This month, San Diego theater audiences are lucky enough to see two Jeffrey Hatcher plays adapted from 19th-century horror stories.
Chalk Circle Collective opened Hatcher’s “Turn of the Screw” in University Heights two weeks ago, and on Saturday, North Coast Repertory Theatre in Solana Beach opened Hatcher’s 2008 play “Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde,” adapted from Robert Louis Stevenson’s 1886 novella. Both productions showcase Hatcher’s playwriting skill at its finest, but where Chalk Circle’s production is edgy and minimalist, North Coast Rep’s is expansive and lavishly produced.
“Dr. Jekyll” director Shana Wride has crafted a stylish, thrilling production with a strong ensemble of six actors, a wonderful Industrial Age-inspired set by Marty Burnett and superb sound design by Melanie Chen Cole, featuring cascades of shivery violins that keep audience members on the edge of their seats.
Stevenson’s original story examined the battle between good and evil, or the rational Ego vs. the animal-like Id, in every man’s soul. Its protagonist was the high-minded London physician Dr. Henry Jekyll who experimented on himself with a homemade tincture that allowed him to transform physically into his evil alter-ego, Edward Hyde. Although Jekyll’s goal was to use science to rid humankind of evil, the dark side of his brain gradually takes control.
Katie MacNichol, Conner Marx and Christopher M. Williams in North Coast Repertory Theatre’s “Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde.”
(Courtesy of Aaron Rumley)
In Hatcher’s stage version, the character of Hyde is played by four actors, who in Wride’s production transfer the evil spirit between each other via the silver-handled walking stick that he uses to kill his victims. This showcases the talent and versatility of the cast, and — under Wride’s direction — it keeps the story in perpetual motion.
Burnett’s set — a series of mock welded steel girders, sheer cloth sliding panels and a bright red door that leads to Hyde’s inner sanctum — can be transformed quickly into any number of locales, supplemented by stark and eerie lighting design by Matthew Novotny and Erik Montierth. Costume designer Elisa Benzoni has clothed the cast in near-identical outfits to help seamlessly transition Hyde and several other characters between actors.
North Coast Rep veteran Bruce Turk leads the cast as Dr. Henry Jekyll, presenting him as a refined and progressive gentleman whose sense of ethics and decency wither away as Hyde’s control grows. Conner Marx makes an impressive company debut as the lead Hyde actor. Without giving away Hatcher’s unique ending for the play, Marx also transforms physically and emotionally throughout the play, but in a startlingly different direction.
Ciarra Stroud also shines with her smart and passionate performance as the hotel maid who loves Hyde, Elizabeth Jelkes, a character that didn’t exist in Stevenson’s story. And filling out the cast ably in multiple roles are Jacob Bruce, Katie MacNichol and Christopher M. Williams.
Horror stories rarely work well or believably onstage, but “Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde” (and Chalk Circle’s “Turn of the Screw”) are excellent exceptions. Hatcher’s writing is owed part of the credit for the succes of these shows, but the direction, design and casting for “Dr. Jekyll” and “Turn of the Screw” make both of these shows must-see theater.
‘Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde’
When: 7 p.m. Wednesdays, Thursdays and Sundays; 8 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays; 2 p.m. Saturdays and Sunday. Through Nov. 19 (plus 2 p.m. Nov. 8 and 15)
Where: North Coast Repertory Theatre, 987 Lomas Santa Fe Drive, Solana Beach
Tickets: $49-$74
Phone: (858) 481-1055
Online: northcoastrep.org