Review: The Royal Winnipeg Ballet's JEKYLL AND HYDE at Ottawa's National Arts Centre

The National Arts Centre welcomed The Royal Winnipeg Ballet to Southam Hall this week with its touring production of Jekyll and Hyde, initially produced by the Finnish National Opera and Ballet in 2020. Jekyll and Hyde, based on the 1886 gothic horror novella, Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, by Robert Louis Stevenson, is a classic tale of the battle between good and evil.

Dr. Henry Jekyll is outwardly an upstanding, well-respected citizen, but he has secret fantasies of performing evil acts. For fear of being caught, he must mask his true identity. Jekyll devises a potion that allows him to transform into the monstrous Mr. Edward Hyde, the physical manifestation of his vices, which frees him to do as he pleases without consequence, as he is unrecognizable as Hyde.

What set this production apart is that, unlike other stage adaptations, Jekyll and his alter-ego, Hyde, are portrayed by two different dancers (Michel Lavoie and Marco Lo Presti), rather than a single dancer playing a dual role. This allows choreographer, Val Caniparoli, to brilliantly capture the inner struggle between the two identities through dance. In addition, Jekyll and Hyde is unusual in that it has multiple male characters in leading roles, whereas ballet traditionally showcases female characters as the main protagonists.

The ballet also differs from the novella, in that it includes author, Robert Louis Stevenson (Joshua Hidson), who conjures his story from an opium fuelled dream. The first scene takes place in an asylum, where Dr. Jekyll performs experiments on his patients before moving into his laboratory to continue his research. As Stevenson takes more opium, the monster that lurks in Jekyll emerges, personifying the notion that good and evil is actually present in all humanity.

The sumptuous, detailed scenery and costume design (by David Israel Reynoso) makes the production feel more like a broadway show than a traditional ballet. The stage perfectly captures the setting, transporting the audience into the gothic Victorian era, with the lavish ballroom scenes contrasting magnificently with the stark sanitorium and dreary outdoor settings (staging by Maiqui Mañosa and Makaila Wallace, and lighting design by Jim French). 

This sense of duality is not only present in the story and scenery but is also highlighted in the musical selection and dance styles. The music, conducted by Ming Luke and performed by the NAC Orchestra, features pieces by both classical romantic (Frédéric Chopin, Henryk Wieniawski) and modern (Krzysztof Penderecki, Henryk Górecki, Wojciech Kilar) Polish composers. The blend of classical and contemporary dance further creates dramatic changes in moods, shifting back and forth between tenderness and tension.

Jekyll and Hyde is a gorgeous ballet that fully captures the essence of the novella and, despite – or perhaps because of – its differences, holds its own with traditional classic ballets, while appealing to broader audiences.

Click here to see the other shows NAC Dance is bringing to Ottawa this season, including Belgium’s Peeping Tom’s Diptych: The Missing Door and The Lost Room, which will be making its NAC debut on April 10th.

Note: Dancers alternate by date; all dancers named above appeared at the April 4th performance.