Staging 'Jane Eyre'

By John Fleming, Times performing arts critic
Published October 25, 2007

Katherine Tanner, left, is Jane Eyre and Shana Perkins is Bertha Rochester in Polly Teale's adaptation of Charlotte Bronte's classic novel, Jane Eyre, at the Gorilla Theatre. Teale's play was originally done by the Shared Experience Company, which is known for its "page to stage" productions of literary masterpieces such as The Mill on the Floss, Anna Karenina and War and Peace. Director Nancy Cole's program note points out that 1847 was a seminal year for the English novel: Not only was Jane Eyre published that year, but so was Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte, Agnes Grey by Anne Bronte and Vanity Fair by William Makepeace Thackeray. Cole writes, "There must have been something in the air of the Yorkshire countryside that for the sake of our souls we too must breathe."

Jane Eyre by Polly Teale opens tonight and runs through Nov. 11 at Gorilla, 4419 N Hubert Ave., Tampa. Performances are at 7 p.m. Thursdays, 8 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays and 3 p.m. Sundays. There will be talk-backs with director and cast following performances on Sunday and Nov. 2. $15-$25. (813) 879-2914; www.gorillatheatre.com.

[Last modified October 24, 2007, 18:02:31]