by Andrea Magnolo
Ursinus College’s theater department is soon to become the first organization in over 100 years to perform the original version of “Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde”. Surprisingly enough the script written by T.R. Sullivan in 1887, just happened to fall right into director Professor Scudera’s lap. Upon reading “Jekyll and Hyde Dramatized”, a book by Dr. Martin Dananay, Scudera came across the original script that has not been performed since 1907. Dr. Danahay is an Enlgish professor at Brock University of Canada where he has taken a keen interest in Victorian literature and culture. In all his years spent researching and critiquing the play he has never seen it performed live on stage, until now. Not only will Dr. Danahay be making a trip to see “Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde”, but he will also be giving a lecture during his visit entitled, “Sex and Violence in Jekyll and Hyde” before the Oct. 10th viewing of the play.
Written in 1886 by Robert Louis Stevenson, “The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde” is a story portraying a well respected physician who lives a seemingly double life. Although an upstanding citizen, Dr. Jekyll has been known to be involved in corrupt acts and strange behavior. After developing and drinking a potion Dr. Jekyll is transformed into his counter personality, Mr. Hyde, an ugly deformed man. This dualism is explored throughout the play and the audience is left to decide for themselves whether or not they believe good and evil exists within us all.
The inner struggle Dr. Jekyll faces is something that actress Melanie Stefan explained to me by saying, “The play deals with a truth that I personally feel very strongly about and that is the alter ego inside us all that longs to get out. We all have a Hyde in us”. Melanie has one of the lead roles in the play, acting as Agnes Carew, Dr. Jekyll’s fiancé. Anges is very much in love with Jekyll and becomes concerned when he starts acting odd.
In order to keep as close as possible to the original version of the play, the performers must take a highly melodramatic approach, which is something they all find rather challenging. For an actress like Melanie who is used to realism, she finds it hard, “Maintaining realism yet expressing the high melodrama that the play calls for. The melodrama is a bit difficult as it requires an exaggeration that I am still working to perfect”. Both actors Will Freeman who will star as Inspector Newcome a police officer on the hunt for Hyde and Joshua Aungst as Dr. Lanyon Jekyll’s colleague, are still trying to tackle the English accent. Aungst claims, “Although I have performed with accents numerous times for plays here, the English accent is one of the hardest that I’ve had to use”.
“Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde” is set to premier in the Lenfest Theater Oct 7th, 8th, 9th and 10th at 7:30PM. Ticket are $2 for students and senior citizens along with $5 for general admission. Don’t miss this unique performance and a chance to view a play that has not been performed this past century!
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