Stevenson’s darkly fascinating tale of male violence, guilt and privilege. With its images of the deserted streets of London at night, which always seem to be waiting for something dreadful to happen, it creates the sense that underneath the respectable surface of a gentlemanly city, there is something that is not being talked about, not being admitted. Two ensembles chose extracts from Jekyll and Hyde , both skilfully portraying the eerie atmosphere and societal tensions, and embodying the characters’ inner turmoil and moral dilemmas with conviction. Through- out the performances, the students employed a rich language of physical expression and nuanced charac- terisation, demonstrating a level of ensemble playing and maturity beyond their years. Their exploration of naturalistic techniques and physical movement added depth to the narrative, inviting the audience to confront the complexities of human nature and societal norms. This approach allowed for a nuanced exploration of the themes of duality, morality and the human psyche, which engaged the audience visually and emotionally. The ensemble of Joseph Mathews, Fraser Pelly, Blake Penketh and Ollie Thwaites deftly created a chilling dreamscape with shape-shifting swiftness, and their
expressionistic movement displayed the internal conflict and turmoil experienced by Dr Jekyll as he grapples with his dual identity and the consequences of his sci- entific experiments. They channelled Bartlett’s depic- tion of Jekyll and Hyde as a chorus designed to close ranks, evade scrutiny and maintain the status quo. In the staging of their two extracts, Ernesto Chiappi- ni, Jack Duggan, Milo McCabe, Josh Morgan and Zac Shaw took us on a journey inside Jekyll’s head, skilfully depicting his denial of responsibility for his own actions and exposing the dark secret that Jekyll actually relishes being Mr Hyde. The performers employed naturalistic techniques to explore good and evil, truthfully inhabiting their characters for believable effect and layering their piece with expressionistic movement to make manifest inner feelings and the duality of the human condition, as well as the shifting locations and atmospheres. All four groups blended a densely detailed language of athletic movement and physical theatre techniques with deft, truthful and nuanced characterisation to outstanding effect. This was ensemble playing of the highest dramatic order. ◉
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DRAMA & DANCE
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