‘Jekyll and Hyde’ review
‘I could not find fault’
Sixth Side’s version of the much-loved classic Jekyll & Hyde was a terrific way to spend an evening in Halloween week. The story follows an investigation into the evil and mysterious Mr Hyde, who, after multiple violent incidents during the night on London streets, is discovered to be the alter-ego of the well-respected Dr Jekyll.
Despite its limited space, the Dowrick suite in Trevelyan College was used to its full potential, noticeably with the placement of some of the cast among the audience from the get-go. This was a very effective decision, making the audience feel almost part of the scene and included in the opening discussion. The set had to be shallow to fit the performance space, but this did not take away from the dressing of the stage, and was in fact able to be used for quick changes; credit must be given to the stage and production team for this. All props on display were meaningful – not just there for the sake of decoration.
Characterisation from the whole cast was noteworthy. ‘The Girl’, played by Hana Swaddling, was one of the first characters we were introduced to. Swaddling was able to embody the character both whilst in the focus and background – she understood her role completely and I enjoyed her acting in the back of scenes. Oscar Dunfield played Utterson brilliantly accurately, communicating genuine emotion and his connections with the other gentlemen convincingly.The title roles were played cleverly by Jamie Strand, portrayeing a clear juxtaposition between the classically creepy Mr Hyde, and his well-respected, yet soon distressed counterpart, Dr Jekyll.
What I’ll refer to as the ‘chorus of gentlemen’ (Oscar Dunfield, Scout Pemberton, Joshua Brooks, and Charlie Eddison, as Utterson, Lanyon, Newcome and Enfield respectively) showed natural camaraderie in their conversation, and unity in the collective echoes and chants. Along with Guest (Scout Pemberton), Dr Stevenson (Katie Bainbridge) was one of the few characters to break the fourth wall and explicitly involve the audience in the action. This was a smart choice since this was the only character to stay onstage throughout the entire play – almost acting as eyes similar to the audience. Bainbridge did not let the length of time she was on stage for detract from her acting skills. Erika Davenport completed the cast with the seamless multi-role of Matron and Poole, able to express enough contrast between the characters despite having limited difference in her costuming between roles. The casting team did very well in selecting these actors – polished performances all around.
Lighting choices by Molly Cowell were imaginative, setting clear scenes so the audience could understand location without a change of physical set. This was particularly evident in the second act, where there was a section of rotating colour changes during a period of Jekyll’s distress. Complementing this was the sound, navigated well by James Irlam. Eerie music and sound effects guided the tone, haunting in all the right places. Costumes were appropriately period, with versatile accessories to allow for quick changes, demonstrating multi-character roles.
This production’s main success was in the Charlie Eddison’s and Louis Rutman’s directing; excellent creative choices were complemented very successfully by casting and resulting performance. With sprinklings of comedic moments, particularly through the use of the chorus of gentlemen, this production used a diverse range of theatrical techniques to engage the audience throughout. Where I would usually take a critical view of theatre, I could not find fault in this! ‘Jekyll & Hyde’ is a play I would highly recommend going to see for a perfect prologue to trick-or-treating, or an entertaining evening in – the whole cast and crew pulled off this classic impressively.
By Bex Smith.