By RORY MOORE
Tiger Media Network
The Fort Hays State University Department of Music and Theatre will present a rendition of Jekyll & Hyde this weekend. Jekyll and Hyde is a play based on the 1990 musical adapted from Robert Louis Stevenson’s 1886 novella and will feature a cast of 22 actors and singers, an ensemble orchestra of 18 musicians and Garrett Cole starring as the titular character with two personalities.
The play follows the life of Dr. Henry Jekyll, who wants to create a formula to cure his comatose father. After his proposal to test the formula on his father is rejected by his hospital’s board of directors, he tests the formula on himself, which turns him into the evil and violent Mr. Hyde.
“The story is a bit dark,” Director Terry Crull said. “Jekyll turns himself into Mr. Hyde, Mr. Hyde turns into Jekyll, and he gets his revenge on the board members who denied him the right to do his experiment. That’s when the seven murders come in.”
Crull has been rehearsing with his cast and crew since February.
“The music is phenomenal, and the kids are singing well,” he said. “Some familiar songs people should recognize [will be played].”
Jekyll & Hyde will have mature themes unsuitable for younger audiences, like murder, grief, rage and internal conflict.
“Each of us has a dark side inside,” Crull said. “It’s how we access it, and when we access it, it’s how we control it. As Dr. Jekyll finds out, you can’t control it. So, don’t let it happen. That’s the moral of the story.”
Crull directed his cast with emotional gravity, intense acting, deep connection and contentious feelings.
“It’s not a largely humorous play,” he said. “It displays extreme emotion in love, relationships, fright and fear. That’s something that people will experience.”
Curtain is at 7:30 p.m. on Friday and Saturday and 2:30 p.m. on Sunday at the Felten-Start Theatre inside Malloy Hall. Tickets are on sale to the general public for $15 and are free for students. More information can be found at https://www.forthaysarts.com/upcoming-events.
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