Gary McNair’s adaptation of the Unusual Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde for the opening play in Studying Rep’s tenth anniversary season at its elegant new house seems to have returned to the supply and tells the story by way of the eyes of a lawyer pal of Jekyll, Gabriel Utterson who seeks to unravel the thriller of a succession of horrific brutal assaults within the streets round his house. It’s a easy and daring gadget however succeeds as a result of they’ve been lucky to safe the great Audrey Brisson to play Utterson and all of the characters he meets.
She switches between the characters with a easy prop and a slight adjustment in her voice and tone. She turns into Dr Hastie Lanyon, Jekyll’s scientist pal with a pair of pince-nez glasses, Mr Poole, his butler, by clasping a bowler hat to her chest, the lawyer’s pal, Richard Enfield with a pair of braces and Jekyll himself is represented by the bowler. Director Michael Fentiman helps her paint footage of the sights and sounds along with her bodily positioning and exact well-judged supply of the phrases.Her efficiency is enhanced by an beautiful lighting plot by Emily Irish from the white spots stage left and proper and above the raised platform and a easy door define on the rear wall to symbolize the doorway by way of which the notorious Mr Hyde has been seen to cross. The clouds of haze rising by way of the platform add to the atmospheric setting round Brisson in entrance of the black field stage. She solely leaves the platform to stroll round it because the streets round his house and to climb to the door. When Utterson breaks down the door to enter the lighting adjustments eerily and cleverly to disclose the individual he meets inside.
The impact is to downplay the same old presentation of the bodily transformation of Jekyll into Hyde and focus extra on the duality of human nature, the wrestle between good and the evil of base impulses and the hazards of drug dependancy. There may be additionally a curious reference to Stevenson’s birthplace dismissing somebody as a “hideous native from Scotland”. However there’s additionally a touch of Jodie Nook’s Prima Facie about how attorneys behave with Utterson saying “I’m not the great man”, caught between the loyalty to their shopper and performing to guard the broader public. We’re left with a transparent impression of the wrestle inside Jekyll and the impression it had on his small loyal group of acquaintances however most of all simply overwhelmed by the sheer high quality, and fascinating attraction of Audrey Brisson herself and really feel privileged to see her carry out in such an intimate venue as Studying Rep.Evaluate by Nick Wayne
Ranking: ★★★★★
Worth of Ticket: Row C | Worth of Ticket: £19.50