What a delight it is to finally find a local staging of musical theater that has a great script, a talented cast, perceptive direction and crisp, clean sound all in the same production! ‘Jekyll & Hyde’ a musical feat
By John Berger
jberger@starbulletin.comEverything works perfectly in Diamond Head Theatre's production of "Jekyll & Hyde." Laurence Paxton, Stefanie Smart and Isabelle Decauwert bring out the romantic angles with the same skill and forcefulness they bring to the musical numbers. The three get all the support they could ask for from key members of the supporting cast, the sets look great, and Donald Yap's orchestra is outstanding. The tech crew -- Stephen Clear (lighting) and Kurt Yamasaki (sound) in particular -- does excellent work as well.
The original show was an excellent musical adaptation of Robert Lewis Stevenson's classic horror story, sweetened with a love triangle. Brilliant Dr. Henry Jekyll believes he is on the verge of a breakthrough in his research to find new treatments for mental illness. Jekyll's new serum may make it possible to suppress or isolate the evil elements of the human psyche. The problem is that he needs humans to test it on.
The board of governors at a London mental hospital contemptuously denies his request to conduct his tests on their insane inmates. Rather than give up his hopes of finding a cure, Jekyll administers it to himself.
The serum unleashes the evil hidden in Jekyll's personality. He becomes Edward Hyde, who amuses himself in his spare time by killing the hypocritical and self-righteous hospital directors who denied Dr. Jekyll's request.
And as for the love triangle, Jekyll's long unexplained absences don't shake the faith of his loyal fiancee, Emma Carew, whose father, Sir Danvers Carew, is Jekyll's sole ally at the hospital. Jekyll, however, is teetering with temptation in the form of Lucy Harris, the beautiful prostitute vulnerable to Hyde's dark sexual violence. Jekyll tries to handle the situation in the way expected of a gentleman; Hyde eventually decides to kill her.
When: 8 p.m. Thursdays to Saturdays, and 4 p.m. Sundays, through Sept. 30 'Jekyll & Hyde'
Where: Diamond Head Theatre
Tickets: $10 to $40 at the Diamond Head Theatre box office
Call: 733-0274
Paxton has been DHT's leading-male-of-choice in recent years. He was delightful in both DHT stagings of "Cinderella" and also did a great job in DHT's presentation of the alternative version of "Phantom." Paxton does superb work here in the title role. The dramatic zenith of his performance comes late in Act 2 as Jekyll and Hyde argue with each other. Paxton, director Jade Stice and lighting director Clear stage the pivotal psychological duel perfectly.
Theatrics aside, Paxton plays a great romantic lead. The chemistry he creates with Anderson (Emma Carew) and Decauwert (Lucy Harris) makes both love angles believable. There's no question that Jekyll and Emma care about each other deeply; the depth of their relationship is a crucial element in developing the dramatic tension in Act 2. Paxton is also convincing in the scene where the good doctor finds his emotions being stirred by the beautiful and vulnerable Lucy. Paxton plays out that struggle between love and lust perfectly.
The show is a glorious homecoming for Decauwert seven years after she left for New York. Her voice is as mesmerizing as her acting and physical characterization of the vulnerable prostitute.
Decauwert makes "Sympathy, Tenderness," "Someone Like You" and "In His Eyes" three tremendous show-stopping delights. The audience embraced her with such enthusiasm on opening night that it twice seemed that she might be called back for an encore.
After seeing Smart twice as Paxton's semicomic foil in "Cinderella," it is wonderful to see them work together in straight romantic roles. "Take Me as I Am" is a great number for them. "Once Upon a Dream" is a powerful solo that Smart develops beautifully. Add her duet with Decauwert on "In His Eyes," and this is a career-best performance by Smart at DHT.
Douglas S. Scheer (Gabriel John Utterson) and Brett Hudson (Sir Danvers Carew) distinguish themselves in major supporting roles. Ryan Lympus (Simon Stride) brings depth and a good voice to his portrayal of Jekyll's thwarted rival for Emma's hand. Josh Harris (Spider) exudes a clammy menace as Lucy's pimp and makes "Spider Facade (Facade -- Reprise II)" a powerful musical statement. Jim Seibel makes a welcome return as Jekyll's loyal manservant.
Stice does a marvelous job as director/choreagrapher. Local community theater suffers all too often from choreography that is at best adequate and far more often uninspired and downright clichéd. How refreshing it is to see choreographed numbers that add another dimension to a story rather than bringing the narrative to a crashing halt.
Donald Yap's orchestra is another asset. The sound is full enough to fill the theater but never overwhelms the singers or deafens the audience.
It's hard to imagine another community theater musical being staged this year with better production values than DHT's "Jekyll & Hyde." If the rest of the season comes close, we'll have a year to remember.
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