Reflections on JEKYLL AND HYDE at the Belmont

The Belmont Theatre's recent production of Frank Wildhorn's JEKYLL AND HYDE is a very clear indicator of how far the theatre previously known as York Little Theatre has come in the past several years. The theatre, whose production of SIDE SHOW received massive numbers of votes in last year's Broadway World Awards, has moved from barely noticed by many in the area to a prominent role in regional community theatre.

JEKYLL AND HYDE featured a trend of regional volunteer actors coming from further afield to perform in York. The lead actor, Josh Krevsky, is part of Harrisburg's legendary Krevsky clan of volunteer performers, and his talent is as solid as anyone else in the family; his performance was outstanding. Oratorio singer Michael Anderson, not as new to the Belmont stage, appeared as Utterson, while Belmont and OrangeMite veteran Jeff Gilbert delivered a solid performance as Sir Danvers CareW. Hillary Miller, who has also performed with Carlisle Theatre Company and Hanover Community Theatre, played a sincere and delightful Emma, while Carly Lafferty's debut as Lucy Harris captivated the audience.

The near-steampunk set, designed by the theatre's artistic director Rene Staub, who also directed the production, was not as elaborate as last year's THE KING AND I, but it was equally effective. Restraint in some parts of a set for JEKYLL AND HYDE is necessary, however, to balance the overpowering sense of "mad doctor's laboratory run amok" that exists in the story itself.

The Belmont's productions and sets, as well as its facilities, are a far cry from the York Little Theatre of half a dozen years ago. Production and set quality have improved, former performers have returned, and performers from outside the immediate York area have increased substantially in number. The cross-fertilization with local companies DreamWrights and OrangeMite have also helped substantially.

JEKYLL AND HYDE, which featured one of the largest orchestra pit bands the theatre has seen in some time, compares favorably with last season's THE KING AND I and with the theatre's production of SIDE SHOW. Staub, directing on the main stage, is no believer in minimalist sets, while Aaron Dalton's direction of SIDE SHOW in the Bon Ton Studio Theatre, the Belmont's black box, showed the frequent Belmont director's excellent grasp of what, for this region, is edgier material.

The theatre's upcoming season promises to continue its trend of pulling out all the stops for its larger production and keeping its promise of solid direction of some harder themes in its non-musical shows. The luxury of having both a main stage and a second black box has given the Belmont a chance to accomplish this while working on production of multiple shows at the same time within the premises. Although the upcoming season has not yet been announced publicly, it's clear that with its remodeling, its name change, and its growth of production range, scope, and quality, the Belmont is continuing to think big, which is fortunate for York area theatergoers. The theatre has also done well in the past few seasons with producing shows requiring serious thought by audiences, which should be a goal of any theatre, as the art exists not only to entertain but to educate and to stimulate the mind. Though their schedules haven't been the riskiest all told, the theatre has come a great way from pure escapist fare.

THE KING AND I, SIDE SHOW, and the recent production of JEKYLL AND HYDE are evidence of how far the Belmont has come, and how it is continuing to grow. Executive Director Lyn Bergdoll has made the facilities match the quality of the newer productions, which is to be commended; it's also become one of the most comfortable and attractive theatres in the area, along with the new Gamut Theatre in downtown Harrisburg. This has only been possible, she notes, with tremendous community support for both the facility improvements and for the work being produced by the theatre. Melissa Nicholson, from Gamut, has also mentioned community support for their theatre being a crucial element of their progress.

The vision of Central Pennsylvania theatres is dependent upon community support. The Belmont, like Gamut, is proof of what community and business involvement can do to develop local theatre. Audiences who want solid productions in great venues need to do more than merely fill seats; they need, like York County residents and businesses, to become active in making it possible, especially in a time when arts funding is limited. Community theatre, as much as professional theatres like Gamut, thrive and develop only with real community support, and are far more dependent on volunteers. It doesn't require much from any one person to make other community theatres grow as the Belmont has. It's worth becoming involved.

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