Venue: St Nicolas Church
Dates: Until 5 November
OUR VERDICT:
★★★★★
Presented by Guildford Shakespeare Company and staged in the mid-Victorian gothic splendour of St Nicolas Church, this was one of the most affecting, exciting and electrifying retellings of Robert Louis Stevenson’s infamous tale I have come across... and there have been a few.
The novella, now a staple of the GCSE English Literature syllabus - has become somewhat of a regular feature around regional theatres of late, appealing to those looking for a little more than a class read round.
This production certainly covers everything a scholar may need while presenting the rest of the audience with a standalone, singular piece of entertainment that burns fast and fabulous for 70 minutes.
Matt Pereira
Samuel Collings is superb as the slightly unctuous yet earnest Mr Gabriel Utterson, who takes on the role of the narrator until his loyalty towards Dr Jekyll lands him uncomfortably at the centre of the action. He is also wonderful as Utterson’s flamboyant cousin Richard Enfield and manservant Poole.
Mr Collings also perfectly captures the insatiable desires of the conflicted protagonist Dr Jekyll... Are you starting to get the picture? Yes, you guessed it - this is a one-man show that quickly evolves into a masterclass of storytelling and performance.
While Collings may be the show’s only physical star he is ably aided by Mark Dymock’s lighting design - perfectly conjuring up each scene from the shadowy streets of Soho to the dry-iced soaked inner sanctum of Jekyll’s lab.
Matt Eaton’s sound design is also exceptional, providing a raft of aural enhancements from ominous footsteps that have people squirming in their seats to the winces induced by Hyde’s brutal beatings of his victims.
Matt Pereira
Since the novella was first adapted for the stage in 1887 the problem has always been how to capture the emergence of Dr Jekyll’s abominable alter ego. In fact, the villainous Hyde has struggled to be successfully portrayed through more than 120 film adaptations which usually resort to presenting him as a hairy-handed monster-man.
But here under Marieke Audsley’s dexterous direction, Collings’ torturous twists, turns and wild-eyed stares perfectly capture the sheer mental and physical weight of the transformation, leaving the audience in no doubt of the human cost to come.
For me, this avoidance of special effects and trickery adds to the authenticity and Victorian melodrama of the piece which reminded me of another disturbing show - Dame Susan Hill’s Woman in Black which has been running for 30 years in the West End.
You have just a matter of weeks to catch this GSC production and I suggest you book as soon as you can.
GSC’s Jekyll & Hyde is at St Nicolas Church, Guildford until 5 November.
For details and tickets, visit: https://www.guildford-shakespeare-company.co.uk/jekyll-and-hyde/
