‘Jekyll and Hyde’: Two sides of greatness

I’m writing this review about three hours from print deadline because I’ve needed extra time to process what I think is the most ambitious and passionate production I’ve ever been honored to be an audience to at CM Performing Arts Center in Oakdale.

For years, CMPAC has had the moniker “Broadway in Oakdale” on social media and the opening night of “Jekyll and Hyde” on Saturday, Oct. 5, reaffirmed why that hashtag has over 5,000 entries.

Patrick Campbell’s vision for what is basically a contemporary opera in musical persuasion was bold and realized, with fantastic leads and a triumphant, buttressing ensemble.

The ambiance, with dark lighting and contrasting shadows mixed with just the right amount of fog, brought the audience into a London before the glitz and kitschy-ness of 1960s fashion to the true grit and grime that made the international city.

Even in the patrician household of Dr. Henry Jekyll or the council’s office, the raw sewage of the burgeoning industrial capital leaches in and reminds us of the duality of the human spirit that is central to the story.

John Mazzarella, scenic designer; Keith Jones, stage manager and lighting designer; Juliana Jagielo, assistant stage manager; and Ronald R. Green III, costume/wig designer, developed a London of bustles and “Corpse Bride”-color palettes that were heightened by the alternating red and clear tones of lighting.

With duality central to all the components of this musical, everyone involved seemed to have given twice their genius to produce this twin masterpiece.

In what seems to be one of the most challenging male roles ever created was Bobby Peterson as Dr. Henry Jekyll/Edward Hyde.

First and foremost, the second leading man of this production was Peterson’s natural, long brown hair that seemed to know every cue of transformation, especially in the pivotal “The Confrontation,” where Peterson could easily have been a stand-in for ‘90s rock god Chris Cornell, with the fluid and staccato motions.

The sheer physicality of transforming into Edward Hyde was enough for one actor to master, but Peterson’s vocal dichotomy of the angelic and gentlemanly Jekyll and the sinister but seductive Hyde with a lower pitch and growl is beyond the comprehension of us mere mortals who are not actors.

In what can only be imagined as space shuttle-launch timing in blocking was the death scene of The Bishop of Basingstoke, played with perfect annoyance quotient by Patrick Silk, and Peterson’s Hyde’s sheer disregard for humanity is punctuated with a burst of fog.

Leading ladies Courtney O’Shea and Laura Laureano as, respectively, Lucy Harris and Emma Carew, were powerhouse voices and their duets, which easily could have turned into diva duels, were carried with such grace and the support of a quarterback, lineman, and wide receiver in executing a brilliant play.

Another duo that was central to the story was between Peterson’s Jekyll and Jon Rivera’s Gabriel John Utterson. The deep bond between the two characters was evident and heartfelt from their first appearance together onstage, and perhaps the devotion that Rivera so utterly sadly portrayed to the very end was the most poignant heartbreak of Jekyll’s transformation into Hyde.

In contrast to the bold characters, Jack McShane as Jekyll’s father in a non-speaking role was the ultimate reminder to the audience that letting ego or id consume you will drain you of all you possess.

I’ll end this review by repeating an endorsement from a much higher authority on the musical than me: a “Jekyll and Hyde” musical fan group was on hand for the first performance and gave a rave review, saying they hadn’t seen a production as good as this since the original 1997 Broadway debut. 

To purchase tickets, visit: www.cmpac.com/shows/jekyll-hyde/