Jekyll & Hyde at West Valley Arts

Jekyll & Hyde is one of the first shows I saw on Broadway (with the original cast) so it will always be a favorite of mine. The production now playing at West Valley Arts is very well done and I absolutely loved seeing it last night! Dr. Henry Jekyll (Rhett Richins) is a passionate man of science who wants to save his father, who is suffering from madness, with a chemical formula he developed to separate good from evil. When his request to test his formula is denied by the hypocritical Board of Governors at St. Jude's hospital, he takes matters into his own hands. His alter-ego Mr. Edward Hyde, a terrifying madman, is created when Jekyll experiments on himself and all of his inner demons are unleashed. Two women, his fiance Emma Carew (Kersee Whitney) and a prostitute named Lucy Harris (Jessica Knowles Andrus), both love him but are unaware of his secret. Jekyll is unsuccessful in his efforts to control the monster within and Hyde eventually kills all of the members of the Board of Governors and becomes a danger to the rest of the citizens of London, to Lucy and Emma, and to himself. I loved the entire cast (my former student Christian Johnston plays Gabriel John Utterson so it was really fun for me to see him) but I especially enjoyed the performances from all three leads. Richins is impressive in "This is the Moment" as Jekyll and in "Alive" as Hyde because each character has a distinct persona and his version of "Confrontation," where both characters battle for control, is incredibly powerful because of his physicality. Whitney has a beautiful voice and her rendition of "Once Upon a Dream" is very affecting while the duet "In His Eyes" with Andrus is a highlight because their voices complement each other so well. Andrus (I've seen her play Lucy before) just about blows the roof off the theatre in "Someone Like You" and "A New Life" and I liked her performance of "Bring On the Men" even though I prefer "Good 'N' Evil" in this scene because it makes more sense thematically ("Good 'N' Evil" was written for Linda Eder who originated the role of Lucy on Broadway). One of my favorite aspects of this production is the dynamic staging. The juxtaposition of couples dancing a waltz as Jekyll and Emma sing "Take Me As I Am" with the prostitutes dancing with their customers as Hyde and Lucy sing "Dangerous Game" is very striking. I also loved having the ensemble actually personify all of Jekyll's inner demons in the scenes where he transforms into Hyde because it is so dramatic. The choreography in "Murder, Murder" is very clever because this number sometimes drags for me and I was very engaged in this version (I loved the use of umbrellas).  The red and blue lighting, especially during "Confrontation," is very effective in distinguishing between the different personas of Jekyll and Hyde. The set design, which mimics the cobblestone streets of London, is minimal but I loved all of the bubbling neon-colored potions in Jekyll's laboratory and the multi-level structure used for the Red Rat. All of the productions at West Valley Arts this year have been outstanding but I think this one is my favorite and I highly recommend getting a ticket (go here). It runs Wednesdays - Saturdays through November 2 at the West Valley Performing Arts Center.