The local theater group Kenai Performers will soon stage the classic Robert Stevenson tale, Jekyll and Hyde. The musical drama will bring to life the epic struggle between good and evil.
An evocative tale of one man living a double life, Jekyll and Hyde is not your typical happy ending story. For the Halloween season, Kenai Performers wanted to put on a darker themed show.
“All too often, community theatre can turn into ‘lets do fun stuff, kid stuff, light stuff,’” said Ian McEwen, director of ‘Jekyll and Hyde The Musical.’ “If we ignore one side of what the world is, then I don’t think we’re doing service to the artistic quality of theatre. We need to be willing to look at the dark because it helps us to see the light a little better sometimes.”
McEwen says the story deals more in grays, and acknowledges that nothing in reality is exclusively good or evil. Although the cast of 18 has only rehearsed for about two and a half months, those involved believe they have brought the characters to life.
“It’s just a fantastic music set, and we’ve got some amazing actors in it who are just doing it full justice,” said Amy Burton, producer of the show. “We knew we had the talent to be able to pull it off, and so we were able to bring it to our awesome community.”
“The ability to play that classic, leading man role who is Jekyll, versus the villain, Hyde, all in one, is really interesting,” said Braeden Garrett, who plays Jekyll and Hyde in the show. “It’s that dichotomy of playing a good and an evil role all at once, which is really fun. We just have such a phenomenal bond together as a cast, and having everybody who is so supportive of everyone has been arguably one of the coolest and most fun parts of the show, so that way we all can explore it to our fullest extent we are capable.”
Garrett, who has been involved in theatre for about 25 years, says that the most difficult part of playing both Jekyll and Hyde has been balancing the contrasting energies between the two characters. While he’s had leading roles in the past, he’s never played one like this.
As producer of the show, Burton has worked to increase community involvement with the musical. With her help, local cafes and restaurants have even onboarded Jekyll and Hyde-themed menu items.
“It’s just been great to see the community rally around the show and really have fun with us, and I think that speaks volumes,” Burton said.
Unlike many theatrical performances, “Jekyll and Hyde The Musical” will not have you leaving the theater with a feeling of catharsis. Instead, McEwen says it will leave you pondering.
“This show is not the typical happy ending show that we see a lot of the time when we do shows with the performers, but I just hope that people come out of this with something to think about,” McEwen said. “Thinking about the nature of good and evil, because we try to ignore what is actually going on in an effort to prove ourselves right too much nowadays. While there is no doubt it’s a dark show, there is light in the darkness and there is hope in those really dark moments.”
The Kenai Performers will have its first showing of “Jekyll and Hyde The Musical” this Thursday at 7 p.m. The show will run until Nov. 5. You can purchase tickets on their website.
