Write a commentThis past weekend, the Oswego Players' wrapped up its second week of the production "Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde."
Directed by Troy Pepper, the play is based on Scottish author Robert Louis Stevenson's 1886 novel, "The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde," which tells the story of the battle between good and evil inside the life of Dr. Henry Jekyll and his evil dual personality, Edward Hyde.
On Nov. 7, members of the community filled up the rows of the Francis Marion Brown Theatre, surrounded by the sounds of eerie music and dim green lighting. The sinister vibes throughout the theater made it feel almost as if the ghosts of Fort Ontario were joining the audience for the show.
The entire action of the play took place in Dr. Jekyll's (Knate MacKenzie-Roy) home in London. The stage was decorated to depict Dr. Jekyll's living room and office with a hidden closet toward the back of the stage acting as his laboratory. The show began with characters, Dr. Lanyon (Scott Bandla), Mr. Utterson (Jeremy Ware) and Richard Enfield (Kyle Walton) discussing Enfield's experience from a previous night with a disturbing man who trampled a young girl and went by the name Edward Hyde (Knate MacKenzie-Roy). In the following scene, with Dr. Henry Jekyll and Mr. Utterson informed the audience that Dr. Jekyll had recently stated that in the case of his death or disappearance, he wanted all of his money to go to Edward Hyde.
From then on, a chain of strange occurrences between Dr. Jekyll and the characters took place, including a frightening run-in between Mr. Hyde and the maids of Dr. Jekyll's home, Pauline (Beverly Poznoski) and Bridget (Stephanie Johnson). Johnson, in particular sparked a lot of laughter throughout the theater with her character, helping add some light to the scary tale, constantly displaying her funny child-like fear of Mr. Hyde.
Above all, the most complicated role appeared to be that of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, both played by Knate MacKenzie-Roy. In the beginning of the play, MacKenzie-Roy transformed from Dr. Jekyll to Mr. Hyde in a more concealed fashion, running to his laboratory as one person and coming out as another. But toward the end of the play, the audience began to see MacKenzie-Roy's true acting talent as Dr. Jekyll began to crack under the pressure of Mr. Hyde's control. MacKenzie-Roy portrayed a genuine pain of Dr. Jekyll through his cries and screams as he could feel himself turning fully into Mr. Hyde. With his voice gradually getting louder and and his body twitching dramatically as his evil persona took over, MacKenzie-Roy stole the show.
"Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde" closed out the show with a final bow and a surprise proposal from a member of the Oswego Players. The perfect way to end a great show.
