Northlight Theatre Brings New Life to Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde

First and foremost Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde, which opened September 25th at the Northlight Theatre in suburban Chicago, is a beautifully mounted production and well worth two hours of your time.  The two level set by Collete Pollard is minimalist but combined with John Horan’s lighting amply support the excellent staging. Add the well placed music and period costumes and you have a beautifully crafted production that captures the mood of the storyline and the era in which the story is set.

But it is the story that is most compelling. Jeffrey Hatcher has found a way to give Robert Louis Stevenson a run for his money. Where Stevenson created a character that is black and white, as if a line had been drawn down the middle of Dr. Henry Jekyll’s body delineating (and separating) Jekyll from Hyde, Hatcher has sought, and successfully captured, nuance. His adaptation of this age old classic seeks to cast a slightly different light on the discussion of good versus evil. He assumes, without giving away the storyline, that good and evil are not necessarily flip sides of the same coin but rather shadings throughout the coin. The script is tight, and Jessica Thebus’ direction keeps the action and characters moving in a fluid motion that allows the script to share Center Stage. Hatcher’s dialogue, mostly well delivered, adds humor to the tensely dramatic story we all remember. The success of the script is that we see Jekyll and Hyde through a different lens and, most amazingly, it seems to make sense.

Northlight is known for its ensemble work and the ensemble is the best part of this show. There are only six actors but there are considerably more characters in the script and it’s easy, with the level of talent on the stage, to suspend belief and see each of the characters the moment the actor assumes the role...and that moment is within seconds of being another character entirely. The four men and one woman multiply exponentially and successfully. Danny McCarthy, in particular, is spot on in his delivery and is a delight to watch and Cindy Gold manages to somehow make her rather dumpy persona disappear as she assumes a variety or roles, both male and female.

The weakest link in the production is a character not found in the original Robert Louis Stevenson story; Elizabeth. Cora Vander Broek’s wooden movements and delivery distract the audience, rather than attract them to the character.. She seems uncomfortable in her role. Where each of the ensemble members fluidly assumes a character, Vander Broek doesn’t seem to know what kind of character she’s playing. Is she a poor, lonely working girl looking for love? Is she a hardened woman so abused that she has no sense of self worth and willing to put up with anything if someone pays her a little attention? Is she a lower class English girl or someone from the south side of Chicago? Does she or doesn’t she have an English accent...in fact...the one overarching weakness in the production is that the play is assumedly set in England in the 19th century, but half the time the actors can’t quite find the English accent. This is distracting but not debilitating. Nick Sandys looks the part of Dr. Henry Jekyll but fails to capture the angst of the character and the nuance that the author seeks to explore is more deftly displayed by each of the ensemble members than by Mr. Sandys.

Despite the weaknesses, and every production has a few, Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde is an excellent beginning for the 34th season of Northlight theatre.  It runs through October 26, 2008 at the North Shore Center for the Performing Arts in Skokie, IL

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