The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde
Opening Night: November 14, 2014
Closing: November 16, 2014
Theater: Abingdon Theatre Arts Complex
Famous scientist Dr. Henry Jekyll craves an escape from the tedious propriety of Victorian life in London, 1888. He invents a formula which changes him into the wild, brutish and animalistic Edward Hyde. With the help of his all knowing Maid and Butler, Dr. Jekyll must keep his dual identity of Hyde a secret as his actions begin to lead him down a bloody path of crime and murder. Adapted from the novella by Robert Louis Stevenson, this theatrical physiological- science- thriller by Noah Smith is full of mystery, suspense and oddly full of heart. With a rich ensemble of characters this full ASL production with a diverse deaf, ASL fluent and hearing voice cast emulate the very nature of duality the play examines! The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde invites us to examine the inhibitions we suppress and perhaps accept the darker side lurking within us all, waiting to be unleashed.
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November 13, 2014
Mr. Hyde could have been a contender. With a literary pedigree and popularity onstage and in movies that could rival Dracula, Mr. Hyde was one of the pre-eminent horror villains of the 19th and early 20th centuries, dramatizing, decades before Freud, the battle between id and superego through a grisly transformation. But the later popularity of the Werewolf, who underwent a hairier metamorphosis, pushed him to the cultural margins. Today, the werewolf shows up in the Harry Potter and Twilight series, while Mr. Hyde is stuck with a Frank Wildhorn musical and sober plays like The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. Staged by the New York Deaf Theater, this play, adapted by Noah Smith from the Robert Louis Stevenson novella, features a cast that signs the dialogue. Some actors say their lines as well, but most do not, with voice actors sitting nearby who speak the parts. The doubling is nicely apt for this source material, although it does occasionally give the play the feel of a dubbed film. The director Marlee Koenisberg has staged the material with clarity, but it’s a staid, tweedy show, more Jekyll than Hyde, with bare-bones design, no real scares and only occasional hints of humor.
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