Hayley Benton
hbenton@citizen-times.com
Even if the only theatrical element of Steven Samuels' "When Jekyll Met Hyde" was Erik Moellering's ever-changing facial expressions, I would still recommend the performance to Asheville audiences.
Of course, there's far more going for this play than just Moellering's furrowed brow and snarled lip as Hyde — or his nervous, slightly sweaty innocence as Jekyll. But would I see a performance based solely on his expert character transformations? Absolutely. The lead actor never once muddled his two characters, and brilliantly lead audiences to believe that, on stage, he was, in fact, being ripped between two completely opposite beings: one, a genius philanthropist and romantic — the other, a maniac rogue on a killing spree.
While all that may sound familiar to anyone who's heard a synopsis of Robert Louis Stevenson's "Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde" — which, hopefully, is us all — the production at The Magnetic Theatre's stage is far from a tragic drama, despite much of the original story remaining intact.
The main difference between artistic director Samuels' original production and the 19th century tragedy from which it's based is that "When Jekyll Met Hyde" is an uproarious comedy that leaves audiences chuckling throughout the entire performance. Inspired by the style of Charles Lundlam and his Ridiculous Theatrical Company, the comedy is driven by intentional campiness — over-the-top situations and reactions paired with infrequent, carefully chosen breaks in character, giving a gentle nudge to the audience: We're doing this for your amusement.
Lead actress Julia Cunningham nailed the style both as a puzzled Claire Lanyon and a sassy Miss Fanny, her scripted out-of-period commentary reserved as an aside for "modern" audiences. (Despite being a re-imagining, the play was set in its original 1880s London.) Samuels, portraying Jekyll's loyal servant Poole, made it clear that he's an expert of the style (as he should be, having written and directed the show), as he holds a shifty-eyed scene for a comically long pause that kept audiences laughing the longer it went on.
Similarly, both Cody Magourik playing a stern Hastie Lanyon and Sarah Felmet playing the landlady had scenes in which the laughter was drawn from a game of How Long Will This Go On?
The performance originally debuted at Magnetic in 2011, split into two productions: one set in the 1950s and the other in the 1960s. Though I didn't catch the original two productions (and therefore can't compare the older two with the new version), the 2016 Jekyll/Hyde comes with an all-new cast and setting, making it a near-new production for those who may have seen it before.
In all, the set (designed by Kehren Barbour) was gorgeous, the actors were hilarious, Jekyll's graduated cylinder bubbled and frothed and Moellering's entrances as Hyde made us laugh into tears.
Don't wait another five years to see this play.
What: "When Jekyll Met Hyde"
Where: Magnetic 375, 375 Depot St. in Asheville's River Arts District
When: 7:30 p.m. on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays through Oct. 29
Tickets: $21 online at themagnetictheatre.org or $24 at the door
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