Jane Eyre musical announces lead casting for UK premiere

Jane Eyre, a musical by John Caird and Paul Gordon based on the seminal novel by Charlotte Brontë, has announced the lead casting for its UK premiere – 30 years on from its first bow.

The production will be co-directed by Caird and Megan McGinnis. Caird previously adapted and co-directed the original production of Les Misérables in the West End and on Broadway, and most recently directed the award-winning stage adaptation of Spirited Away at the London Coliseum. McGinnis has appeared on Broadway in Beauty and the Beast, Little Women and Beetlejuice.

Set to appear will be Charlie Burn as Jane and Ashley Gilmour as Rochester, with further names to be revealed.

The production is set to run at Southwark Playhouse Elephant from 28 August to 24 October 2026, with tickets on sale now.

The musical, and Brontë’s original tale, follows Jane’s journey from orphan to adulthood. Her life becomes tied to Thornfield Hall and its owner, Edward Rochester, where she encounters secrets, danger and betrayal.

The musical premiered in Toronto in 1996 and later opened on Broadway in 2000, where it received five nominations at the Tony Awards. For the 30th anniversary year of the show, Adam Blanshay Productions is partnering with the original Canadian producers David Mirvish and Hannah Mirvish.