Hartford

A Monster Hydes Within Us All

by Jamil Ragland | Oct 27, 2024 2:14 pm

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Posted to: Theater

Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde
Hartford Stage
Hartford
Oct. 24, 2024

This review contains spoilers

Hartford Stage is playing host to Jeffrey Hatcher’s adaptation of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, and the choices that Hatcher made in adapting the 19th century novella make for a compelling and thought-provoking performance. 

The play stars Nathan Darrow in the titular role of Dr. Henry Jekyll, a British doctor and scientist who has invented a tincture that allows him to transform from a mild-mannered gentleman into a brutish, ill-tempered thug named Edward Hyde. The plot revolves around Jekyll’s attempts to control Hyde and the search for the murderer of Jekyll’s greatest rival, Sir Danvers Carew.

In one of the most inspired decisions of the play, Jekyll’s counterpart is played by every other member in the cast except for Darrow. Each player’s version of Hyde is different and affecting in their own way. Omar Robinson’s Hyde (who also plays Dr. Gabriel Utterson) is malevolent and violent, while Nayib Felix’s Hyde (also Sir Danvers Carew and the Inspector) is passionate, even romantic. It’s Felix’s Hyde that falls in love with Elizabeth Jelkes, played wonderfully by Sarah Chalfie.

The decision to completely split Mr. Hyde from Dr. Jekyll may seem strange, but I found it brilliant for two reasons. First, I took it as a symbolic representation of the darkness within all of us. While the story is focused on the dueling personalities of Jekyll, seeing the affable Dr. H.K. Lyon twist into the conniving, deceitful version of Hyde that Peter Stray presents truly does give us a deeper glimpse into both characters, even if the conceit is that Stray is actually Darrow’s shadow. There are as many Hydes running around London as there are people, and that’s a chilling thought.

More interestingly though, isolating Jekyll reveals that he’s the true monster. He speaks of the fact that there are two consciousnesses in all people, a dominant one and an undercurrent, where the former represents reason and intellect while the former is all desire and emotion. Yet the audience sees Jekyll time and again dive deep into his desires without the need to switch into his Hyde persona. Hyde may be the one who kills Danvers Carew, but it is Jekyll who hates him with such intensity. Hyde attempts to reject Elizabeth Jelkes, for both their sake, while Jekyll nearly forces himself upon her despite his declarations of being a gentleman.

It’s Jekyll who commits brazen, premeditated murder against his friend, Dr. Lyon, after luring him to an apartment with a note from his servant, Mr. Poole (played with great understatement by Jennifer Rae Bareilles). What’s worse is that Lyon first encounters Hyde, who does him no harm. When Lyon witnesses the transformation, it’s the calm, calculating Jekyll that sends him to his end. Jekyll is the one who nearly murders Elizabeth when she discovers his secret.

Darrow plays Jekyll as a man who believes his own hype to the extent that he feels morally justified in all of his horrible actions. His haughty air is never once compromised by the dastardly nature of his actions, only by the unseemliness of Hyde’s apparent character flaws. Only Elizabeth sees through his pretentions to civility, rejecting all of his romantic advances in favor of her love for Hyde. She’s no fool nor victim, and falls in love with Hyde’s sincerity, even if it results in the occasional murder. Jekyll’s insincerity results in the same anyway.

One of the great aspects of seeing live theater is witnessing the ways that classics are reinterpreted, by playwrights, directors and actors. Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde is a fascinating take on a well known story, and may connect you to your own deep, submerged desires as you watch.

NEXT
Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde continues at Hartford Stage through Nov. 3.

Jamil hits the karaoke scene once again for some costumed crooning. 

Tags: hartford stage , theater