DR. JEKYLL AND MR. HYDE Comes to Long Beach Playhouse

Against the backdrop of Victorian London, the respectable Dr. Jekyll has begun to display alarmingly erratic behavior. At the same time, a brutal figure haunts the city's streets, committing assault and murder under the cloak of darkness and London’s dismal fog. Drawn from the classic 1886 novella by Robert Louis Stevenson, Jeffrey Hatcher reimagines the story with one actor portraying Jekyll and four others portraying Hyde, each revealing Hyde's many faces: brutality, sexuality and cruelty.

About his adaptation, Hatcher says the roles are somewhat reversed, as are some aspects of Jekyll and Hyde themselves. Hatcher says he’s never quite believed the idea that Henry Jekyll is wholly good, while Edward Hyde is wholly evil.

Sean Gray, Producing Artistic Director for the Playhouse, adds, “I agree with Hatcher who also said he had doubts about Robert Louis Stevenson believing that the two were as simply defined in those terms either. In Hatcher’s adaptation, we see the story as a cat and mouse game between the two parts of the same person with some uncertainty about which side we should be rooting for. The complexity makes for a more interesting story.

“Stevenson’s tale was also mindful of Victorian prudishness around the human body, including sexuality. At the time, the phrase “from tongue to tail” was scandalous. Hatcher’s 21st century sensibilities are less prudish."

Gray chose David Scaglione to direct the show. Scaglione’s knack for characters who embody the macabre was showcased in his Playhouse productions of The Passion of Dracula and Frankenstein 1930.

In his director’s notes, Scaglione compares the duality of Jekyll and Hyde with that of our western society and the struggle between the wealthy and the poor, noting that Hyde is at home among the street people of Victorian London.

The show’s large cast includes a mix of veteran actors and others making their debuts. Returning actors include David Vaillancourt, Aaron Izbicki, Sarah-Jane Finch, Trevor Hart, Carmen Tunis, Renee Schwarz, and Katharine White. Debuting are Alexandra Young and Terrance Sylvas.

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