Robert Louis Stevenson's 1886 novella “The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde” has been adapted and retold into dozens of unique interpretations. From film to television to book to videogame, the ideas of defying nature, cruelty, and self-identity have inspired creators since the original novella’s publication. For the first time, Artistic Director Ja' Malik brought the story to the ballet. His blend of traditional and contemporary choreography has garnered his growing reputation in Madison. The world premiere of “Jekyll & Hyde” came to Madison from October 29th to November 1st. Malik claims that the ballet spurs psychological horror as Jekyll loses control, also noting the story’s timelessness adds to the illusion of an old narrative being retold.
The ballet strays slightly from the novella, with new characters and variations from the traditional plot. Directors of the production decided to capture the physicality of the dancers and best showcase artistic talents. Some of these creative decisions wouldn’t have lent themselves to the original text—like the role of women in the story. Notable changes included the transformation of Mr. Utterson from the male lawyer in the novella to a female Board Chair named Gabriella Utterson (played by Shannon Quirk). Additionally, the ballet implemented the character Emma (played by Michaela King) originally written for the critically acclaimed musical; she is Dr. Jekyll’s fiancée and an integral part of the audience's recognition of his humanity. These were critical changes to the reimagination of the story and gave a role to women in the narrative that the original novella did not.
Dr. Henry Jekyll (played by Benjamin Shepherd) opened the performance alone, taking a seat before the audience as the music (composed by Michael Nyman) silenced the audience. The prologue performance captured all the complexities of the piece and immersed the audience into the new variation of Jekyll’s narrative. The intrigue of Emma as a musical-original character becomes immediately justified in the beautiful performance brought on by the two principal dancers.
A stunning but jarring ensemble performance immediately follows, opening the story in bright light and the bustling of Victorian London. The costuming, designed by Janessa Cornell Urwin, in the beginning of the first act is predominantly neutral with gray tones, particularly obvious in the first ensemble. Following this is the awards gala where Gabriella Utterson gets a chance to shine, showing the “before” of Jekyll’s life as he is enthusiastically accepted into the upper-class event. By casting a woman in the role of Utterson, a deeper sentimentality is reached with the characters of Jekyll and Emma. There was an interesting positioning of Utterson and Jekyll’s relationship in comparison to Jekyll and Emma’s that relied on two female dancers. Jealousy and romance were at the forefront. Much of the dance was a display of Jekyll and Emma’s emotional closeness and what is pulling them apart. As a female lead, Utterson adds to the psychological and physical distance between them. Later in the first act, when Jekyll’s experiment unfolds, the Shadows appear in black and red with covered faces. Their contrast sets up the perfect allure of Jekyll and Hyde’s duet when the alter ego (played by Alex Vrba) is revealed as one of the Shadows. The contemporary style mixed with the two titular characters using much of their hands to clasp at each other’s faces and chests, drawing in a deeper closeness as they pressed against one another. I anticipated their performance to be the standout of the first act, and it did not disappoint in the slightest. However, the dances following the performance were all stunning. Another adaptation-original Lucy Harris (played by Lauren Thompson) mixed with Vrba’s humorous playing of Hyde created a sensual, colorful shift away from the gray, sparkling London set up at the beginning. Her role came to balance Hyde’s character; instead of dividing a relationship on stage, she came to sustain one with the alter-ego. All of this came to a head at the end of Act 1, when the lights went dark. The audience was startled in their seats by the guttural scream, the only vocal note, let out by Emma as the wild performance “It’s a Jungle Out There” came to a close.
Act 2 continued diverging from the original novel, emphasizing the romance of madness. Jekyll and Hyde’s chemistry on stage was unmatched throughout the performance. Even with other stand-out stars, the stage presence Shepard and Vrba brought to the story added so much depth to make their characters feel real, particularly in their contrasting styles that showcased the interiority of silent characters. The shift from this emotion-driven movement added to the shock of Lucy Harris’s death at the hands of Jekyll, and the flash of red light reminded the audience of the physical horror within the story. During this act, the constant narrative movement focused on the beauty of the psychological horror Malik wanted to showcase. Another duet between Vrba and Shepard towards the end of Act 2 created a compelling display of the characters as insanity consumed Jekyll after Lucy’s death. Their tandem dance created a beautiful setup throughout the scene. Emma’s lament and the tragedy of love for another concluded the main narrative of the ballet in a beautiful swathe of blue. This was to the surprise of the audience when so much of the performance was consumed by red, showcasing the love, passion, and violence throughout the ballet. Emma’s blue brought out the sorrow and peace of the transition back to the rest of the world.
To my surprise, the epilogue was in direct contrast to the prologue. It mirrored the city of London carrying on in bright colors as they discovered the news in the paper. The seasons passed, the swathes of gray returned, and the ensemble performed what could only be described as a happy end to a tragedy. It was captivating.
With all the complexities of reimagining a work that has been adapted so many times, Malik brought out beautiful layers to what was traditionally masculine, gothic horror. The perfect, macabre performance for Halloween weekend. It was an impeccable opening for the rest of the 45th season.
All photo credits to Savannah Sullivan.