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Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde - ACT Theatre. Review
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Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde
ACT Theatre
April 10 – May 10
"This is exactly the kind of live theatre that makes Seattle a joy to live in."
Anyone who thinks acting is an easy job has to come and see R Hamilton Wright’s adaptation of Robert Louis Stevenson’s novel “Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde”. I’ve never seen a group of actors work so hard to make a show succeed. Their talent and that effort drag this over the finishing line so that I can safely say that this meets the barrier I’ve set to be called a success.
It helps the casual viewer to know a little of the legend of Jekyll and Hyde but he doesn’t need to be au fait on the details to enjoy his show. Yes, it has a slow start. It is not uncommon in any production where actors are called on to play multiple parts that the show starts slowly, nervously and haltingly. The Intiman Theatre's "Crime and Punishment" suffered the same issue. R Hamilton Wright is an experienced practitioner at this form of theater having starred in Alan Ayckbourn's “Intimate Exchanges” at this same theatre. For those of you unfamiliar with that production, a quick read of the linked review will bring you up to speed, but if not, three actors play several parts and there is also the factor of the whole play being performed in European accents, more of which later. I did spend a little more time than I would have liked trying to figure out what was going on tonight, but those of you who read this review to the end will not have that problem!
After the aforementioned slowish start where I spent a little time coming to terms with the actors playing several parts, and the rather clever gimmick that all of them played Edward Hyde, this production really took off. Like an airplane on the runway, the engines hummed and then burst into a blast of power, drive and drama as “Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde” took off the ground. It is hard to credit any of the cast individually.
David Pichette is positively Dickensian in his English finery and looks like he was born inside the clothing he adopted for this role. As lawyer Gabriel Utterson, he was cast perfectly in this role and there was no aspect of his work tonight which he failed to master. Although all the actors bar Sylvie Davidson and Bradford Farwell took a stab (as it were) in playing the evil Edward Hyde, David Anthony Lewis carried the burden. He is a convincing evil ‘sonofagun’, and seemed to relish in an acceptable quota of ‘hammery’. He didn’t overplay it however, and neatly and nuancedly humanised the character of Edward Hyde where necessary, especially in relation to Sylvie Davidson’s tender and feminine performance as Elizabeth Jelkes. Lewis is a graduate the Cornish College can be proud of.
Bradford Farwell is the only male actor who doesn’t play Hyde. He plays the alter ego Dr Henry Jekyll and that is his sole part. This is his ACT debut and as the only (male) actor playing just one part, the others bounce off him frequently. Therefore as a debutant, he carries quite a burden. He did it well and although in the title role, I felt he was very gracious in scenes where he relied on senior colleagues to carry him through. Having studied his craft at the Webber Douglas Academy in London, he was comfortable in this role and benefitted from not having to switch accent periodically. I do think as the production proceeds, he will get better and better in this role and I hope to see him appear regularly in Seattle from now on.
Sylvie Davidson’s one role as Miss Elizabeth Jelkes suffered in comparison to the others initially from not having the gimmick of the personality and character changes of her co-stars. However, like the play itself she grew in strength as the evening continued. Her infatuation and fascination with Edward Hyde was not adequately explained and I would have liked a little more clarity there. However once we accepted it, both her and Lewis played the schizophrenic and unstable nature of their relationship very well. Like the play itself, Sylvie’s performance became stronger and tighter as the evening went on. By the end of the play, she was perhaps even a character you wanted to know more about.
Brandon Whitehead played the oafish Sir Danvers Carew initially. He resisted the temptation to make Carew even more of a comical relief role than he might have done. Perhaps due to the disproportionate time the character is involved in the early stages of the play, there is a case to make that he could have played this up a little to focus the audience on him, as the slow start to the production gathers apace. A couple of early titters and giggles in this play would relax the audience and allow it to breathe a little before the story line revs up. Just a thought. Whitehead tackles more roles than any other male here, and I thought his London Police Inspector was outstanding. Those of you familiar with the cultural history of the Metropolitan (London) Police will recognise the phrase “Wot’s all this then?”. Whitehead plays that type of London copper to a tee. I fear he is destined to be cast as an Englishman for the rest of his life! His repertoire was well tested by the range of roles Wright asked of him.
Finally there is Deborah Fialkow whose largest role was as Jekyll’s long suffering ‘manservant’ Poole. A large amount of credit goes to Deborah and the director for her refusal to join in the acting jamboree around her. She kept it cool and allowed the swithering emotions of the characters around her to carry the play. Her performance exuded a selflessness and a professionalism that was a credit to her and her director. I at points felt she was even a spectator to the drama as we were and occasionally I found myself wondering what Poole made of it all. But as she retained her sanity with al the insanity and violence going on around her, the importance of her main role became apparent. Admittedly, she got to be a prostitute, a police physician, a porter and Hyde too, but it was as Poole that Deborah really assisted this production to excel.The Part I Hate about Being a Theatre Critic
Now the one part I detest the most about being a critic, especially a European critic watching American actors perform. Everyone wants my opinion on the accents. So I’m going to pull no punches in the hope of helping, not criticizing for the sake of it. Robert Louis Stevenson and I are both Scottish. We talk the way we do because we know no better. The English accents were pretty good in this play, especially the upper class ones most American actors are educated to do, and excel at. Brandon Whitehead’s London Police Inspector was above average too, and he deserves commendation. His Northern Irish, at least I hope that was what he intended, Private Detective struck the right diphthong almost all the time, and given he had three varying ones to do, he can be forgiven the odd slip.
On the downside, the Scottish accents were a train wreck. As Dr HK Lanyon, Lewis struggled with this throughout the production and when he let it slip completely, although inconsistent, it was actually a relief. The accent he was attempting is not easy. I’m not even sure I’d do it that well. As an educated doctor, perhaps Lanyon wouldn’t even speak with so strong an accent, so if R Hamilton Wright was to decide to let this go a little, none of the authenticity would be lost, and I’d admire his courage. Fialkow has a stab at Scottish at the end of the play too as a police physician. She is slightly better but wasn’t required to keep it going as long as Lewis. Lewis’s Edward Hyde was so good that I feel it would be only fair to not demand so difficult an accent as Lanyon’s from him, and let his Hyde flourish.
That minor thing aside, this is a fantastic start to ACT Theatre’s season. I strongly suspect “Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde” is going to get stronger and stronger throughout the run. The evening was filled with powerful performances by some superb actors. They give their all for their audience and their director. There are some pretty smart lighting effects and stage props, which add to the general impression of the whole ACT team giving their best. This is exactly the kind of live theatre that makes Seattle a joy to live in.
Photos: Bradford Farwell as Dr. Henry Jekyll and David Pichette as Mr. Gabriel Utterson. Chris Bennion
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