CITY TACKLES CLASSIC

By F. J. Hartland

     There used to be an old radio show called The Shadow.  (I am far too young to remember this.  Someone older—and wiser—must have told me about it.  Was it Ted Hoover?)  Anyway, at the beginning of The Shadow, the announcer would ask the question…”What evil lurks in the hearts of men?”

     In his novella The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, Robert Louis Stevenson ponders the same question….long before the invention of radio.  Goodly physician Dr. Henry Jekyll concocts a potion that releases his dark underside—the evil Mr. Hyde.  Of course, he can’t keep this split-personality act for long; especially when Mr. Hyde begins to wreck horror all over London.

     City Theatre brings a new version of this classic.  Written by Jeffrey Hatcher and directed by Tracy Brigden, this new Jekyll and Hyde features a ponderous first act.  Things do pick up in Act Two—but by then it’s a little late.Much of the story is told in narrative with the actors addressing the audience through letters, diaries, and newspaper accounts.  Sometimes they are accompanied by a “dumb show” where we see—but do not hear—the tale.  These are certainly the most effective.  After all, we’d rather see something than just be told about it. Also, there are numerous set changes.  While the crew moves quickly, it breaks the show up into too many tiny pieces.

      The actual scenes in Jekyll and Hyde are not helped by Brigden’s static direction.  Her stage pictures consist of actors in a row, talking.  It is not until Act Two when she begins to apply diagonals in her blocking, and it is a welcomed change.

      The cast of the show does an admirable job.  David Whalen is the only actor who plays just one role—Dr. Henry Hyde.  The rest of the cast—Melinda Helfrich, Dan Krell, Kelly Boulware, Martin Giles and Sheila McKenna play a variety of roles.  With the exception of Helfrich, they also all take turns playing Hyde (but the job primarily goes to Boulware—who creates a menacing villain).  Having so many Hydes is an interesting concept; at times, a confusing one.  Additionally, the whole cast is not equally sharp in drawing the distinct characters.

     The physical look of the show is wildly reminiscent of the original production of the musical Sweeney Todd (another bit of history that I might have learned from Mr. Hoover).  Tony Ferrari has the duty of designing a set that requires numerous locations, and he does have some interesting tricks in his bad.  (For example a variety of unusual lights are lowered from the fly space to establish Dr. Jekyll’s laboratory).  Much of the set is rarely used (like the stunning spiral staircase on stage left)—and that’s a shame.  Christian DeAngelis’ lighting design incorporates long shadows, giving the production a film noir look.  Costumes by Susan Tsu look Victorian enough—but could use more color (especially the for the men), and some don’t fit correctly.  (Could someone please hem the pants Sheila McKenna wears when she plays Jekyll’s butler Poole?)

     I am usually a big fan of playwright Jeffrey Hatcher’s work.  But this (like Ella currently running at the Public) is certainly not his finest moment.  At least in Ella he is covering new ground.

    Jekyll and Hyde continues through November 8.  For information, visit www.citytheatrecompany.org.