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Rhys Darby
in
Jekyll and Hyde 2030
Verdict: Astonishing performance
Rhys Darby presents an hour-long, single-actor version of the classic, updated to the future. It's riveting drama, with flashes of comedy.
The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde was one of Robert Louis Stevenson's most successful novels. Spun from a dream, written in 1885 in the sleepy English coastal town of Bournemouth, and set 700 miles north in industrial Edinburgh, it is the horrifying account of evil spat out from good, and brought to life.
Rhys Darby's script takes the gist and works it into a mission to Mars, 25 years in the future. Dr Henry Jekyll is an old and distinguished medic, a veteran of Vietnam. He's asked - for the sake of courtesy - to join the flight. The obstacle is the medical, and to fake it, Dr Jekyll develops an elixir of youth - with Mr Hyde as the side-effect.
The crew of USSS Endeavor is assembled: Dr Jekyll's godson John, co-pilot Lt Harper, logistician Lt Summers (the only woman on board), engineer Sgt Maine, and Sony the malfunctioning robot. But as the 6-month 490-million mile journey progresses, Dr Jekyll needs more elixir, and Mr Hyde joins the mission.
The show's grip works from the astonishing performance by Rhys Darby; his tight and well-considered script; and the remarkable direction of Toni Arthur-Hay.
Rhys Darby is a tall, good-looking man with light-brown hair - muscular with a dancer's body and grace. He's in classic physical-theatre black trousers and polo shirt, but his technique is far more than physical - that's simply a component.
He is a fine actor, with the ability to convince in each rapidly-alternating role - that enigmatic facility of gifted actors to pin the essentials of a character instantly.
He's great on sounds - from the hiss of a pneumatic door, to machine-gun fire, a robot's pedantic movement, the whir of helicopter blades.
He can form his face (and the expressions match seamlessly with the larger expression from his body) from a gentle and good old man, to a monster - and the subtlety of a monster with pathos - and a string of roles between, some with flecks of humour. He moves with the easy grace of a ballet performer.
The play doesn't come with a genre. It's certainly funny, but it's not a comedy. Neither is it a tragedy - but there are no soft edges. It's as if, like Robert Louis Stevenson, Rhys Darby - guided by his gifted collaborator Toni Arthur-Hay - has reached into his dreams and evoked this eerie conception. His remarkable art is to make this real. Magnificent.
Cast Credits: Rhys Darby.
Company Credits: Writer - Rhys Darby. Original Writer: The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde - Robert Louis Stevenson - 1886. Director - Toni Arthur-Hay. Technical manager - Venue Staff.
END
John Park
reviewed Thursday 22 July 04 / Riverside Studios
Fringe Report (c) Fringe Report 2002-2008
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