MOUNT DESERT — Jeffrey Hatcher’s new version of the classic tale of Jekyll and Hyde is now running at the Acadia Repertory Theatre in Somesville.
This is “not your grandfather’s Jekyll and Hyde,” in the words of the Arizona Daily Star. Although set in Victorian times and faithful to the original novella, this version updates the story for a more modern sensibility. In Hatcher’s version of this classic tale, one actor portrays Jekyll, and four other actors (one a woman) portray Hyde, “each revealing Hyde’s many faces: brutality, sexuality and cruelty.”
Hatcher said, “In my version, the roles are somewhat reversed, as are some aspects of Jekyll and Hyde themselves. One of the arguments I’ve never quite believed — and I suspect Stevenson didn’t believe it either — is that Henry Jekyll is wholly good while Edward Hyde is wholly evil. I’m trying to have some fun with the notion that Jekyll and Hyde play a cat-and-mouse game with each other, and with the question of just who we should be rooting for.”
“Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde” plays nightly except Mondays at the Acadia Rep through July 24.
The Acadia Rep offers season subscriptions at a 25 percent savings. Call the box office at 244-7260 or visit www.acadiarep.com.
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