eyre
Broadway , December 30, 2000
Jayne Paterson (u/s Jane Eyre), James Barbour, Mary Stout, Elizabeth DeGrazia
Very oddly tracked, as though whoever did so didn't really know the show very well.
Major amount of hiss and tons of distortion. Also some skipping, like the CD it came from was damaged (Given the likely age of the cd source this rip came from, not all together surprising.) The skipping is particularly bad in "Sirens" and pretty much destroys my enjoyment of the track. The sound also cuts in and out, as well as moving from mono to stereo - and switching channels when it is in mono from left to right. VERY odd, but given how HARD it is to find anything Jane Eyre any more, I'm not going to complain, but I have to put these things out there for other traders who may someday want this.
Features clips from two other recordings - Jayne Patterson & Stephen Buntrock singing 'Secret Soul' (Which quality wise is much louder, possibly digital, and Jayne seriously overpowers Stephen, you can barely hear him!) and Marla's closing night speech (Whose quality suffers from analog issues).
C
Jane Eyre
Broadway, March 11, 2001
Marla Schaffel, Stephen Buntrock (u/s), and the OBC (except St. John)
Some overload but no where near the shape I thought it'd be judging from other reviews. I can actually understand not only the lyrics but the dialogue - I've had issues with understanding the dialogue on other Jane Eyre audios. At the moment, the best quality Jane Eyre audio I have. I suspect it's digital while the others are analog.
Would *LOVE* to find a video of this cast ... I found myself pleasantly surprised by Buntrock's Rochester ... given how I'd disliked his Phantom.
A-
Jane Eyre
Broadway, April 18, 2001
Marla Schaffel, James Barbour, Lisa Musser (Young Jane), Jayne Patterson (Helen Burns/Mary Ingram), Elizabeth DeGrazia (Blanche Ingram), Mary Stout (Marigold/Mrs. Fairfax), Stephen Buntrock (Mr. Eshton/St. John Rivers)
Some analog hiss, but there's a nice clear audio underneath it. I can not guarantee this was not ripped from a possible early copy of the video from this date - there are some skips in some of the same places as the video I have - not all however-, but they are slightly different in tone, if that makes sense. Oddly tracked in some places.
A-
Jane Eyre
Broadway, April 25th, 2001
Marla Schaffel, James Barbour, Erica Schroeder? (U/S Blanche) Stephen R. Buntrock
Some overload, but mostly clear. Very mild hiss, almost not even there unless you jack the sound all the way up. Among the better quality of the Broadway audios. I'm not completely convinced it's Erica Schroeder in this audio, because it sounds an AWFUL lot like Elizabeth DeGrazia (But I don't have a confirmed track of Erica to compare with so I'm not 100% sure.) I took "The Finer Things" from this audio and another audio (with DeGrazia) and put them side by side to compare. And while they're definitely two different performances (I was mildly worried about that possiblity with the fact that another April audio I got having also been the same as one of the April audios I already had) it's not true with this one. The tracks didn't start out at quite the same point but they synced for about 30 seconds around the middle, then fell out of sync again. One thing about live theatre - there's always going to be minor differences in tempo like that.
At any rate, it's DEFINITELY different from both the April 18 and April (21? 26?) audio.
A
Jane Eyre
Broadway, April 21? (26?), 2001
Jayne Patterson (u/s Jane Eyre), James Barbour, Erica Schroeder (u/s Helen Burns), Elizabeth DeGrazia (Blanche Ingram), Mary Stout (Mrs. Fairfax), Michael Babin (u/s St. John Rivers)
Not sure on the exact date, it's apparantly been traded as both the 21st and the 26th.
Lots of hiss; on the quiet side. It must have been originally analog.
Features clips from two other recordings - Jayne Patterson & Stephen Buntrock singing 'Secret Soul' (Which quality wise is much louder, possibly digital, and Jayne seriously overpowers Stephen, you can barely hear him!) and Marla's closing night speech (Whose quality suffers from analog issues).
