Struggle between good and evil is premise for ‘Jekyll and Hyde’ at Geyer
Dr Jekyll/Mr Hyde will be played by Will Herrington of Connellsville and Emma will be played by Kelly Damico, also of Connellsville.
Will Herrington as Dr. Jekyll/Mr. Hyde and Payton Dell as Utterson rehearse a scene.
Submitted
The cast of “Jekyll and Hyde” rehearse for the upcoming show.
Director John Cunnard works with set pieces.
It’s the season for spooky, creepy and a bit weird, and Director John Cunnard is happy to add to the experience through theater with the musical production of “Jekyll and Hyde” opening tonight at the Geyer Performing Arts Center in Scottdale.
Cunnard, of Everson, has taken on the Halloween season show responsibilities for the last several years and applied for the rights for five different Halloween shows this year.
“I received the rights for three of the ones that I applied for and ‘Jekyll & Hyde’ was one of those,” he said. “I had looked into doing the show for the last two years but chose more comical shows like ‘The Addams Family’ last year and ‘Little Shop of Horrors’ the year before.”
Based on Robert Louis Stevenson’s classic thriller, “Jekyll & Hyde” is the gripping tale of a brilliant mind gone horrifically awry, set to a powerful pop-rock score by Frank Wildhorn with book and lyrics by Leslie Bricusse.
“In an attempt to cure his ailing father’s mental illness by separating ‘good’ from ‘evil’ in the human personality, talented physician Dr. Jekyll inadvertently creates an alternate personality of pure evil, dubbed Mr. Hyde, who wreaks murderous havoc on the city of London,” said Cunnard.
Will Herrington of Connellsville takes on the challenging role of Dr. Jekyll and his alter ego Mr. Hyde.
“I’ve been a fan of the show since high school, and it’s a show that’s always been on my ‘to do list,'” he said. “When I found out a few months ago that The Geyer was doing it, I had to jump on the opportunity”
Herrington added that he feels this role is one of the most challenging roles in musical theater, “simply because I am playing two completely different roles in one show.
“Henry Jekyll symbolizes what is good, where Edward Hyde is the face of all that is evil,” he said. “I always felt that in order for an actor to evolve and become a better performer, he must embrace every challenge. Not taking anything away from Dr Jekyll, but Hyde is definitely the bigger challenge for me because I am really stepping out of my comfort zone, which is a good thing.”
Kelly Damico of Connellsville plays the role of Emma Carew, Jekyll’s fiancé and the daughter of Sir Danvers Carew.
“I fell in love with the music after seeing the production of ‘Jekyll & Hyde’ in New York City during a tenth-grade chorus trip,” she said. “It has been on my bucket list of shows to do since then, and I am lucky to portray one of the leading ladies.”
Damico said her character Emma is the epitome of propriety and grace.
“I feel that I can relate to Emma in that she exudes great love throughout the show and is slightly headstrong and knows what she wants out of life,” Damico said. “Emma is the complete opposite of Lucy Harris, Edward Hyde’s obsession, and is sometimes referred to as the ‘light’ to Lucy’s ‘dark.'”
She added that with this role, she has to give all she have to it or else it simple wont work.
“Not only is the acting challenging, I have never encountered a role that has had this much singing either,” Damico said.
Cunnard said he has faced some challenges from a directing standpoint as well.
“This is the first non-comedy show that I’ve directed in the last ten years, so that presents its own set of challenges, but also, I’ve tried to incorporate everyone who auditioned into the show in someway, so trying to give each of them stage time with either lines or solo parts in songs isn’t easy,” he said.
Also, the show has a lot of set changes, so changing scenes from the lab to the study to the streets of London is a challenge.
“But bringing the thoughts of how I envisioned the show in my head to life on stage has required the most focus,” Cunnard said.
Damico said the cast is amazingly talented and seeing them bring their characters to life has been really fun.
Herrington added that it helps to have a great cast backing him up to deliver a fantastic performance.
“Leyna Wright (Lucy Harris) and Kelly Damico are two very talented ladies, and we are having a blast putting this show together,” he said. “I am truly thankful for the opportunity to work opposite them.”
Herrington said it is hard to say exactly what audiences will enjoy most about the show because he feels this show has so many elements to grab onto and enjoy.
“Beautiful music, great dancing numbers — the show has it all,” he said.
Cunnard said he would put a PG-13 rating on the show, adding that it is for a mature audience because the story is dark and the subject matter in the show is not for the weak or young.
Tickets for the show are $15 and can be purchased at www.geyerpac.com. Walk-ins are welcome to purchase tickets at the theater box office until the show is sold out.