Pictures from Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde

The new steampunk version of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by Center Stage Playhouse is amazing.  Director Holland Renton has staged an incredibly powerful production that adds new life to Robert Louis Stevenson's classic thriller. The simple but evocative set and projection design by Jason Bolen really helps set the mood for what turns out to be an engrossing evening of superb theater. Jeffrey Hatcher's script offers everyone in the cast some great moments to shine -- Elliott Robinson, Tal Aviezer, Jennifer Lefsky, Sandra Ehrlich, Julia Rust, Kelly Marie McKenna, Zoe Panagopoulos, and Michelle Brandt.

Here are some pictures of the productions with some excerpts from reviews of Hatcher's adaptation.

"A smart, tense and suspenseful new take on Stevenson's look at the evil that lurks in the hearts of men…Hatcher has fashioned a play that seems truer to Stevenson but hipper, sexier and more intense…a suspense almost as affecting as it is intense." San Francisco Chronicle

“[A] psychological thriller that makes an old-hat horror story scary again. The dark intensity of the drama is unrelenting, even through the well-timed laugh lines. While paying homage to Stevenson, this remixed version makes his Victorian concerns relevant in the 21st century. It would be a sin to miss .” Arizona Republic

“Hatcher has written a play that honors the original, but gives a more complex interpretation of the dual nature of man. A dark and disturbing story liberally peppered with humor.” Arizona Daily Star

"This adaptation by Jeffrey Hatcher...strips away years of tradition and artifice and returns to the themes of the original work." StageMagazine.org

"This fiendishly clever adaptation reveals the many faces of Edward Hyde as each talented actor has a hand at portraying the monster himself." TheaterReview.com

I ask you again to heed my earlier recommendation -- go see this play while you can!