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CVLT tells choppy but riveting tale
(by Herb Hammer - October 20, 2010)
THEATER, BY HERB HAMMER
CVLT tells choppy but riveting tale
Don't let the first act of the Chagrin Valley Little Theatre's production of "Doctor Jekyll and Mr. Hyde" send you to the exits. Once you get the hang of Jeffrey Hatcher's adaptation of Robert Louis Stevenson's "The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde," you can't help but be taken in. You then find yourself riveted right up to the final curtain.
In spite of time-consuming set changes and director Daniel Takacs' choppy, deadpan style, you find Mr. Hatcher's version of the classic novella remarkably inventive.
Where most remakes of Mr. Stevenson's tale feature one man playing both parts, on this occasion, there is one Dr. Jekyll and four Mr. Hydes. This takes some getting used to, since all four are also featured in a multitude of roles.
Mr. Hatcher doesn't make the plot development as clear as he might have. And Mr. Takacs has a troubling fear of loosening up his characters. Once you catch on to the dreary retelling of good vs. evil, the mysterious characters begin to become interesting.
Dale Van Neil's stiff portrayal of Dr. Henry Jekyll can be blamed on directing style or perhaps the actor's own interpretation. Henry Jekyll, trying desperately to end the hold the evil Mr. Hyde has on him, could create havoc in the good doctor's mind, but, if he would only settle down for a moment or two, we might find him more believable.
Henry Jekyll has no time for women until he meets up with Elizabeth, the pretty chamber maid played quite well by the lovely Leah Frires. Elizabeth has been caught up in Mr. Hyde's erotic spell.
As the murders multiply, Jekyll refuses to admit his dual personality. In one scene, Hyde beats a man to death with a walking stick. Jekyll denies the murders and insists he can tame the beast by his own sheer will.
But Jekyll doesn't have a chance. Imagine the advantage of four Mr. Hydes. Evil wins out in the end, as the death struggle gets rid of the doctor and his four brutal friends.
Mr. Hatcher has developed a knack for literary adaptations. "The Turn of the Screw" and "Tuesdays With Morrie" are two of an entire array of his works. Here he has made a radical change. In this case he has made the story intense and eery, clearly explaining that all men are both good and bad. In this case, very bad.
There is so much activity between the many scenes at CVLT, try as you may, you can't help but wonder what's going on. Chairs are being constantly moved, tables are turned into beds, and the doctor's makeshift laboratory turns up everywhere.
The star of the show appears to be a glowing red door that is constantly being wheeled around. The door attracts more attention than the actors.
When all is said and done, the heavily flawed "Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde," with its black walls, strikes a chord.
Chagrin Valley Little Theatre has gone out on a limb producing this strange and haunting tale, which is a far cry from anything the theater has attempted in the past.
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