Words are not required to tell a compelling story. A perfect fusion of music and movement is capable of conveying a convincing narrative. Such is the case with Ballet West’s 2024-2025 season opener, Jekyll and Hyde, a new work by choreographer Val Caniparoli that enjoyed its first run at Capitol Theatre, having first premiered in 2020 at the Finnish National Opera and Ballet. Caniparoli based the ballet on Robert Lewis Stevenson’s novella The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, collaborated with a music arranger who developed a score from the work of several composers (Chopin is the most recognizable.), and expertly resolved the dilemma of how to portray a single character with diametrically opposed natures.
Caniparoli adds a creative twist to Stevenson’s narrative by placing Stevenson himself in the midst of the action, imagining the characters of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde and wrestling with the outcome of their violent tale. As a pianist plays a familiar Chopin melody, Robert Louis Stevenson (Jake Preece) lies in bed, suffering from a terrible lung condition and unable to concentrate on his writing. His nurse (Kristina Pool) administers a dose of opium to alleviate his pain, and as the euphoria sets in, an image forms in his mind of an upstanding young man battling his own evil inclinations. This is Dr. Jekyll (Dominic Ballard) who conducts risky experiments to study the dual nature of every human being. Stevenson descends into nightmare-ridden sleep, and the tale of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde unfolds.
Dr. Jekyll enters an asylum full of mental patients, arguing with his colleagues and potential donors. Jekyll attempts to show them how his experiments could treat mental illness, but his efforts fail, and he leaves disheartened. Back in his laboratory, Jekyll considers how to proceed and takes a dangerous mixture himself to bring his hidden impulses to the surface. Simultaneously, Stevenson takes more opium. Both Jekyll and Stevenson feel Hyde’s presence (Adrian Fry), the manifestation of evil within Jekyll, but the feeling quickly passes. Irritated at what seems like another failed experiment, Jekyll realizes he is late for a social gathering. He rushes through the streets of London to the home of Sir Danvers Carew (Jeffrey Rogers), and he becomes aware that Hyde is with him. At Carew’s home, Jekyll attempts conversing intimately with Nellie Carew (Amy Potter), his fiancée, but thoughts of his failed experiments disturb him. Sir Danvers Carew takes his male guests to Deacon Brodie’s Tavern (Tyler Gum) where they enjoy the company of prostitutes. Jekyll initially steps in to protect Rowena (Nicole Fannéy), a new prostitute, when Deacon Brodie mistreats her. However, Jekyll becomes violent toward Rowena as his sexual appetite increases. He realizes that the potion he took was successful and that Hyde is appearing. Hyde is fully realized in Stevenson’s imagination, and the author allows him to have full reign, appearing in place of Jekyll. Hyde is a stranger in Jekyll’s social circles, yet he strikes people as being curiously familiar. As the potion wears off, Hyde races to avoid detection, fights to stay in control, and leaves a trail of violence and murder. Dr. Jekyll reappears and tries to reassert himself, but he is weaker than before. Stevenson forces the two natures of man to confront each other in a final battle for control.
Caniparoli’s Jekyll and Hyde brings several intriguing and innovative elements to the ballet stage, and Ballet West’s production handles them superbly. Ballet often highlights feminine beauty, grace, and delicacy, pairing dancers in male-female couples. Jekyll and Hyde departs from that norm by featuring male main characters and delving into the darker side of the human mind. Caniparoli handles the challenge of portraying the distinct dual natures of a single person by casting two dancers, one as Jekyll and another as Hyde. This opens an opportunity for extremely creative choreography as the two dancers have to match and complement each others’ movements. Inserting Stevenson as a character in this ballet adds a third dimension to the Jekyll and Hyde dynamic as he, too, has to coordinate his movements with the dual characters he has created. Ballet West dancers Jake Preece (Stevenson), Dominic Ballard (Jekyll), and Adrian Fry (Hyde) execute this challenging choreography extremely well, making the psychological drama visible. I loved the tension among these three characters in the latter scenes of the ballet when the opposite natures battle each other for control. I also enjoyed the costume and prop choices throughout that gave Hyde a distinctive, ominous presence on stage. In addition to the intense interactions among Stevenson, Jekyll, and Hyde, I liked the asylum scenes in which corps dancers depict mental patients whose thoughts and actions are spiraling.
I found Ballet West’s Jekyll and Hyde to be a remarkable production that I would recommend, just with the disclaimer that it includes adult themes and content. It pushes creative boundaries, which makes it an intriguing work, but it also does not shy away from depicting mankind’s depravity. The content is not suitable for younger audiences, and it may not be everyone’s preference.
Ballet West continues its season with Pictures at an Exhibition, a trio of shorter works, which runs through Saturday, November 16, 2024. Click here for information and tickets.
The Good Life 