“Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde”a Simple, Clever, Fun Way to Consume a Classic

Despite having plowed through more than my fair share of Western literary canon, I’ve never read a word of Robert Louis Stevenson. So although I was familiar with the underlying premise of Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde (isn’t everyone? Is there any title phrase this side of “Romeo and Juliet” that’s proven so successful at transmitting its referent to people who don’t actually know the work itself?), I came to Long Beach Playhouse with no point of comparison — and left completely satisfied.

Henry Jekyll (David Vaillancourt) is a man of science and boundless curiosity. His quest for knowledge has taken him far beyond the streets of London and the prejudices of 19th-century Western medicine. Of late he has been experimenting with potions acquired from the Orient, trying to unlock the secrets of the human brain, the mind, even the very nature of good and evil. What do these investigations have to do with the shadowy, violent figure of Edward Hyde, purported to be living just a few doors down? Ah, therein lies a tale….

Because everyone in the theater knows where this is going, the only mystery is how we get there. Both Stevenson and Jefferey Hatcher, who adapted the novella for the stage, deserve kudos for cleverness. For his part, Stevenson explodes the false binary of good/evil by meditating on the nature of morality and then hypostasizing the idea that humans are complex and paradoxical beings, each capable of all manner of feeling and behavior and not fundamentally changed by the laws and mores of society. (A great little twist at the end really brings this home.)

Hatcher’s great contribution is to stage the action not with one actor playing Hyde but four (Carmen Tunis, Trevor Hart, Aaron Izbicki, and Terrance Sylvas — each of whom must also play an additional role), allowing for a lot of fun interplay with Jekyll’s psyche. Director David Scaglione knows just what to do with this, thoughtfully blocking Jekyll’s internal conflicts, along with some wonderful tableaux (enhanced by Miranda Richard’s sharp yet moody lighting).

The entire cast is good — including unfailingly hitting the right beats with the jokes scattered here and there — but the highlight are the Hydes, who are simply delicious. Adorning them with matching sunglasses is a strong choice despite its simplicity, an extra bit of flair in Christina Bayer’s natty costume design. 

Including intermission, Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde comes in at under two hours, with Act II scudding by so fast that you almost wish it would last longer. But that’s a good thing. From substance to style, this is a well-conceived, well-executed, fun night of theatre. 

Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde at Long Beach Playhouse
Times: Fri–Sat 8 p.m., Sun 2 p.m.
The show runs through October 18.
Cost: $20 to $30
Details: 562-494-1014; LBplayhouse.org
Venue: Long Beach Playhouse, 5021 E. Anaheim St., Long Beach