PUSH Physical Theatre’s world premiere of “Jekyll & Hyde,”
at Blackfriars Theatre on January 29, was an explosive performance that
brilliantly plumbed the depths of the human psyche. Darren Stevenson and
Jonathan Lowery were outstanding as the title characters: Stevenson was at his
best depicting Jekyll’s repressive, high-mindedness through his signature gifts
of mime and physical theater while Lowery nailed Hyde with his fiendish energy
and spot-on delivery of Blackfriars Artistic Director Danny Hoskins’ biting
dialogue.
This is not
the PUSH of gentle mime to which you may be accustomed to taking your children.
This is PUSH at its darkest. Violence, strong sensuality, and adult language
were rampant. I believe in exposing children to all forms of art (plus I
couldn’t find a babysitter) so my children — 13 and 8 years old — were the only
kids in the house. There were more than a few times I wanted to cover my younger
boy’s eyes and ears, but needless to say, they both sat enthralled throughout
the nearly two-hour show, and I believe, the experience made them aware of the
power inherent in good theater. Plus, it was fodder for conversations about
good and evil, dark impulses, and moral responsibility. Heather Stevenson, PUSH
co-director, includes a note for families in the program with a list of “car
talk questions” which proved extremely helpful in aiding my boys in understanding
the impulses and motives behind the characters’ extreme actions. That said, I
would still recommend this show for ages 13 and up.
The show’s
concept was conceived by Darren, and developed by Heather, Lowery, and fellow
PUSH members Katherine Marino and Avi Pryntz-Nadworny. The script — based of
course on Robert Louis Stevenson’s novella — is by Hoskins. Interestingly, this
team chose to include 21st-century references in the production, making it more
relevant and adding even stronger doses of humor.
The
production is full of all-consuming moments, and the program time passes in a
flash. After Jekyll concocts the elixir that produces Hyde, Lowery appears by
slithering through Stevenson’s legs accompanied by a squelching, mud-sucking
sound effect (kudos to sound and projection operator DJ Stevenson) in an
obvious birthing reference. As the drug takes effect, Pryntz-Nadworny appears
in a body stocking to guide Stevenson through the transformation. The two
perform a mesmerizing dance, gliding back and forth clutching each other, and taking
turns lifting the other from the ground. Then an ensemble of the other PUSH
members joins in, laying their hands on Stevenson, enveloping him in their
movements, miming horror. Later on, Lowery’s movements transform into far more
violent — demonic if you will — actions. He becomes incited with a killing lust
and goes on a rampage, murdering and plundering, the meaning intensified by
blood splatters appearing on the large, ever-changing projection screen over
the stage.
Costumes and
sets are minimal but effective for this production, and the lighting
unobtrusive in mainly soft sepia tones. The only prop on stage is a large
table-cabinet in which characters frequently hide behind, catapult over, and
suddenly appear from behind. A small winding staircase on the side of the Blackfriars
stage works perfectly for the title characters to hang from, shimmy around, and
from which to perform the company’s unique blend of sensual acrobatics.
The use of
so much dialogue in a production is a huge departure for PUSH. The company
usually relies on movement and mime alone to convey meaning. The company’s 2009
production of “Dracula” (also written and directed by Hoskins) had minimal
dialogue — definitely not the steady stream that this new production has.
Lowery is a classically trained actor and his wry quips and enraged rants add
to the show’s complexity, but the lengthy voice-overs of Stevenson seemed like
too much blatant expository; Stevenson already relays all we really need to
know through his physical movements and body language.
This article appears in Feb 3-9, 2016.