B
Jane Eyre
Broadway, June 10, 2001
Marla Schaffel, James Barbour, Mary Stout, Elizabeth DeGrazia, Stephen R. Buntrock
Final Performance. I now have a replacement copy from the damaged one I had (Yipeeee!) so it is now the full show. Some minor pops here and there, but otherwise gorgeous quality. Sadly the speeches are not included (I know they were recorded because Marla's is available as a bonus track on another Jane Eyre audio I have). Among the better quality Jane Eyre audios out there.
A
Videos
Jane Eyre
Clips Collection (1995-2001)
Marla Schaffel, Anthony Crivello, James Barbour
About 35 minutes of clips from all of the first four American productions (1995 Witchita, 1996 Toronto, 1999 La Jolla, and 2000-2001 Broadway.) Includes the following: Parent's Theme and As Good As You from the Witchita production. Forgiveness from the Toronto production. The Gypsy/The Proposal from La Jolla. Secret Soul, The Pledge, and The Proposal from the Broadway production. Secret Soul from Broadway on Broadway. And Sirens from the 55th annual Tony Awards.
The quality on these varies. The Witchita clips are both blurry, but still in what is probably full color. No obstruction, so I'm pretty sure it was filmed by someone with the production. The Toronto clip is slightly dark (but that's typical of the lighting), but facial features are recognizable. Pretty sure this was also filmed by someone with the production. The La Jolla clip, unlike the others, appears to be shot from the balcony, and is definitely handheld, with some minor obstruction. The Broadway clips are from the Press Reels, but all are very short. The last two clips were both taped from TV.
All clips have some obvious compression issues - I suspect they might have been ripped from various online sources. Still, given the scarcity of any footage from the first three productions, I'm of the mind I'd rather have SOMETHING than nothing. However, this does make me long for more from the first three, because they were OBVIOUSLY taped.
B-
Jane Eyre
Broadway, November 25, 2000
Marla Schaffel, James Barbour, Mary Stout, Elizabeth DeGrazia, Stephen R. Buntrock
A bit of generation loss and spotlight washout. However, it's relatively well shot otherwise. Looks to be high up on the right hand side of the balcony - guessing by the far-shots and angle. Given the typical shape of Jane Eyre audios out there from Broadway, this video has a very clear audio track to it.
I now have two different copies of this video. One is a single DVD set and the other is a 2 DVD set. They were traded to me under two different dates, but are definitely NOT. I'm leaving the date as November 25 for the simple reason that I had this video many years ago with that date. One of them was labeled November 18 and the other November 25, but upon comparison, between the exact angle, shots, and the exact same head in the way, there's just too many coincidences for this to be two separate performances. The two disk set is *slightly* better quality, but the same issues are in both due to age.
B
Jane Eyre
Broadway, April 18, 2001
Marla Schaffel, James Barbour, Mary Stout, Elizabeth DeGrazia, Stephen R. Buntrock
Probably the best quality Jane Eyre video out there, both in terms of shooting quality and the way it has aged. I suspect it's digital, which makes it a very early digital recording. Fairly well shot, and a fair bit of zooms. There are plenty of spots where you can get a very good look at the actor's faces and their movements. (James Barbour looks a bit like a vampire at times ... IDK if that was the makeup, the lighting, or what?) The downside though is that every so often the audio will cut out for a second or so, which is slightly annoying, but not enough for me to cut the grade down. If this had ever been on VHS someone transferred a VERY early generation copy to DVD, because there's next to no generation loss. Includes curtian calls
A-
Jane Eyre
Broadway, May 20, 2001
Marla Schaffel, James Barbour, Mary Stout, Elizabeth DeGrazia, Lee Zarrett (u/s)
Other than the big head from hell getting in the way at times and a coverup during the entirety of Helen's death scene in Act One, a very nice video. Lots of close-ups, actually looking at the two together, I have to say this beats out the April 18 video for "best Jane Eyre video" in terms of shooting. Example: The Fire and Secret Soul are much more in close up where you can see detail than the April 18 video. This taper (if a different one from the April 18 video) had a much better angle for shooting, that much is obvious. This one also does not suffer from the skips in sound that the April 18 video suffers from. I also highly suspect this is a digital recording. Video begins with a title card with date information on it. Mild hiss and mechanical noise in the background but nothing too far out there.
