Thomas Hischak once again affirms his abilities as a playwright in this skillful retelling of Charlotte Bronte's classic story. As with his best-selling adaptation, Little Women, Hischak preserves the heart-tugging emotions of the original novel while altering the work to give it an intrinsically dramatic feel. From a novel of over three hundred pages, this is a two-act play with a running time of approximately 85 minutes with suggestions for further cuttings. A longer version is also available from the publisher. Be sure to specify the version you prefer.

One of Hischak's changes that has made the script such an accomplished work is the fact that he uses three different actresses to handle the part of Jane. We see her as a child as she suffers under the control of a cold-hearted aunt and as she grows into maturity at Lowood School. We see her later as a young woman who experiences both life's difficult trials and the love that makes those trials worth enduring. And we see her as a mature woman, twelve years into a happy marriage, looking back on the past and guiding us through her memories. This final Jane remains on stage throughout the course of the entire play and is the audience's insight into thoughts and emotions which could otherwise have been easily lost in the transition from novel to play. An added benefit of the older Jane Eyre is that her narration continues throughout the scene changes, allowing the play to proceed without breaks in the action.

Without doubling, the cast size would be in the range of 30-35 players, depending upon the number of girls one chooses to use at Lowood school. However, many of these roles are small parts, making double- and even triple-casting a matter of relative ease. This scripts includes suggested doubling to obtain a cast of 4 men, 14 women, and a variable group of girls for use at both the Lowood and Morton schools.

Time, 19th Century; Place, England; Costumes, period.

Thomas Hischak is a professor of theatre at the State University of New York College at Cortland. He is the author of numerous published plays and three books on the American Musical Theatre. With Jane Eyre, he has further enhanced a reputation already highly regarded.

Other Hischak plays: A Doll's House, Murder by Membership Only

See also: Classics