Jane Eyre To Receive Its UK Premiere At Southwark Playhouse Elephant
For Immediate Release
Media Contact: John Karastamatis, Sue Toth, Erin Nantais – Mirvish Productions
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JANE EYRE
A MUSICAL BY JOHN CAIRD & PAUL GORDON
Based on the novel by
CHARLOTTE BRONTË
TO RECEIVE ITS UK PREMIERE AT SOUTHWARK PLAYHOUSE ELEPHANT
FROM AUGUST 2026
JANE EYRE, WHICH HAD ITS WORLD PREMIERE AT TORONTO’S ROYAL ALEXANDRA THEATRE IN 1996, TO RECEIVE UK PREMIERE AT LONDON’S SOUTHWARK PLAYHOUSE ELEPHANT 28 AUG - 24 OCT 2026
JOHN CAIRD AND PAUL GORDON’S MUSICAL REIMAGINED IN A NEW STAGING
CO-DIRECTED BY OLIVIER AND TONY AWARD-WINNER, JOHN CAIRD & BROADWAY STAR, MEGAN MCGGINNIS
TICKETS ON SALE NOW AT SOUTHWARKPLAYHOUSE.CO.UK
FULL CAST & CREATIVE TEAM TO BE ANNOUNCED SOON
Jane Eyre, a musical by John Caird and Paul Gordon based on the novel by Charlotte Brontë, will receive its UK Premiere at Southwark Playhouse Elephant for a strictly limited season from 28 August – 24 October 2026.
The show will be co-directed by RSC and National Theatre director John Caird, who previously adapted and co-directed the original production of Les Misérables in the West End, on Broadway and across the world. Most recently he directed the hugely successful and critically acclaimed stage adaptation of Spirited Away at the London Coliseum. Broadway’s Megan McGinnis, star of Beauty and the Beast, Little Women and Beetlejuice, will co-direct alongside John Caird. Casting and full creative team will be announced soon.
John Caird said: “I’m so pleased to have the opportunity to explore a new version of Jane Eyre in the beautifully intimate Southwark Playhouse Elephant. It's always a pleasure to work on this timeless romance but all the more exciting to be collaborating with the brilliant and innovative Megan McGinnis as co-director.”
Paul Gordon added: “I’m beyond thrilled to finally bring the musical of Jane Eyre to the UK. Charlotte Brontë’s masterpiece is not only a landmark portrayal of a strong female protagonist, but a story that sends audiences out of the theatre feeling better about their own lives than when they walked in.”
Producer, Adam Blanshay said: “I’ve been a fan of Jane Eyre since its inception, and it’s a tremendous honour to introduce it to UK audiences in a fresh staging. I hope it will particularly resonate with young adults and today’s theatre-goers, capturing the story’s emotional power for a contemporary audience. Collaborating with this exceptional creative team, whose work I’ve admired my whole life, is a true privilege. As a Canadian, partnering with Mirvish Productions, who inspired my love of theatre, is especially meaningful.”
Producer, Hannah Mirvish added: “I remember the original version of John and Paul’s musical adaptation of Jane Eyre that we did when I was young. I saw the show more times than I remember. A couple years later I was assigned the book to read in school. Both left their indelible mark on me. Now, to have a chance to bring this story back to the stage is a joy.”
Jane’s journey, from cruelly-used orphan to independent womanhood, centres on the dark and beautiful Thornfield Hall and its owner, the mysterious and conflicted Edward Rochester. Here Jane is caught up in a web of secrets and lies, physical and moral danger, self-doubt, betrayal and heart-breaking loss. How she restores herself, through inner strength, self-knowledge and forgiveness, gives this passionate story the most moving and uplifting resolution.
Charlotte Brontë’s romance, derived from her own life story, is imbued with her own brand of fervent feminism, but also has elements of the gothic and the supernatural, both derived from her profound spiritual beliefs. These complexities and ambiguities are brought to vivid life in the figure of her heroine, the vulnerable, witty, lovable and indomitable Jane.
Jane Eyre had its world premiere in Toronto in 1996, produced by David & Ed Mirvish. It played November 17, 1996 to February 1, 1997 at the Royal Alexandra Theatre. and was subsequently produced on Broadway in 2000, being nominated for five Tony Awards.
For further information please contact
Ben Wooldridge benw@breadandbutterpr.uk | 07791183043
Maisie Lawrence maisie@breadandutterpr.uk | 07786075979
Louis Rabinowitz louis@breadandbutterpr.uk | 07570995332
JANE EYRE
A musical by John Caird & Paul Gordon
Based on the novel by Charlotte Brontë
Southwark Playhouse Elephant
1 Dante Place
London
SE11 4RX
28 August – 24 October 2026
Tickets are available at southwarkplayhouse.co.uk
Performance Schedule:
Monday – Wednesday: 7pm
Thursday: 2.30pm & 7pm
Friday: 7pm
Saturday: 2.30pm & 7pm
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Southwark Playhouse
Southwark Playhouse is a registered charity that delivers a year-round programme of entertaining and enriching work. Southwark Playhouse operates two separate venues ‘Southwark Playhouse Borough’ and its newest theatre ‘Southwark Playhouse Elephant’ which opened in January 2023. Southwark Playhouse has always prided itself in telling stories and inspiring the next generation of storytellers and theatre makers, where support for the community has been rooted at the core of the organisation.
Website: southwarkplayhouse.co.uk
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