Jekyll and Hyde at Darlington Hippodrome

Jekyll and Hyde by Darlington Operatic Society

It’s not often that you get chance to see something new, for which you have no preconceived ideas and have been able to avoid any previous reviews.  Whilst many have read the story of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde, there are few who have seen it as a musical and even fewer who will have enjoyed such a powerful and professional production as Darlington Operatic Society are performing.

With the story closely following Robert Louis Stevensons’s classic gothic tale, this deep view of the human psyche exposes the fundamental challenges everybody has; there is good and evil in us all, it is how we control them that determines who we are.

For this performance, the eponymous lead is played by Luke Oldfield who, from the very first scene, is the quintessential Victorian scientist, long hair tied back, resplendent in waistcoat and presenting with the clipped accent of the London elite.  His appeal to the governing body for their approval to continue his experiments is almost Darwinian yet, even at this apparent sane stage, he is able to convey a deeper desire, a drive to succeed and a passion to do so at all costs, especially when they all vote to refuse him his request and so sew the seeds of hatred which grow into the actions of murder.

The gentleman doctor is engaged to be married to socialite Emma Carew (played by the one and only Beth Hopper whose voice is instantly recognisable and as warm and welcome as summer rain) so he finds his passions for science somewhat constrained by the expected façade of society.  Torn between playing the expected love struck fiancée and his true passion for scientific discovery, it is when the good Doctor assumes his alter ego that Luke goes though a metamorphosis which would rival many CGI driven movies. 

His long hair becomes an unkept mass, his body seems to grow to almost twice his size and the menace he exudes is simply terrifying.  At first you will find yourself checking that there are not two actors but no, it is simply a masterclass to any actor on how to drive a character into the heart of the performance.  Driven by his being shunned by his peers, Hyde sets out to wreak his own sense of justice, with murderous intent.

As the Doctor begins to wrestle with his inner demon he seeks solace with Lucy, a hard candy coated, soft centred working girl who sees in Dr Jekyll a turmoil and anguish she can relate to.  Sadly for both her and the doc, Mr Hyde also sees Lucy as someone he can engage with, and despite, or perhaps because, of Jekyll's affections, he sets out to destroy her.  Jessica Harrison, as Lucy, is outstanding.  Often such platitudes are used lightly but here it is so very much deserved and as the 3^rd person in a triangle of turmoil, she plays the innocent loser with such passion and compassion that it is hard not to be moved to tears.

The sets and costumes for this production are steeped in Victoriana – elegant gowns and capes of high society are played off against the rags and squalor of the London slums while the soundtrack is very much akin to the depth and magnitude of Les Miserables – anthemic themes are balanced against soulful solos.

Darlington Operatic Society are widely heralded as the region’s best amateur theatre company but this production surely elevates them into a new and exciting division – I doubt that there are many, if any, companies across the whole UK who can deliver such a polished and professional performance.  As someone who now works in London, this is a performance that would not be out of place amongst the West End – for the people of Darlington, you must go and see this.

 

Running from October 23^rd until 2^nd November at Darlington Hippodrome, Tickets are on sale now by calling the Ticket Hotline on 01325 244659 or online at www.darlingtonos.org.uk.  

DISCLAIMER Neither DOS nor your author can be held liable for any nightmares following this show.

Advisory 12 years+

Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde

Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde – a cautionary tale of addiction told through the struggle of one man against his inner demons

Robert Louis Stevenson’s gothic novella has been the subject of a multitude of films, radio plays, and tv series, so this current TCTC/Rose Theatre production, adapted by David Edgar and directed by Kate Saxon has some tough competition to follow – but it is clear from the very beginning that this show follows no one, it leads. The story is built on the mystery that surrounds men of profession, the suspicion that people of money are free to dabble with any pursuit, safe from the prying eyes of the populous and surrounded in the protective company of people of influence. 

Remaining true to the period and setting, the opening scene plunges the audience into the dark and gloomy world of smoggy London Town with the class divide ever present – a dirty match girl trying to eek out a living on ha’pennies from the suited and booted gentry.   We are introduced to Dr Jekyll, a broad, if somewhat refined Glaswegian (Phil Daniels demonstrating that despite being considered the UKs best cockney, he has a huge range of accents he can draw on), his widowed sister and her family.  Dr Jekyll is searching for his late fathers scientific writing, and, whilst not explicitly revealed, the source of his forthcoming experiments.

Quick shift to Jekyll’s London town house and laboratory and we begin to understand that there is a fine line between genius and madness, one which the intelligencia of the day are constantly trying to cross using whatever means and substance possible.  There are some quite lengthy discussions around the binary of the human psyche, challenging the audience to choose between faith and science, but given that the lead is a doctor, we already know the path to be taken.

Jekyll ‘successfully’ recreates his father’s experiment, initially conducting the tests with a scientific approach under exacting conditions but all too quickly he descends into affliction, addiction and despair.  As with all good tales of the time, there is no happy ending (this is pre-Hollywood, who always seem to be focussed on sending the audience home happy) – the beast unleashed is too much for Jekyll to consider and so he takes the only path left in his control.

Specific mention goes to Grace Hogg-Robinson playing Annie the chamber girl and target of Hyde’s unwarranted and unwanted attentions – she is childlike without being childish, innocent whilst still of the streets and in the end portrays a love for Jekyll borne from an understanding of the turmoil he created.

Previous incarnations of the tale have used special effects, or even different actors, to portray the split persona of Mr Hyde, here it is Daniels who draws out the alter-ego, changing his stance and movements and broadening his accent so deep that at times it is no more than guttural ramblings.  His temper, loss of rationality and base desires are more caveman than cultured doctor and yet, it is all too familiar for anyone who has seen friends, family or even themselves change after consuming one too many. Indeed, were it not a retelling of RLS classic, this production would make for a very effective, if somewhat shocking, public awareness film on the dangers of drinking to excess.  Polar to that, however, it could also be used as a demonstration of the struggle sufferers of mental health problems face.

Dr Jekyll & Mr Hyde is at Darlington Hippodrome until Saturday 18^th May