Credit: Ariel Rubin

The Horror, The Horror

The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde brings seasonal chills to the Castle

There are a number of reasons why Giggling Iguana's latest Halloween production, The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, is a worthy successor to the other shows they've presented at Craigdarroch Castle over the past 10 years. True, Robert Louis Stevenson's chilling 1886 novella admirably suits the castle's own late-Victorian period, set as it is primarily in the upper-class home of gentleman scientist Dr. Henry Jekyll. But, as was the case with most of the other October productions (notably The Picture of Dorian Gray, The Fall of the House of Usher and The War of the Worlds), the castle's architecture easily integrates into the audience's imaginations, subconsciously providing an atmosphere of menace for this engaging original adaptation by David Radford and Christina Patterson, both of whom also appear here (as Jekyll and Miss Poole, the head of his household).

For the scant few who don't know the story, the noble Dr. Jekyll believes that, through science, he can preserve the good and cleave the evil from the human soul; the appearance of the vicious Edward Hyde (Rod Peter Jr.), however, proves the good doctor to be both right and horribly wrong. And just as Miss Poole acts as something of a moral compass for Jekyll in this cautionary tale mixing issues of morality and  addiction with the then-emerging science of psychology, so too does his concerned lawyer Gabriel Utterson (chief Iguana Ian Case), whose comings and goings also serve as the primary motivator for the meanderings of the audience itself.

Which is as good a place as any to bring up an important part of this roughly 70-minute production: as with most site-specific shows, your job as the audience is to be prepared to move, and move quickly—upstairs, downstairs, outside, upstairs again, squished onto landings, into rooms and along the long and winding banister . . . and the longer you take to get around, the more diminished the sense of drama from the previous scene. There's only one brief scene where you're allowed to sit, so if the thought of traversing the Castle's 87 steps (more than once) makes you faint, I'd suggest renting one of the many film versions instead . . . although I can guarantee you won't have as much fun.

While offering a roundly strong supporting cast (including Patterson and Case, with Morgan Cranny offering a bit of comic relief as the manservant-cum-audience herder and a charming Paul Terry as a stuttering professor), the success or failure of any version of this story obviously hangs on the title characters. And while Radford provides an affable yet increasingly more frantic Jekyll, this show truly belongs to Rod Peter Jr., who infuses a real sense of menace into his Hyde—with absolutely no make-up or stage trickery beyond an ill-fitting suit, a monstrously creepy gait and a chilling sense of gallows humour. ("Dr. Jekyll has changed and gone out," he quips dryly to one imminent victim.) Also worth noting are the Jekyll-into-Hyde transformation scenes, most of which happen offstage and use screams and moans in lieu of fancy special effects (listen closely and you just might hear the sound of one person tearing themselves in two), but the clever climax—a direct repeat of the opening scene but from a different perspective—happens almost in front of the audience and is remarkably effective.

Were this a seated production, it would have been nice to have seen a bit more narrative meat on these familiar fictional bones, but given the nature of the setting, things are kept clipping along quite nicely. In fact, my only real criticism is the limitations of Craigdarroch itself; given Hyde's ever-increasing fury, I kept waiting for him to smash down a door, throw a chair through a window or perform some other act of raw savagery . . . which obviously can't be done in this museum-like setting. Ah well, we'll just have to be satisfied with a couple of brutal murders.

As any master of the macabre well knows, implied horror is the scariest of all and that is one thing this production has in abundance; but while The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde may lack the more obvious monstrosity of, say, War of the Worlds, it still has the power to get under your skin.

(A few housekeeping notes: if you're driving, be sure to arrive early, as there is limited on-street parking due to Castle renovations; yes, there is a place provided to hang coats and umbrellas; and bear in mind this is essentially a production for adults. The kids will just have to make do with renting The Ghost and Mr. Chicken instead.) M

—John Threlfall

The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde

To October 31 -- Note: no shows Oct. 19-21 or 25-26 and showtimes vary from 7 to 9pm

Tickets $22-$25 (plus GST) and must be purchased in advance or ordered by phone at 250-592-5323

There will also be a special 10th anniversary performance at 9pm on October 23, followed by a cocktail reception with the cast. Tickets are $65 with snacks and beverages and can be reserved at www.thecastle.ca or 250-592-5323.