Coursing through our veins is the river of our old ways, before man created morality, in the time when human hunted for food, killed for dominance, and copulated for pleasure.
From "Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde," adapted by Jeffrey Hatcher.
This is not your grandfather's "Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde."
Arizona Theatre Company's world premiere of this riveting Jeffrey Hatcher adaptation was a very different Jekyll and Hyde than the one most of us know.
The classic story was Robert Louis Stevenson's take on the duality of human nature. Jekyll believes we've a dark side, and he mixes potions that bring his out. Eventually, it takes over.
In Hatcher's version, the dark Hyde indeed comes out, and he is evil beyond measure. But not all evil: He loves, and is loved.
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Too, Jekyll isn't the pure soul we've come to believe him to be, though certainly his good sense seems to take over in the end.
Hatcher has written a play that honors the original, but gives a more complex interpretation of the dual nature of man. Perhaps "dual" isn't the right word — four actors portray Hyde at different times.
It doesn't confuse, and it convincingly illustrates the concept that there are many facets to one personality.
It's a dark and disturbing story liberally peppered with humor.
And fat with performances that are among ATC's best this season.
R. Hamilton Wright, who often plays comedic roles in ATC productions (he was last seen in the P.G. Wodehouse adaptation, "Over the Moon"), does a serious turn as Jekyll. Wright's Jekyll is a stuffy Brit arrogant in his conviction that he is always right. He chairs the hospital's ethics committee, which adds a little more weight to his moral righteousness. But as Hyde becomes more powerful, we see Jekyll's confidence crumble and his fear of and shame about this monster he has created is palpable.
The role of Hyde was played at times by Mark Anderson Phillips, Ken Ruta, Carrie Paff and Stephen D'Ambrose. All of these actors played other roles, too.
Paff's turn as Hyde was particularly creepy, and her role as Poole, Jekyll's manservant, was a solid stiff-upper-lip one.
Ruta, always strong, also portrayed Utterson, Jekyll's friend and solicitor. It is through Utterson that the story is told.
D'Ambrose and Phillips portrayed characters with a multitude of accents and diverse personalities, and both not only fully drew out each character, they did it with such ease that one had to wonder if they weren't multiple personalities themselves.
Anna Bullard's Elizabeth, the woman who loved Hyde in spite of his very nasty habits of beating and murdering people, had a fierceness and innocence that suited the character well.
Director David Ira Goldstein infused enough humor into the production to keep the audience on edge, and guided the play to be clear and rhythmic.
Kent Dorsey's scenic design — a warm wood circular Victorian operating room that transformed into an elegant apartment, seedy laboratories, and a brightly lit lecture hall — served the production well, and further underscored the sense of the examination of a psyche. Or many psyches.
The play's end gives a rather bleak view of good versus evil. It's as though Hatcher had a contemporary world view in mind.
Yet, that end feels contrived, as though Hatcher were trying to tidy events up a bit too much.
It was the only disappointing moment in a production that sang with horror and shadings and lots and lots of personalities.
REview
Arizona Theatre Company's world premiere of Jeffrey Hatcher's "Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde," directed by David Ira Goldstein, is at 2 and 7 p.m. today ; 7:30 p.m. Tuesday; 2 and 7:30 p.m. Wednesday; 7:30 p.m. Thursday and Friday; 4 and 8 p.m. Saturday; and 2 p.m. next Sunday at the Temple of Music and Art, 330 S. Scott Ave. Tickets are $26-$50. Performances continue through Feb. 2. Call 622-2823 for reservations and more information.
Note: The show contains violence and sexual situations. It is recommended for mature audiences and not for children under 12.
