The Optimist (Abilene, Tex.), Vol. 94, No. 37, Ed. 1, Friday, February 17, 2006 Page: 7 of 23

                                
I
HftM.
Figures for the weekend
of February 10-12 In
millions. Total grosses in
1. PlnkPanther-$202
(new)
2. Find Destination
3-$19.2(new)
3. Curious
Gecvpe-$14.7
(new)
4. Rrwafl-$136
(new)
5. WhenaStranger
Carts -$9.1 ($34)
6. Big Momma's House
2 -$6.9 ($54.9)
7. Nanny
McPnet-$4.9 ($33)
8. BrokebackMoun-tan-$4($665)
9. Underwork!: Evou-
too -$2.6 ($57.4)
10. Hoodwinked-$2A
($47.3)
egrrt8efow(Not
Rated) - starring the vole-
ea of Paul Walker Bruce
Greenwood; directed by
Frank Marshall.
Three members of a
scientific expedition in
Antarctica are forced to
leave their team of sled
dogs behind after an ac-
cident and the dogs must
struggle for survival.
Freedomland (R) - star-
ring Samuel L Jackson
Julienne Moore; directed
by Joe Roth.
A hysterical white
woman claims a black
man forced her out of her
car hijacking it with her
eon in the back seat
DeMoWe(PG-13)-starring
Alyson Hannigan;
directed by Aaron Seltzer
A parody of various
romantic comedies.
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1 T f
'Eyre' beautiful enthralling ensemble piece
By SARAH CARLSON
Ann Editor
The hypocrisy of the social
class system and suffocat-
ing moral restraints abun-
dant during Queen Victoria's
reign form the backdrop of
Jane Eyre: The Musical a
representation of Charlotte
Bronte's most popular novel
first brought to the Broadway
stage In 2000.
Sweeping and at times
unnerving musical numbers
bring Jane's story to life In
this engaging production now
produced by the ACU Theatre
Department for its Winter Din-
ner Theatre. The'Fulks The-
atre sets an Intimate tone for
the story of Jane an orphan
who grows to be a governess.
Her strong opinions and faith
set her apart from most of her
contemporaries except for
Edward Rochester the master
of Thomfleld Hall where she
teaches his ward Adele.
Bronte's story of Jane is in
many ways autobiographical
from her unhappy times away
at school losing sisters to tu-
berculosis and spending time
both as a teacher and a gov-
erness. The isolation of the
English moors a backdrop for
Bronte as well as Jane is an
undercurrent of her work as
is the Gothic genre of horror
seen through the mystery of
Thornfield ghosts and gyp-
sies. Stuffing more than 400
pages of Victorian literature
into a two and a half hour
musical is a daunting task
but the creative team of John
Calrd and Paul Gordon who
were behind the 2000 produc-
tion manage to maintain the
ultimate themes of forgive-
ness emotional suffering and
unconditional love of Jane
Eyre.
The musical begins with an
ArtsFriday
Optimist
JflMEyre
8pm Friday and
Saturday 24-25 and March
3-4 in the Fulks Theatre
Tickets play-only are $15
dinner and show are $27.
For tickets call 674-2787
adult Jane narrating scenes of
her early life looking over her
oungcr more stubborn self
and reflecting on her hard-
ships and lessons learned.
The adult Jane progresses the
story and the transition from
past to present is excellent.
'Julie Miller senior theatre
major from Winter Garden
Fla  as Jane and Ben Jeffrc) 
senior theatre major from
Kansas Cit Mo as Roches-
ter both deliver commanding
and impressive performances
withunbelievablevoices. Their
characters transition through
a variety of complex emotions
throughout the novel and
play and Miller and Jeffrey
convey these with pitch per-
fect precision Though de-
spite being the title character
Jane's show is stolen aa by
her er own Mr. Rochester.
Jeffrey steals most scenes
he's in giving the strongest
performance and having the
strongest voice. Miller is still
amazing as the reserved Jane
but during their powerful du-
cts I found m ees following
Jeffrey.
The delightful Lauren All-
red senior theatre major from
Abilene plas Mrs. Fairfax
the bubbling and slightly deaf
housekeeper at Thornfield
and I only wish Allred had
received more leading roles
during her time at ACU. Em-
ily Savage Junior theatre ma-
jor from North Richland Hills
delivers an engaging per-
formance as the young Jane
alongside Jane's childhood
friend Helen Burns portrayed
by Jenavcne Hester freshman
theatre major from Abilene.
Hester also plays Adele
Rochester's French Ward and
brings energy to the stage and
her scenes tricking the viewer
Into thinking she really is a
young French girl.
The ensemble Is impres-
sive with each member serv-
ing as narrators and almost
as props themselves moving
backdrops throughout the
play. Victorian aged chorus
members progress the story
and transition various scenes
helping set the restrained tone
of the time period although
some of the members looked
more bored than restrained.
Although Miller and Jeffrey
carry most scenes on stage
the production could not have
been as accomplished without
each member of the ensemble
and crew. This demonstrates
the skill of all majors and
staff involved especially the
stage manager Amy Simpson
Junior theatre major from
Denver who has more than
170 cues to call.
Every person and object on
stage is used and used well
everyone contributing and us-
ing an apparently simple set
to ingeniously convey the im-
pression of various locations.
Members of the ensemble ro-
tate a steel staircase on stage
while the characters stand on
It continuing their dialogue as
if they were moving through-
out Thornfield.
Great attention to detail
was given during the prepara-
tion of this production from
the construction of countless
Victorian-age costumes to
making sure a blanket used in
the desolate orphanage would
scatter dust when shaken b
a resident.
This endearing romance
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GARY MMOHrtWI rftafcfnplMr
Emily Savage junior theatre major from North Richland Hills left and Julie
Miller senior theatre major from Winter Garden Fla  right portray the
young and older Jane respectively in ACU Theatre Department's Winter
Dinner Theatre Jane Eyre TheMusea
and ambitious production of
Jane Eyre: The Musical is one
of the more sweeping and
impressive non-Homecoming
musicals in recent ears
and one of the best Theatre
Department productions I've
seen over the past four years.
UmatmMtuem.i
February 17 2006
In our Feb 10 edition in the
story "Bronte's brooding
moors brought to stage In
musical 'Jane Eyre" actress
Julie Miller was incorrectly
Identified. The Opt'msf
apologizes for this oversight
eehhi