Yvonne Arnaud Theatre – until 5th February 2022
Reviewed By Emily Cliff
5*****
Anyone who is familiar with the strange case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde knows that this tale is not for the faint of heart and the play isn’t an exception. Exceptionally directed, designed and adapted to stage this play on a whole is captivating, dramatic and eerie in all the best ways.
Adapted for the stage by Nick Lane, those who a big fans of the classic will note when they come to see this play that there are some changes to the story and the characters. However, this isn’t inherently bad, it works really well providing the audience with the same eerie story with a glimmer of individuality thrown into the mix. The novella itself is quite slow burn, as is the play however somehow it manages to keep you completely hooked from the very first scene.
A performance that has to be noted and mentioned is that of Blake Kubena. His portrayal of both Henry Jekyll and Edward Hyde was enthralling. The was a clear distinction between the two characters from the way he carried his body to the way he spoke and even the look in his eyes is what made the line visible between the two personalities.
Physical theatre was used a lot in this play to show the transition between Jekyll and Hyde but also to choreograph some of the more violent scenes. The last scene of act one shows Edward Hyde brutally murdering an innocent old man, however, the twist on this was that it was down completely in slow motion. This type of trickery in film can be easily achieved by slowing down the footage in post-production however, on stage is a little more difficult. The immense amount of control both Blake Kubena and Zach Lee had in this scene is almost incomprehensible.
Everything in this production is exceptional, from the delivery of the lines and the tone of the voices put on by the actors to the stage and the lighting. The set of the play is so simple with intricate details that pull the whole thing together. a spotlight in the corners of the stage were used to cleverly cast shadows and eerie silhouettes that just added more and more to the intensity of the play. Overall this play was simply electric in its atmosphere. Every word said, every action taken, had you hanging off the edge of your seat wanting more. The twists and turns kept you coming back for more and for one of the first times ever it seemed like the interval was too long, I just wanted to dive right back into the story. The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde is a story everyone should experience once in their lifetime truly testing our moral compasses and the true will of mankind. “All human beings, as we meet them, are commingled out of good and evil: and Edward Hyde, alone in the ranks of mankind, was pure evil.” – Robert Louis Stevenson.