Mull Theatre’s Jeckyll and Hyde
After Adam Brace’s fringe hit, two more versions of DR JECKYLL AND MR HYDE are about to hit Scottish stages. Steve Cramer reflects on why we need this most famous of split personalities at the moment.
c \\;Ix auxtcrc \\ ith himchl'. tIrank gin \thcn hc \\ax annc to inortil'} a taxtc l‘or \intagcx: and although hc cnjo} ctI thc thcatrc. hc had not croxxctI lhc tIoorx ol onc lor 2t) _\carx. .IlH/(‘I‘t’ \\ith Itlltth‘IIi'.’ So Icl'x gct lItIx xtraight. IIL‘ L‘tllx tIo\\It on hix \xinc intakc ol an c\cning h) gttx/Iing gin'.’ \Vlto arc \xc talking ahout'.’ Borix YcItxin‘.’ .\'o it‘x .\Ir l'ltcrxon. thc rcaI ccntral charactcr ot' Rohct‘t I.ouix
Slc‘\cltxolt\ ’lilu' SIM/luv (‘uw of l)/' ./('t‘/\‘\'// um/ .\Ir
H_\'(/(‘. a man not cntircl} unlikc Stcxcnxon himxcll'. IIix thcatrc xhirking \x‘ax prohahl} about it cutting in on \aluahlc drinking timc. hut our rcxcrcncc lor Iitlinhurgh‘x o\\n Victorian man ol' lcttcrx knoux no houmlx. Scholarx oltcn talk ol' thc ill hcalth Itc xul'lcrctl throughout hix xhort Iil‘c ax it it \xcrc xontc lornt ol hail Iuck. 'I’hix ix a hil Iikc x;t}lllg that Ix'cith Richai‘tlx al\\a_\x Iookx xo un\\cII hccauxc hc‘x too much cxpoxctl to damp air. (ict rcaI. t’oIkx. thc morphinc—atltlictctl oItI cokchcatl. \\ho tchcrihctI \xinc ax ‘pocti'} in a hottlc'. hatl onI_\ himchl‘ to hlamc.
\icl lItIx ix [k‘l'llttpx thc xccrct oI thc thcatrical xucccxx ol' Slc‘\c‘ttxolt\ talc. \Vc'rc xccing t\\o tIitlcrcnt \crxionx in a l‘ortnight ax I \\ritc: onc a hig. pluxh touring muxical xtarring I’aul Nicholax compIctc \\ ith chccx} xongx and a Io\c intcrcxt cntircl} ahxcnt l'rom thc original; thc othcr thc .xmall xcalc. natt_\ Iittlc .\Iaxtair .\IL'(‘I'UIIL‘ \L‘t‘xloll I'ot' .\ItlII IIIL‘tlII‘L‘. ‘I‘IlL‘ \c‘c‘l'c‘l HI. IItL‘ talc’x .xucccxx ix no doubt in part tIU\\II to thc \\a_\ in \\hich Stmcnxon. .ximultancouxl} \xith I‘IClItI. itIcntilictI thc tIuaIiticx \\ ithin a xinglc IIILII\ itlual. 'I'hc c\iI \\ax not out thcrc. hut \xithin tix. particuIarI} il' _\ou tIrink thi.x potion . ..
.\Ir II_\tIc prox itch ux \\itIt c\cuxcx tor c\cr_\thing alcoholic. .Ittxt ax lItc charactch rcaI Iil‘c paradigm. I)cacon Bi'otlic. hung about in thc Io\\ci'-c|axx puhlic Itouxcx in Iitlinhurgh. xo II_\tlc hcginx man_\ ol~ hix lttixtIcL‘tIx in thc hoo/crx oI‘ I.ontlon. IIc’x part ol ourxchcx. xo \\ c IxIIILI ol' Iikc him. I mcan. I'm onI_\ a
'DRUNKENNESS DOES NOT CREATE VICE; IT MERELY BRINGS IT INTO VIEW,’
xociaI tIrinkci. hut I happcn to ltc a \ct_\ xocialtlc tItItIc. antl \\hcnc\ci I \\akc up \xith a Icathci) mouth. unitlcnlilictl Iiruixcx antI lintI m_\ caxh point unc\pcctctll_\ [5H Iightci than _\cxtcitla_\. I knoxx \Ii II_\tIc ix xtiII catching thc /citgcixt. .\ Iot ol ux arc likc thix. 'Ihc conxtant \\;itiititgx agaian hingc thinking xccm on|_\ lo pro\okc xonic lcxx ctiltghtcnctl lolkx to ortIcr a pint ol' hingc at thcii local. hchc\ ing II to lit“ a particularl} cll'cctiw lorcign Iagcr. hccauxc \i. c luxt //'/\(' thinking.
.-\ morc lcmpcralc xocict} \\tllIItI ncctl ucithct thc no\c|. \xhich ix lull to thc Initn \\lIIl alluxionx to thinking. nor thc thcatrical \crxionx. hut \xc ncctl to IiIainc xonic alicn inncr xcll loi our IIlI\tI\'t‘tI\. I:\cn thc ancicntx \tcrc \\cl| auarc ol thc truth ahout thinking. 'I)runkcnncxx tIocx not crcatc \icc; lI mcrcI_\ hringx it into \ic\\.‘ thc oItI Roman moraIixt .\k‘llt‘tkl \‘.;tl|tt‘tI, IItlI ()\ltI IltttI aIt'c;itI_\ gi\cn ux a 'I)runkcnncxx gi\cx coinagc antl tnakcx nicn moic apt loi paxxion,‘ In otItci \\ortIx. ‘tt‘x. I lelH\\. I‘llI it Iuakcx mc lccl gic;it.'
'I’hcxc l\\o gical contcntling poxitionx c\ixt \xithin aII ol ux. and out ncctl to ichcl tcntIx to \xin ottt ol an mcning. .\ict/xchc. a
tipoxtc:
contcmporar} ol Slt‘\t‘llxttll.\. \xrotc ol 'ttxo grcat Iiuropcan narcoticx. alcohol and ('hrixliamtv. \xhich contcntlctl thcn. ax non. .\x a moralixtic gmcrnmcnt. run It} a (‘hrixtian tuntlamcntahxt. attcmptx to \top _\oung pcoplc trout going out .IIItI thinking tor an c\cning. thinking It much morc moral to xcntl thoxc it can to hlootlthirxt_\ \\;it'x o\cr multinational intcrcxtx. \\ c nch .\Ir II_\tIc ax much ax c\cr .\IItI
unconxciouxl}. Herc on hix \ItIC.
Jeckyll and Hyde: The Musical is at the King’s Theatre, Glasgow, Mon 27 Sep-Sat 2 Oct, and Mull Theatre’s Jeckyll and Hyde is touring from the Howden Park Centre Livingston, Fri 24-Sat 25 Sep.
STAGEWHISPERS
Things have come to a pretty pass when the Traverse. Scotland‘s only new writing theatre, can't afford to stage a new play of its own. but that appears to be the case for its autumn season. As the National Theatre looms in the near future, Whispers wonders at the options open to the commissioning body with regard to new work. Will Scotland, long seen as a treasure chest of new work throughout Europe, fall silent and await the occasional scrap of work presented in and for our age from across the border?
Elsewhere, that wily Aussie practitioner Clark Crystal has been trawling Europe for new theatrical talent among deaf/blind folk. The result of a long process can be seen at Gilmorehill on Thursday 30 September, with the premier of Voyager Princess, a collaborative venture, detailing a mythic sea voyage to reunite two separated lovers. With participants from all over Europe, this looks an enthralling night out.
Voyager Princess
'- THE LIST 67