“There is much that is good; particularly the musical and vocal work. All credit to the Musical Director, Steve Dula who has not only expertly rehearsed his performers up to almost faultless delivery – without microphones – but also provides a one-man orchestra in support.
It was the performance of Samantha Wills as Lucy Harris which sent shivers down my spine.”
Kate Stratford
3/5 vials of chemicals
Victorian attitudes were very much of an either/or perspective so the duality of nature, as presented by Robert Louis Stevenson’s The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde (and that of Oscar Wilde’s The Picture of Dorian Gray) was a challenge to that way of thinking. Both then and now. No-one is all pure or all sinful – there is good and evil intertwined in all. So, it becomes our choices which define us.
Which forms a strange sort of analogy to Lane Cove Theatre’s production of Jekyll & Hyde, The Musical. There is much that is good; particularly the musical and vocal work. All credit to the Musical Director, Steve Dula who has not only expertly rehearsed his performers up to almost faultless delivery – without microphones – but also provides a one-man orchestra in support. Notes were true and all actors sang with an authenticity and clarity which is sometimes lacking in more professional productions. Trent Gardiner (Jekyll) managed the challenging “This Is the Moment”, as he did all the musical numbers, quite artfully. (As an aside, I have always found this beautiful song an odd inclusion in this musical. It has seemed to me a song for Arthur to emote as he defends Camelot or for Sidney Carton before he goes to the guillotine; not for someone who is about to drink a chemical cocktail!)
It was the performance of Samantha Wills as Lucy Harris which sent shivers down my spine. Here is someone who is able to infuse technical skill with true emotion, that duality and presence in the moment which delivers a riveting performance.
Both leads were supported by a chorus who sang boldly, on key and with commitment.
The flip side (and there is always a flip side in community theatre) that the Lane Cove Company performs in space where they have to bump-out after every performance, and bump-in for just before the next one. Compounded by what must be very limited funds, this leads to a director having to make some strategic choices. Lochie Beh’s decision to impose a proscenium style, traditional performance in a space which threw up so many challenges was not the wisest one. Stumbling and problematic entrances and exits distracted from the work of the cast – who often struggled in the space. At one point I counted sixteen cast attempting a chorus number in a space that was sixteen feet square. Embracing more creative options such as more of an in-the-round or thrust (yes, a certain sort of this style is possible in COVID times) would have made a more intriguing production; whilst projections can help solve a lot of challenges.
Thus the duality of this particular production.
What is important here is that the brief of the company, like so many small community theatres, is to provide an opportunity for its members to practice their passion and to make music and art affordable to all. Such artistic organisations are the most egalitarian of all. Being inclusive, they nurture and foster talent and neighbourhood without pitting people competitively against each other or demanding huge fees to participate. They are the grassroots of our craft.
3 vials of chemicals …
Kate Stratford, Theatre Now
