Dr Jekyll And Mr Hyde

Upon entering the lavish and old world feel of 1812’s foyer you are greeted with a display showing the great number of awards this company has won over the years.  Their superb production of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde proves that these awards were no fluke.

American playwright Jeffrey Hatchers’ adaptation of the Robert Louis Stevenson classic is a darker, edgier and more menacing version of a show that questions the good and evil in all.  For those that have not been introduced to this classic tale of mystery and suspense, the story is set in London in 1883 where the highly respected Dr Jekyll has been experimenting with exotic powders and tinctures and has created a potion that unlocks his evil side creating his sinister doppelganger, Edward Hyde.  Hyde begins to terrorise London under the cloak of darkness committing assault and murder.  The play continues as his colleagues begin to notice that Jekyll is not his normal self of late and as Jekyll fights to rid his life of the evil Hyde we are witness to a captivating and enthralling reversal of roles.  This adaptation uses not one but four of the good doctor’s alter ego and to add to that, one of the Hyde’s is played by a female actor.

Director Christine Grant has created a London that exudes the cold and dark era that this piece takes place in perfectly.  It is clear that she has researched this piece well and has taken the time to develop some very deep and intriguing characters.  Having only 6 performers play a total of 18 roles must have been quite a challenge but I congratulate her on having such defined differences in all the separate parts. Getting the old English accents just right is a hard task at the best of times but to have 5 different accents in some cases is a credit to the effort that has been put into this show.

I understand that this adaptation calls for 4 different Hydes including one of them being female and this was not a directional choice. I felt that the actors responsible for bringing Hyde to life showed a great diversity in their smaller roles however, for the most part, their portrayals of Hyde were too similar.  The use of four different actors could have allowed for a deeper exploration of different aspects of Hyde’s character. For example, I would have liked to see Christine use the female Hyde to highlight a more vixenish or sexier evil side of the character. Some of the other Hydes could have been use to portray different styles of the madness he exudes. Having said this, I thought the use of echoes by all of them when Hyde meets Elizabeth Jelks for the first time and the tormenting of Jekyll all at once was truly spine chilling and a moment that had me on the edge of my seat.  It only took 5 minutes into the opening scene before I was totally captivated and drawn into the piece.

Paul James playing Dr Jekyll has extensive theatre experience, most recently in musicals.  I believe that Paul excels in this form of the art and this is his true niche. His character could have just stepped out of a time machine such was his eloquence and timing. The short pauses he uses in his dialogue only serve to entice you into his character more.  Paul, along with all the cast, had a great deal of lines to learn for this show and he can be forgiven for confusing a couple here and there. He built the dichotomy of his character quite expertly from the controlled doctor at the start of the play to one verging on breakdown by the end. A truly exceptional performance by a seasoned actor.

Brett Hyland played the most prominent of the four Edward Hydes and stole the show in my eyes. It is easy to just say Jekyll is good and Hyde is evil however Brett’s portrayal had so many different levels. He brought at times a dashing Hyde to the stage when enticing the young Elizabeth, through to an overtly manic Hyde when Jekyll was about to expose him.  His voice as Hyde was commanding and chilling and never once felt like it was put on and was thoroughly engaging. The colleague I attended with noted that for her it was probably the first time that a character on stage actually scared her.  His other roles included Dr Lanyon, Police Doctor, Surgical Student and Drunk.  Each and every role was clearly defined and delivered with the same energy as the last.  A true masterclass in the art of acting.

Dexter Bourke has returned to the stage after a two year absence and has lost none of his craft in his time away.  Playing the dual roles of Hyde and Utterson, Dexter was a pleasure to watch. At times his accent did seem to waiver with Australianisms but it was minimal and did not diminish his performance.  I would like to see Dexter hold his head up when being spoken to by other performers to engage the conversation more. This is just a small and very picky point but one that would take his great performance up just another notch.  Dexter was well suited to this period piece and his understanding of his parts shone through any small negatives.   

