If a potion could make you into your best self, would you take it? What if it came with a cost: a little less empathy here, a little more aggression there, would you still make that choice? The tale of a good man hiding the dark side within has captured audiences ever since Robert Louis Stevenson published his most (in)famous work, Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde, in 1886. 135 years later, and we’re still telling the same story, and now Blackeyed Theatre have staged a bold new version which opened at the New Theatre last night.

Written and directed by Nick Lane, the story follows Dr Henry Jekyll (Blake Kubena), a respected scientist on the verge of a neurological breakthrough. His friends and colleagues condemn his dubious methods, but a potential romance might just bring out the best in him – if the worst doesn’t beat him to it. I don’t just love the original, I literally wrote the book on it (well, the PhD, anyway) – so you can understand my excitement at finally seeing a stage version come to Cardiff. And it was well worth the wait. The company live streamed an earlier version in September 2020, but there’s something magical about witnessing these four exceptional actors play multiple roles (or should that be ‘selves’?) right before your eyes.

Blake Kubena gives a captivating and visceral performance as both Jekyll and Hyde, moving fluidly between the two ‘personalities’. The physical aspects of the role are crafted in collaboration with movement/intimacy director Enric Ortuño, who is also responsible for several stunning slow-motion sequences, especially a (literally) gut-wrenching act one closer that simply has to be seen to be believed. Lane’s adaptation takes the unusual and rewarding route of making Hyde more debonair than the socially awkward Jekyll, and juxtaposing an intelligent but physically weak Jekyll (not unlike Stevenson himself) with a cruel and powerful Hyde makes for enthralling viewing.

Zach Lee plays Jekyll’s friend and lawyer, Gabriel Utterson, as a strait-laced Petrocelli with the fastidiousness of Hercule Poirot. Lee narrates much of the story and excellently grounds the increasingly-eerie action. Paige Round is especially impressive as Eleanor Lanyon, the sole woman in the play: the novel features no named women characters, concerned as it is with masculinity and the aggression and repression tied up within it, but Round crafts a woman as multi-faceted as the titular character, and brings much of the play’s energy and drive. And Ashley Sean-Cook plays Dr Hastie Lanyon, Eleanor’s sweet-natured beau, bringing new layers to Lanyon that make him far more complicated and sympathetic than his literary counterpart.

Moving the action from 1885 to the 1890s edges it closer to the dawn of psychoanalysis which Jekyll anticipated (in an effective opener, the cast first emerge wearing masks and speaking the same overlapping dialogue). Victoria Spearing’s striking set, a row of antique doors and cupboards lit alternately by red and blue, is itself evocatively psychoanalytical. Naomi Gibbs’ costumes brilliantly transport you to turn of the century London, and Lane’s adaptation cleverly draws in themes and parallels from Stevenson’s contemporaries, creating something of a Gothic smorgasbord: this Henry is driven not to let ‘the unjust man go his way and the just another’ but to revolutionise science, much like Victor Frankenstein. His experiments on rats and other animals (including human beings) aligns him not just with Victor but with Dr Moreau, fictional ‘mad’ scientists whose experiments paralleled the rise of vivisection that so engrossed and revolted the delicate sensibilities of Victorian society. A lawyer investigating supernatural goings on in 1897-era London smacks of Dracula – and while the subtextual homoeroticism of the original is relegated to a single saucy reference here, there’s a little of Dorian Gray in this Henry Jekyll, who too falls in love with a rising star of the stage.

Robert Louis Stevenson wasn’t much interested in being a lawyer, but he was fascinated with the criminal mind; what can propel a seemingly ordinary person into doing extraordinary (and extralegal) deeds. The ‘why’ of crime started to rival the ‘how’ in Gothic fiction of the time, which is perhaps why true-crime cases rose in popularity – the case of William Brodie, a Edinburgh clergyman by day, thief and gambler by night, certainly made an impression on Stevenson. The book itself is a split personality: the original was grudgingly burned by Stevenson at the behest of his wife, likely due to sexual or disturbing content – the second (written in less than a week and likely under the influence of controlled substances) is more civil, more sanitized, and yet still managed to push boundaries. Blackeyed Theatre brings both versions of the text together in a gloriously (un)holy union here.

Blackeyed Theatre have perfected the formula of adapting classic literature to be taught in schools in accessible and lively ways. Their version of Jekyll and Hyde is an absorbing, immersive and exciting adaptation that does justice to the original while forging its own path. It could be a little tighter, especially in the first act, and the switch between the characters’ perspectives can make the timeline a touch confusing – but the latter serves to reinforce the theme of fractured subjectivity. Whether you’re familiar with the original or just its central duo, Blackeyed Theatre’s adaptation will take you on a riveting journey. And it leaves us, as life always does, with a choice: to take the easy road or the hard. It calls us to question why we keep telling the tale of Henry Jekyll and Edward Hyde over and over when we should really be looking into a mirror. What will you see if you do? And what if the mask is the mirror?

The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll & Mr Hyde is playing at the New Theatre Cardiff through Saturday 13 November.

