Dynamic Song Performance

Thespian Thoughts – Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde – Theatre Review by Sandro Monetti

Thespian Thoughts – Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde – Theatre Review by Sandro Monetti

Episode: 58

 
 

 

DR. JEKYLL & MR. HYDE
This atmospheric staging of the classic creature story deserves to be a monster hit.
– Theatre Review by SANDRO MONETTI
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With moody lighting, spine chilling sound, authentic British accents and period costumes, the audience is immediately transported to the dark streets and sinister back alleys of Victorian London.

 

There we find a lawyer named Utterson (an outstanding Isaac Wade) outraged by the menacing behavior of newcomer Mr Hyde and concerned by the brutal stranger’s association with his respected friend, Dr Jekyll (a convincingly conflicted Stephen Van Dorn).

Stephen Van Dorn

Stephen Van Dorn

 

Of course,we learn that they are one and the same man but Robert Louis Stevenson’s stirring study of split personality goes in some unexpected directions in this smart adaptation by Jeffrey Hatcher.

Greyson Chadwick, Deborah Marlowe, Stephen Van Dorn, Mark Bramhall, Isaac Wade, Paul Turbiak

Greyson Chadwick, Deborah Marlowe, Stephen Van Dorn, Mark Bramhall, Isaac Wade, Paul Turbiak

 

For example, four different performers portray Jekyll’s brutish alter ego Mr Hyde and the ending is not quite what you might expect.

Mark Bramhall and Isaac Wade

Mark Bramhall and Isaac Wade

 

Although the story remains set in 1883, director Mary Jo Duprey’s clever show serves to remind us of the very contemporary themes of secret lives and identity struggles.

Greyson Chadwick, Isaac Wade, Stephen Van Dorn

Greyson Chadwick, Isaac Wade, Stephen Van Dorn

 

This is Jekyll and Hyde unlike you’ve ever seen it before – and it works on every single level.

 

 

DR JEKYLL & MR HYDE

CAST
Stephen Van Dorn, Isaac Wade, Mark Bramhall, Paul Turbiak, Deborah Marlowe, Greyson Chadwick.

CREDITS

Produced by – Rhonda Kohl

Directed by – Mary Jo Duprey

Scenic Design – Ellen Lenbergs
Lighting Design – Pablo Santiago
Hair/Wig Design – Krys Fehervari
Dialect Coach – Coco Kleppinger
Costume Design – Vicki Conrad
Sound design – Austin Quan
Property Design – Nicholas Acciani
Stage Manager – Samantha Else
Publicity – Nan McNamara
Photos by Lindsay Schnebly

Presented by Actors Co-op.
Adapted by Jeffrey Hatcher from the novella by Robert Louis Stevenson.

Fridays and Saturdays at 8pm, Sundays at 2.30pm until November 17.
Additional matinees Sat Oct 19 and Sat Nov 16 at 2.30pm.

At David Schaal Theatre
1760 N. Gower Street, Hollywood, CA 90028
On the campus of First Presbyterian Church of Hollywood.
Tickets $30 regular admission, $25 seniors, $20 students.
For reservations call 323 462 8460 ext 300 or reserve online at ActorsCo-op.org

 

 

Thespian Thoughts is a theatre review article on Actors Entertainment, a channel on the Actors Podcast Network, a Pepper Jay Production.

 

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