A
Jane Eyre
Tokyo, Japan, (September 14?) 2009
Matsu Takako, Hashimoto Satoshi, Kotobuki Hizuru, Kouda Hiroko, Konishi Ryosei, Fukui Kiichi, Oh Natsuki
PROSHOT - HIGHLIGHTS. Begins with a promo clip (likely aired on Japanese TV) that covers most of the highlights of the story - probably in order. This clip runs about 4-5 minutes. Then there is about 40 minutes or so of the show itself, and 'curtain calls'. 10 songs are included: The Orphan/Children Of God, Sweet Liberty, Sirens, Secret Soul, Painting Her Portrait, The Gypsy, Second Self (The Proposal), Slip Of A Girl, "Farewell Good Angel", and Brave Enough For Love. Credits in Japanese roll at the end of the actors taking their bows, and then there are included credits in English. Actors names are written in the Japanese style - surname first, given name second.
Not sure on the exact date. In the Japanese credits, the only thing I could understand were some numbers towards the end interespersed with Japanese characters - 2009 09 14, which looks very much like a date to me. However, there's a possibility I'm wrong (anyone who can read Japanese want to correct me? Please feel free.)
Just from this highlights, I can tell there's a few changes from the Broadway production. First, judging by the staging, "Sirens" and "Secret Soul" have been switched back to their La Jolla positioning, with "Sirens" being the song directly after Bertha tried to burn Rochester in his bed. Above you'll note that "Farewell Good Angel" is in quotations in the list of songs. That's because it's not the version from Broadway (Or Toronto, for that matter.) They've brought back the "Gypsy reprise" in place of the "Sirens" reprise that was there for Broadway, and where "Farewell Good Angel" was, is completely different from previous productions. Truthfully, I don't HAVE an English equivilant (and I suspect the DVD author didn't either, thus left it labeled "Farewell Good Angel".
This was obviously either aired on Japanese TV or sold as a full show DVD originally, but someone cut down to clips and produced this DVD. Each song has a Japanese title before the video starts. Still, as it's the first item I've found out of the Japan production, no complaints.
However, if anyone could provide me with the full show version, I'd be forever grateful!
A+
Clips Collection (1995-2001)
Marla Schaffel, Anthony Crivello, James Barbour
About 35 minutes of clips from all of the first four American productions (1995 Witchita, 1996 Toronto, 1999 La Jolla, and 2000-2001 Broadway.) Includes the following: Parent's Theme and As Good As You from the Witchita production. Forgiveness from the Toronto production. The Gypsy/The Proposal from La Jolla. Secret Soul, The Pledge, and The Proposal from the Broadway production. Secret Soul from Broadway on Broadway. And Sirens from the 55th annual Tony Awards.
The quality on these varies. The Witchita clips are both blurry, but still in what is probably full color. No obstruction, so I'm pretty sure it was filmed by someone with the production. The Toronto clip is slightly dark (but that's typical of the lighting), but facial features are recognizable. Pretty sure this was also filmed by someone with the production. The La Jolla clip, unlike the others, appears to be shot from the balcony, and is definitely handheld, with some minor obstruction. The Broadway clips are from the Press Reels, but all are very short. The last two clips were both taped from TV.
All clips have some obvious compression issues - I suspect they might have been ripped from various online sources. Still, given the scarcity of any footage from the first three productions, I'm of the mind I'd rather have SOMETHING than nothing. However, this does make me long for more from the first three, because they were OBVIOUSLY taped.
B-
Jane Eyre
Broadway, November 25, 2000
Marla Schaffel, James Barbour, Mary Stout, Elizabeth DeGrazia, Stephen R. Buntrock
A bit of generation loss and spotlight washout. However, it's relatively well shot otherwise. Looks to be high up on the right hand side of the balcony - guessing by the far-shots and angle. Given the typical shape of Jane Eyre audios out there from Broadway, this video has a very clear audio track to it.
