The new musical Precious Bane is an adaptation of
the celebrated 1926 novel by Mary
Webb. It tells the sweeping dramatic story of Prue Sarn, who was
born on a farm in Shropshire with the "Devil's Mark" of a harelip. Convinced by her brother Gideon that no man will ever love her, Prue agrees to join his obsessive quest for wealth and power. However, Kester the Weaver sees beyond Prue's flawed face to the inner woman he wants as his life's companion. Prue must summon all her strength to break free of the downward spiral set in motion by Gideon's ruthless choices. The show is a classic large scale musical with soaring melodies and vivid characters.
Precious Bane will have a full sing-through at Boston Playwrights Theatre on August 29th, 2011. Pianist Josh Del Dotto and Amy Tai on violin will accompany, and the cast includes Shannon Muhs, Bob DeVivo, Jeremiah Alto, Kaja Fickes, Jonas Budris, Stephen Murray, Abby Cordell, Renee Miller, Pamela Wolfe, Kathleen Pickett, Charles Taylor, Walter Graham, Janet Ferreri, and George Bachelor, Rebecca Lerman, and Gracie Goddard; many of whom have been part of the musical's development process in the New Opera/Music Theatre Initiative's Advanced Workshop at Berklee.
For more information about Precious Bane's creators and samples of the music, click on the right hand menu links. Here are some responses from people who have read and heard the show:
“A rousing and romantic story! Very powerful
and moving, and the music will swell its already very large emotions. The
minor characters are sharply drawn, and Prue, Gideon, and Kester are all
fully human—though Prue and Kester are kinder and nobler than most—while
Gideon (my favorite character) develops nicely into his monstrous and finally
guilt-ridden self. After a thoughtful Act I, events tumble to their conclusion
in Act II. Can’t wait to see it on stage!”
—Rosanna Yamagiwa Alfaro,
playwright, Cambridge MA
“This is excellent, dramatic, compelling.”
—Dr. Gladys
Mary Coles, President, the Mary Webb Society
“Precious Bane brought back my memories of the book, the atmosphere
so well captured in the dialogue and the Greek Chorus effect that served
to represent descriptive passages in the novel. That was an inspired idea!
The script and music are so interwoven that together they equal far more
than the sum of their parts. It pulled me along: I could hardly put it down.
Congratulations—with thanks for enriching my life.”
—Roberta
Humez, Conductor emerita, Youth Pro Musica
“Beautiful Miriam Raiken-Kolb-trademark music....story compelling.....”
—Andrea
Southwick, Director, Southwick Studio
"Precious Bane is quite an accomplishment! The story unfolds well, the characters are well-defined and interesting, and you keep the milieu of the locale and the dialect throughout. I thought the scene with Prue and Kester in Act II where she hides her face from him until the last moment was very compellin., I found the love story moving, the music is captivating---accessible and modern, with its own style."
–– Skip Schlomimg, librettist