Geoff Arnold played Hyde, Sir Danvers Carew, Enfield, Sanderson, Inspector and Hotel Porter.  Congratulations must be given for having such distinct differences in all six characters with strikingly different accents to match.  Geoff reminds me a lot of Richard Burton both in looks and his voice.  His acting talent is not far off as well.  His portrayal of Enfield was perfect classic old English and as with Dexter he was a natural in this classic piece.

Donna Pope played Elizabeth Jelks and Young Girl. Watching Donna explore the differences in Elizabeth’s character was truly a delight.  She had such great light and shade from the sultry woman who meets and falls in love with Hyde to the timid and afraid almost frail young girl who is frightened by her meeting with Dr Jekyll. I felt that at times her annunciation lacked somewhat but this could have been due to the accent she was reproducing. A very strong and confident performer who will go a long way in this industry.

Pip Le Blond was the female Hyde and also played Poole, Maid, Old Woman, Surgical Student and Prostitute. As stated earlier I felt that the female Hyde could have been explored a lot more but Pip was none the less as sinister as can be. Having her play Poole, the servant to Jekyll just missed the mark.  I’m not sure if this was again a choice of the Playwright but no matter how hard Pip tried to convey that she was a manservant I wasn’t taken by the deeper voice. The voice aside, Pip held herself in a manner befitting the character and did the role justice.  Her lines to close the first act as the old woman, “The bad in me wanted to watch” were delivered perfectly and you could feel the audience was just hoping the show would go on instead of waiting through an interval.

With such a stellar cast to convey the story it would have been a let down if the sets, costumes and technical aspects weren’t on a par with the actors.  I must say for such a small theatre the technical and artistic crew have done a magnificent job.  The set was fairly simple with a large set piece used as Jekyll’s drawing room on one side and spun to show his laboratory on the other.  Along the back was a rostrum that transformed from street scene to lecture theatre by way of a lit window piece at the back of the stage.  On the other side of the stage was a simple table set against a wall.  You would hard pressed to set 10 different areas the play takes place in by use of only these pieces, however the clever use of a door on wheels tied the whole show together.  The actors moved the door around in such a graceful and purposeful manner that it almost seemed to be choreographed.  A brilliant use of the stage that made the area look ten times bigger than it was.  Small details on the set were astounding and a credit to Christine Grant and Kevin Doyle.

Lighting design was by Robin Le Blond and really captured the essence of a cold and stark setting when needed. At times the actors missed their spots but this was not the fault of operators Zina Carman and Lauren Dernelly as their timing for the most part was perfect.  Sound Operators Dani Tunnicliffe and Ashley Walker delivered a thoroughly professional job and the choice of music by Christine and Peter Frid to segue scenes was well chosen and only added to the thrilling, suspenseful nature of this piece.  The wardrobe provided by Angela MacDonald was true to the period and conveyed an old world charm and when needed showed the dirtier side of London at the time.  There were some small things that did grate on me though.  The suit that Paul wore was just half a size too small and when he put his arms around his back it did seem to pull at the buttons.  I also did have a problem with ties and collars not being pristine but given the amount of costume changing you could excuse this. Once again, just a very small point in an otherwise very polished production. 

This was the first show I had seen by the 1812 theatre and I was pleasantly surprised by the quality although I should not have been given that the company that has lasted for 50 years in an ever increasing competitive market. Congratulations to all involved on what should be a very successful season.  From what I know of the 1812, their shows sell out even though they have long seasons so I urge you to book quickly to see this magnificent piece of high art. The season runs until Saturday the 4^th of September and I highly recommend it.  The people at 1812 will make you feel truly welcome.  Come for the show, stay for the free champagne and canapés at the end.

Mario has been treading the boards for only 8 years but in that time has managed to squeeze in 30 shows.  He has had the privilege of playing some of the best roles written for male actors including Judas in Jesus Christ Superstar, The Pirate King in Pirates of Penzance, Darryl Van Horne in The Witches of Eastwick, Horton in Seussical, Javert in Les Miserables, Buddy Fidler in City of Angels, Bill Sykes in Oliver and Max Bialystock in The Producers.  He has been President of Players Theatre Company in Oakleigh for the past 4 years and has directed two shows for them being RENT and Jesus Christ Superstar.  When not on stage Mario works for the Horsepower Factory where he gets to work on his second passion, fast cars.