I now have two different copies of this video. One is a single DVD set and the other is a 2 DVD set. They were traded to me under two different dates, but are definitely NOT. I'm leaving the date as November 25 for the simple reason that I had this video many years ago with that date. One of them was labeled November 18 and the other November 25, but upon comparison, between the exact angle, shots, and the exact same head in the way, there's just too many coincidences for this to be two separate performances. The two disk set is *slightly* better quality, but the same issues are in both due to age.
B
Jane Eyre
Broadway, April 18, 2001
Marla Schaffel, James Barbour, Mary Stout, Elizabeth DeGrazia, Stephen R. Buntrock
Probably the best quality Jane Eyre video out there, both in terms of shooting quality and the way it has aged. I suspect it's digital, which makes it a very early digital recording. Fairly well shot, and a fair bit of zooms. There are plenty of spots where you can get a very good look at the actor's faces and their movements. (James Barbour looks a bit like a vampire at times ... IDK if that was the makeup, the lighting, or what?) The downside though is that every so often the audio will cut out for a second or so, which is slightly annoying, but not enough for me to cut the grade down. If this had ever been on VHS someone transferred a VERY early generation copy to DVD, because there's next to no generation loss. Includes curtian calls
A-
Jane Eyre
Broadway, May 20, 2001
Marla Schaffel, James Barbour, Mary Stout, Elizabeth DeGrazia, Lee Zarrett (u/s)
Other than the big head from hell getting in the way at times and a coverup during the entirety of Helen's death scene in Act One, a very nice video. Lots of close-ups, actually looking at the two together, I have to say this beats out the April 18 video for "best Jane Eyre video" in terms of shooting. Example: The Fire and Secret Soul are much more in close up where you can see detail than the April 18 video. This taper (if a different one from the April 18 video) had a much better angle for shooting, that much is obvious. This one also does not suffer from the skips in sound that the April 18 video suffers from. I also highly suspect this is a digital recording. Video begins with a title card with date information on it. Mild hiss and mechanical noise in the background but nothing too far out there.
A
Jane Eyre
Tokyo, Japan, (September 14?) 2009
Matsu Takako, Hashimoto Satoshi, Kotobuki Hizuru, Kouda Hiroko, Konishi Ryosei, Fukui Kiichi, Oh Natsuki
PROSHOT - HIGHLIGHTS. Begins with a promo clip (likely aired on Japanese TV) that covers most of the highlights of the story - probably in order. This clip runs about 4-5 minutes. Then there is about 40 minutes or so of the show itself, and 'curtain calls'. 10 songs are included: The Orphan/Children Of God, Sweet Liberty, Sirens, Secret Soul, Painting Her Portrait, The Gypsy, Second Self (The Proposal), Slip Of A Girl, "Farewell Good Angel", and Brave Enough For Love. Credits in Japanese roll at the end of the actors taking their bows, and then there are included credits in English. Actors names are written in the Japanese style - surname first, given name second.
Not sure on the exact date. In the Japanese credits, the only thing I could understand were some numbers towards the end interespersed with Japanese characters - 2009 09 14, which looks very much like a date to me. However, there's a possibility I'm wrong (anyone who can read Japanese want to correct me? Please feel free.)
Just from this highlights, I can tell there's a few changes from the Broadway production. First, judging by the staging, "Sirens" and "Secret Soul" have been switched back to their La Jolla positioning, with "Sirens" being the song directly after Bertha tried to burn Rochester in his bed. Above you'll note that "Farewell Good Angel" is in quotations in the list of songs. That's because it's not the version from Broadway (Or Toronto, for that matter.) They've brought back the "Gypsy reprise" in place of the "Sirens" reprise that was there for Broadway, and where "Farewell Good Angel" was, is completely different from previous productions. Truthfully, I don't HAVE an English equivilant (and I suspect the DVD author didn't either, thus left it labeled "Farewell Good Angel".
This was obviously either aired on Japanese TV or sold as a full show DVD originally, but someone cut down to clips and produced this DVD. Each song has a Japanese title before the video starts. Still, as it's the first item I've found out of the Japan production, no complaints.
However, if anyone could provide me with the full show version, I'd be forever grateful!
A+