JaneEyre
Posted by Philip Poole on 2015-04-22

By Jimmy Lichtenwalter

Samford University will present “Jane Eyre” April 30-May 2 in Harrison Theatre as part of the Michael J. and Mary Anne Freeman Theatre and Dance Series. This version of the Charlotte Brontë novel is a musical, with music by pop composer Paul Gordon and lyrics by John Caird. 

Performances are at 7:30 p.m. Thursday-Saturday and at 2:30 p.m. on Sunday. Tickets are $12, $6 for students, and can be purchased online or at the Samford Arts box office in Swearingen Hall. 

The production stars senior musical theatre major Carin Lagerberg as the titular lead and junior musical theatre major J.D. Myers as Edward Fairfax Rochester. The musical will also feature performances by Corey Wagoner, Abi Benke, Elise Leveille, Kyle Pierce and Elizabeth McGuire. 

“This production not only meets some of the strengths of our program but was also one of suggestions made by last year’s student selection committee,” said theatre faculty member J. Clayton Winters, the director and choreographer of the production. “It is a newer work with pop stylings and a classical musical approach as well as having many strong female rolls and a solid academic appeal." 

“The classic story and its ties to a great work of literature is a definite draw for many. For those unfamiliar with the story they will certainly be gripped by the great love story, the wonderful music and costuming, and the inventive staging utilized to tell the story.” 

Jimmy Lichtenwalter is a journalism and mass communication major and a news and feature writer in the Office of Marketing and Communication.    

 
Samford is a leading Christian university offering undergraduate programs grounded in the liberal arts with an array of nationally recognized graduate and professional schools. Founded in 1841, Samford is the 87th-oldest institution of higher learning in the United States. Samford enrolls 6,101 students from 45 states, Puerto Rico and 16 countries in its 10 academic schools: arts, arts and sciences, business, divinity, education, health professions, law, nursing, pharmacy and public health. Samford fields 17 athletic teams that compete in the tradition-rich Southern Conference and ranks 6th nationally for its Graduation Success Rate among all NCAA Division I schools.