‘Jekyll & Hyde’ musical transforms Little Theatre of Wilkes-Barre Sept. 6-15
From a press release:
Seasons are beginning to change, and with that comes darker evenings and cooler nights. The same can be said for the Little Theatre of Wilkes-Barre’s next production, the award-winning Broadway musical “Jekyll & Hyde,” where Dr. Jekyll will experience his own changes, making way for Mr. Hyde on Friday, Sept. 6 through Sunday, Sept. 15.
“Jekyll & Hyde” is a gothic-style musical based on the classic novella “The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde” by Robert Louis Stevenson. It is appropriate for ages 13 and up due to violent content and imagery.
With a book by Leslie Bricusse and music by Frank Wildhorn, the show highlights a bit of a love triangle as the title character, played by Scott Vinnacombe, shifts between personalities. Kimberly Johnson stars as Emma Carew, Henry Jekyll’s fiancé. She is a graceful, elegant young woman, with spirit and a joy of life. In Jekyll’s company, she shows a great love and has an easy, fun, and flirty manner, making Jekyll smile. She is all that makes him feel wanted, loved, and respected, and he knows she will support him in everything.
Lucy, played by Ashley Bohn, is the epitome of the carnal desire within Dr. Jekyll and Edward Hyde. Jekyll, with his will and “goodness,” keeps that desire well in check, but Hyde, as the unbound spirit of Jekyll, can’t and won’t keep that desire checked. Lucy becomes his fixation and, to some extent, hopefully his salvation. To Lucy, Jekyll is an ideal, something she will never have; however, Hyde is all she believes she deserves. She is massively attracted to the part of Hyde that is Jekyll, but this confuses her, as she also knows Hyde to be cruel and brutal.
Director Alexandra Liguori is making her LTWB directorial debut with this show, though she isn’t a stranger to this stage. With music direction by Jennifer Hunter, technical direction by Mike Wawrzynek, set design by Mike Wawrzynek and Eyanna Gruver, light design by Jonathan Vojtko, costume design by Eyanna Gruver, and choreography by Jamie Burns, the Little Theatre invites Wilkes-Barre to “look behind the façade.”
“Jekyll & Hyde” runs on weekends from Sept. 6 through Sept. 15. Friday and Saturday shows are at 8 p.m., and Sunday matinees start at 3 p.m.
Tickets are $20 and can be purchased at the Little Theatre box office (537 N. Main St., Wilkes-Barre), by calling the box office at 570-823-1875, or online at ltwb.org.
Little Theatre of Wilkes-Barre is one of the oldest continually-running community theaters in the United States, dating back to 1922 with its original founding as the Drama League. Today, it is a nonprofit, 501(c)3 corporation housed at the 537 North Main Street Playhouse in Wilkes-Barre. Little Theatre of Wilkes-Barre’s mission is to provide professional quality, Broadway-style live theatre while ensuring a welcoming environment that enhances the cultural growth of the Greater Wyoming Valley.
Photos by Angel Berlane Mulcahy/On My Cue Photography
