Murray's Playhouse in the Park presents Jekyll and Hyde the Musical from October 22nd through the 31st. Playhouse director Lisa Cope and lead actor Wayne Hogue speak to Tracy Ross about the upcoming show.
Jekyll and Hyde the Musical tells a tale of good and evil. One man's experiment unleashes a dual personality, one charismatic, the other a madman. The musical follows the physician and the two women who have fallen in love with "both" of him.
The musical has a darker theme, and Cope explains that Halloween seemed like the best time to bring back Jekyll and Hyde. (The playhouse did the musical previously in 2009.) This time, the cast and crew have added new twists.
"I did a lot of research with the original book trying to figure out what was the reason or wanting to do this experiment," Hogue explains of his role as Dr. Jekyll/Mr. Hyde. "In the book, Hyde is the young one."
"Hyde is basically all this emotion pent up in [the older] Jekyll," Hogue continues. "A lot of times, when you see the musical, you see Hyde being portrayed as this almost hunchback creep if you will. We're playing it different. Hyde is the powerful one, and Jekyll is the closed-off one."
Jekyll and Hyde is also a straight play, but Cope feels like the music moves the story along nicely. Hogue, too, has enjoyed the ability to emote through recitatives rather than monologues.
"You get to be more emotional," Hogue says. "I think that's what makes it more fun."
Cope says the set for the show is "pretty minimal. We have walls that represent the streets of London. They move around to different spots. We use set pieces that are brought on to represent those places."
"The four walls she was referencing," Hogue adds, "she almost made them a character in the show themselves. They move around the stage; they help build where we're going to be. They're their own character in the show."
The actual cast and crew, Cope says, "has knocked me off my feet many, many times. They are so good. It's an extraordinarily talented cast. We've had zero drama in a cast of 28. Everyone has jumped in and worked hard, and put in extra time. I'm very proud of this show, cast, and crew. Oh, my word. Just countless hours."
"I think people are going to be proud of what they see," Cope continues. "You're going to be highly entertained, but I hope it makes you think about some things. There are some things in this show that are extremely timely."
Cope and Hogue say the musical is not family-friendly. "It's pretty dark and intense," Cope says. "There's a lot of murder. There's a pretty intense seduction scene. I would say 13 and older is fine."
Those 13 and older can watch Jekyll and Hyde at Murray's Playhouse in the Park Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays beginning October 22nd through October 31st.
Friday and Saturday night performances are at 7 pm except for Friday, October 29th, which is at 8 pm. Sunday matinees are at 2:30 pm.
For more information or to reserve tickets, visit Playhouse in the Park's website or call the box office at 270-759-1752.
