“I’ve always been a fan of thriller-type shows – the ones that get audiences thinking or on the edge of their seat to see their conclusion, and I wanted to bring that to a local theater setting,” said Dan Bushong, director of the Albany Civic Theater’s production of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde.
With a small cast and a single set, I was interested to see how the complicated story would unfold. The cast transcended my expectations. Perfectly timed jokes balanced with true horror made the show gripping from beginning to end.
Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, written by Richard Abbott, is an adaptation of Robert Louis Stevenson’s gothic titan, The Mysterious Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. This play follows the story of Dr. Henry Jekyll, played by Jude Anderson, an ostensibly kind man who, after injecting himself with his own creation, is split in two. Jekyll’s good side tries to stay dominant over his newly emerged evil alter ego, Mr. Edward Hyde, played by Rus Roberts. Hyde is as evil as they come, beating children with canes and paying off witnesses and killing those who dare step in his way.
Hyde is the irredeemable side of Jekyll, enacting all his deepest, darkest desires without remorse. Hyde stalks the night, scaring his (Jekyll’s) own house staff. Maids Pauline (Hannah Prater) and Bridget (Cynthia Harvey) become suspicious of bumps in the night and shadows in the garden as Jekyll denies that they’ve seen anything. Exploding like a hair pin trigger anytime mysterious happenings are mentioned, he tries to convince Pauline and Bridget they are losing it. The maids know what they saw, and it’s only a matter of time before others find out. Jekyll laments as he looks in the mirror and sees only Hyde, his facade crumbling day after day.
Close friends, his lover, and a detective all try to figure out what is happening, though the truth may be too much to handle. As Jekyll rushes to catch up with the consequences, the line blurs between him and Hyde; he won’t be able to stave him off for much longer. Jekyll makes the only rational choice he sees, ending his own life in an effort to vanquish Hyde from the world, but is Hyde truly gone?
“I am a fan of the type of ending that leaves things up (to) the viewer’s imagination,” said Bushong.
To make the show more immersive, Bushong made the bold choice of having the actors speak in English accents. When asked about the decision, Bushong said, “(It was) quite easy! We had a few who were a little nervous, but they all shined brilliantly thanks to our amazing dialect coach, Johanna Spencer, who has many years of teaching experience. I was lucky to have her help with that process.” An effort that had a major payoff for the show.
All the actors were electric, though lead actor Jude Anderson took things an extra mile. Anderson’s presentation of Dr. Jekyll showed the character’s struggle; he was the spitting image of a man too far gone. His stunted movement as he grew weaker, scene after scene, felt genuine. The horror of his temper, weaving seamlessly from a repressed, kind doctor and a mad scientist, was chilling. It can be hard to be truly scary in a theater performance, but the way Anderson acted really demonstrated the feeling of gothic horror. Combined with Rus Robert’s portrayal of Mr. Hyde, thirsty for chaos with a complete lack of remorse, made for the perfect duo, watching as Jekyll died only to bring Hyde more to life.
Other standouts in the cast included Robert Beall as Dr. Lanyon and Nathan Burroughs as Mr. Utterson. Lanyon, a close friend of Jekyll, witnesses firsthand as his friend loses it, while lawyer and confidante Utterson has only to wonder why a mysterious “Mr. Hyde” has been added to Jekyll’s will. The dialogue between the cast of characters shows clear chemistry, leading to a lively performance. The actors who played maids Bridget and Connie were able to bring a level of camp to the show that is common and always delightful in community theater.
Richard Enfield, a side character played by Brennan Shelter, brought the show to life. Shetler’s performance felt straight out of a Shirley Jackson novel, dramatic yet grounded. His jealousy over Jekyll’s relationship with Diana (Megan Reich), a woman many times Jekyll’s junior, is palpable and justified. When Diana’s father, Sir Danvers Carew (Emmet Jones) is killed, Enfield knows who did it, and he does what he can to protect Diana.
Theater techs and costume designers worked hard behind the scenes to make all of this happen, the lights cueing a sickly green for Hyde’s entrances or when Jekyll would have trouble holding back Hyde.
“(My) favorite moment would have to be the scenes where Jekyll would be looking in the mirror and seeing a reflection of Hyde in it, talking back to Jekyll, which was inspiration taken from the ’02 Spider-Man movie (Norman Osborn talking to Green Goblin),” Bushong said.
The general sentiment was that the cast and crew had grown close over the production.
“If I had to say a tidbit for a show that is very serious, the cast, the crew, the whole experience, it’s like if you see a cake and it’s all gray detailing and icing (then when) you cut into it, you see a whole rainbow layer cake,” said Hannah Prater.
We talked about her role as Pauline, which involves her screaming in the middle of the show. Under all the terror lies a devoted cast that trusts each other.
As we spoke, the atmosphere around us bustled with the cast, crew, and audience. Suddenly, during our interview, “Pardon me. But if I need to…” Prater’s sister, a crew member, bent to look at the actor’s shoe, “Oh, yeah, that one needs re-gluing,” she said. “Is that the same one as I had to put on the costume?” asked Prater. She left to change her shoes so they could be fixed; she had been performing on a broken heel all night.
While Jekyll and Hyde is over, there is still plenty more to experience at the Albany Civic Theater.
“We have a lot of big-name shows by a lot of brilliant minds/directors to close out the rest of the season. Each show for the rest of the season is sure to impress audiences and we have such a strong and passionate volunteer base, so please come support your local community to see some incredible shows!” Bushong said.
On stage now is Alice in Wonderland, which will be followed by the comedy operetta The Pirates of Penzance next month. You can grab your tickets here. To learn more about the Albany Civic Theater, audition, or donate, visit albanycivic.org.
