Jekyll and Hyde

By Kathryn Lynch

(An Interview with Director Jason Vikse)

A monstrous murderer has come to the town of Heidelberg in the form of experimental scientist Dr Jekyll and his immoral alter ego Mr Hyde. This well known classic literary character beats with a heart of kindness locked inside a soul of pure evil. The doctor's final testament is to extract the evil of mankind to eradicate the terrors of his society.

Considering the musical's message is to "look behind the facade", it seems only fitting to begin with my first impression. As I entered the Banyule Theatre last night for ARC's third performance of this literary classic there seemed a lack of the ambiance the story should evoke. Perhaps it was the chilling breeze seeping in through the foyer doors, or the lack of show themed decoration (bar a wall of rehearsal photos), or perhaps it was the casually dressed salesman who's calls of "ice cream, chocolate" were more akin to the lower level of the MCG than a 19th century theatre (a costume may have lifted his intention).

However, as the call bell sounded and the audience trickled in to the intimate local theatre space, they were thankfully transported into the realm of madness and murder, danger and deceit.

Set in 1880's London, the musical Jekyll and Hyde is based on the novella The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (1886) by Robert Louis Stevenson. Adapted many times for film and stage, this particular interpretation was first seen on Broadway in 1997 with music by Frank Wildhorn and book and lyrics by Leslie Bricusse. The musical takes some creative license on the original story adding some love interests for the doctor and boasts one particularly well known ballad "This Is the Moment", often used in the media to underscore a sporting dream or miraculous triumph.

Jekyll and Hyde: Leighton Irwin & Tess Branchflower

In April of this year the British Library exhibited original drafts of Stevenson's novella, which suggested that there were even darker elements to the story in his original manuscript than what were published in 1886, highlighting the disturbing creative swells of the writer's reflection of a dream he had once awoken from. It seems that ARC director Jason Vikse has successfully captured Stevenson's musings through an overall dark, mysterious and blood thirsty vision of his own. His chosen theme of the prison society creates to house the animal within us was subtly made evident through key set pieces and his leading man who's other half was beastly to say the least. Led by a strong selection of Principals the cast is a myriad of talent from newcomers to ARC alumni.

Fresh to ARC and set to make a lasting impression, Leighton Irwin portrayed the famous split personality with clever execution of voice and movement morphing seamlessly from Jekyll to Hyde, particularly in "The Confrontation" in Act 2 where he must duet with himself. It took a while for his character to seem strong enough to deal with such a serious and life threatening experience, his Jekyll almost too soft and kind hearted at first. His accent also took some time to settle into British tongue, more convincingly used as Hyde than Jekyll. His character really took flight when When "The Transformation" in Act 1 took place it was refreshing to see such a powerful change, as he embodied the pure evil Mr. Hyde, without relying upon the usual long haired wig, changing from ponytail to a messy craze of locks to resemble desperate characters (YouTube David Hasselhoff's version of this song to see what I mean... Yes the Hoff!) Irwin managed to make his Hyde unique and spine chilling, his eyes darkening as the story evolved and his mannerisms almost holding a bind over the audience as he meddled and murdered with London's elite.

At times, Vikse's directional use of the apron on the stage did restrict audiences sight lines which was frustrating. Particularly in Act 1 the stage left side of the theatre seemed to watch more of Irwin's back than his front. For example in the "Board of Governors" scene where he was pleading to the elders to accept his new experiment, Irwin was placed facing upstage as we saw the Governors reactions seated around a table. I would have preferred to see more of Jekyll's facial expression, perhaps this led to the lack of character development in the beginning of the show. Due to this the actor and audience were not given enough of chance to build a connection prior to the transformation from Jekyll to Hyde.

His leading ladies, Tess Branchflower (as Lucy Harris) and Rosabelle Elliot (as Emma Carew) were clear audience favorites, drawing cheers and wondrous applause after each ballad and particularly their duet "In His Eyes", where they both sing of their love for the one man. Both new to ARC these ladies soared as their voices entranced the audience into their hopes and fears.

Branchflower's made a strong entrance in "Bring on the Men" in a prison-like cage, as head Red Rat girl at the local brothel. The choreography though showed her suggestive dancing to be less enticing than her sweet commoner accent and innocent face. The choreography for this piece could have pushed the audience's moral boundaries a little more considering the nature of the setting. In contrast, Elliot's poise and elegance as Jekyll's fiancé was suited to her Belle-esque appearance, although she could have been more animated and present when not the focus of the scene. Between the two there was a stronger connection with the audience from Branchflower, who's death was spine tingling as she gave a silent yet bloodcurdling scream!

The remaining principals and supporting cast often lacked a smooth delivery of the British accent which did break the illusion somewhat, however gave performances that explored the nature of society in the 19th century with some well executed characterizations. Stand out performances came from Mitchell Stewart (as the jealous Simon Stride) and Stuart Ford (as Jekyll's servant Poole). James Phillips (as Lord Savage) added a flamboyant touch to the Board of Governors, which would have been much more shocking to the society at hand than what was suggested by those around him. His lack luster blow to the stomach was the weakest of the several murders, eliciting giggles from the audience in what should have been a climactic moment.

The ensemble was strong in each of their musical numbers including "Facade" and "Murder, Murder", although the women outnumbering the men created a distracting uneven balance in dance sequences. The movement the ensemble portrayed during "Alive" showing the change from good to evil as Hyde ventures through Hyde Park was well designed by Emily Altis (Movement Director). However, the "Facade" reprise (of which there were a few!) did seem a bit random, with the ensemble surrounding the pimp daddy of the Red Rat, Spider, dressed in all black and wearing white cut up masks, looking almost like twisted versions of Marcel Marceau. Not sure how that fit in with the otherwise well formed era specific vision of Director, Vikse.

The costumes really amplified the setting of the piece, Louise Parsons keeping the colors dark and style reminiscent of the era, ladies in long frilly dresses and men in three piece suits. The detail to each character, including the ensemble, really lifted the overall look of an otherwise often bare stage. Here's hoping those blood stains come out in the wash though!

Jekyll and Hyde: Rosabelle Elliot, Leighton Irwin & Tess Branchflower

The set was simplistic and although it captured the ever changing locations, it seemed to lack some life. The doctor's laboratory perhaps the most impressive of the otherwise basic set props, a park bench here or a lamp post there. Perhaps the choice was made to over power the set with a combination of costume and lighting, however a little more detail wouldn't have hurt.

The lighting designed by Jason Bovaird made up for some atmosphere where the set did not. The contrast of dark hues of blues and reds against the harsh follow spots created a lovely focus on the leads as they belted a ballad and then melted into a soft overtone of calm for scenes such as a The Engagement Party and The Wedding.

ARC is in its 17th year and the fresh, ever changing committee offer a mostly well Produced piece of musical theatre, venturing beyond the light hearted comedies that amateur company's often safely stick to and into the world of the unknown. What would happen if we truly could extract evil for good? What would happen to the evil?

Jekyll and Hyde is showing until July 14th at Banyule Theatre, Heidelberg. Tickets can be purchased through the company website.