Is there such a thing as a perfect crime? This is the question at the heart of Frederick Knott’s classic play and Alfred Hitchcock’s iconic movie adaptation, which come to life in this stylish new production directed by Anthony Banks. Starring Strictly Come Dancing champion Tom Chambers (Top Hat, Crazy for You) and West End star Diana Vickers (Little Voice), the play follows Tony Wendice (Chambers), a retired tennis player who seems to have it all: a beautiful, rich wife, Margot (Vickers), a swanky Maida Vale apartment, and a perfect life. But when Wendice learns that Margot is having an affair with budding crime writer Max Halliday (Michael Salami), he concocts a foolproof plan to kill her and claim her fortune without having to go through with the grisly deed himself.

It’s great to see Dial M for Murder come to Cardiff, not only because the touring production has been so long delayed due to COVID, but also because the 1954 movie starred Grace Kelly alongside local boy Ray Milland, the first Welshman to win an Oscar. The touring production captures all the thrills of the original, and the cast bring a lot of energy and drive to the story – especially Chambers, who brings a dancer’s grace to Wendice that cleverly underscores the character’s background. He moves through the stage with the elegance of a tennis player, as if everything is still a game to him: there’s a winner, and a loser, rules, technique, and a ruthless urge to triumph. He may have left the game, but it has clearly not left him.

Chambers is the master of the dropped smile: charming and effervescent one minute, seething and manipulative the next. He plays especially well off of Christopher Harper (Coronation Street), who pulls double duty as both the reluctant assassin and the eccentric detective. Harper is chameleonic and effortless in each role – had I not known beforehand, I genuinely wouldn’t have been able to tell they were played by the same actor. Both performances are brilliant – but the affably off-centre Inspector Hubbard might just win by a hair (imagine if Sam Rockwell played Eric Idle playing Columbo). Vickers and Salami ground the action with less showy roles but no less impressive performances, especially in the second half. While the drama hits all the right notes, there’s a surprising amount of comedy to enjoy here as well, not least in watching Wendice’s plan hopelessly unravel.

The cast are buoyed by an absolutely gorgeous set designed by David Woodhead (also responsible for the stylish costumes) and Lizzie Powell’s inventive lighting. Shifting the story to the 60s places it on the cusp of sweeping social and legal change in Britain: this was an era which saw legislation outlawing racial discrimination and decriminalising sex between men, the rise of second-wave feminism, and the end of capital punishment – all of which subtly and effectively underscore the story. Tony and Margot’s relationship is a marriage of new and old money, a fragile union especially in class-shaken post-war Britain. The show itself might be a tad uneven at times, only really dialling up after the interval – and there’s a jarring moment when the otherwise-sympathetic Hubbard roughs up Halliday, perhaps in a nod to police racism – but it’s themes, it’s performances, and the pure, thrilling storytelling are otherwise on-point.

There’s no such thing as a perfect crime because the people who commit them aren’t perfect. No-one is: no matter how clever you are, no matter how much you plan and scheme and prepare, there’s always something you’ve missed. And you really shouldn’t miss Dial M for Murder: the self-proclaimed ‘blueprint for the modern thriller’ might be pushing seventy, but it can still swing for the fences.

Dial M for Murder is playing at the New Theatre through Saturday 6^th November

Note: this production features a significant amount of flashing lights during scene changes.

If you booked tickets for the original dates of 29 June – 3 July 2021, they will be valid for these performances.

Audio Described Performance: 6 November 2021 2:30PM

Review by
Barbara Hughes-Moore

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What can you see with your eyes closed? Do you see darkness, or the imprint of light, or a treasured memory? This new production by Company of Sirens, in collaboration with Sight Life Wales, explores the shores of memory and time, the footprints we leave there and the people with whom we travel it. 

Beautifully directed by Chris Durnall and Angharad Matthews, With Eyes Closed features performers with sight loss telling stories of their their lives, loves and dreams. The piece originates in a series of taster drama workshops through the Llanover Hall Charity which pre-dated and subsequently continued throughout lockdown. The performers are all so natural on the stage that I was stunned to learn this was their first foray into acting. Precision is difficult; making it look natural is almost impossible – and that’s exactly what they achieve.  

This is a theatre piece that moves and breathes like the tide. The stage, transformed into a tranquil shore by Cara Hood’s effective lighting, is the stage for sharing memories, pieces of our lives buoyed by the waves and washed in by the tide. Company of Sirens have always had an innate sense of the ways music and memory intersect, and the music, beautifully played live by Stacey Blythe, is present but not invasive, and it glimmers like sunlight on the ocean. Tales affecting in their simplicity, are told with honesty, joy, and laughter – and, like a wave, the performers often move as one, rising and flowing together as the music shimmers like the sea around them. 

Funded by Arts Council Wales and the National Lottery, each story has been filmed professionally and will be shown in the Wales Millennium Centre as part of their Festival of Voice in November – but there’s something special and distinctly irreplaceable about experiencing this piece live; an honesty, an authenticity and a gentleness to the piece which caught me quite off guard. It calls you to wonder what you see when you close your eyes, the paths you could walk guided by memory alone, and who you walk them with.  

With Eyes Closed is playing at Llanover Hall Arts Centre Cardiff from 27-30 October at 8.00 with an additional performance at 2.00 on Saturday 30^th. Tickets are selling out and Friday is already sold out.