Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde, a Grove Productions performance at Parabola Arts Centre, Cheltenham, UK.

I was lucky enough to be there on the opening night of Grove Productions’ show Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde, a run starting at the perfect time of year. Throughout, it was spooky, intense, and incredibly well–acted. The colours and lighting used perfectly accentuated the seasonal feel of the performance, and the special effects were utilised perfectly to add to the mood without detracting from what was happening at the stage.

Having never visited the Parabola Arts Centre before, I was taken aback by the beautiful layout, olive seats, and the wooden trimmings of this small theatre. The Arts Centre is part of Cheltenham Ladies College and shares the same beautiful white exterior. The view of the stage was excellent from the floor seats, and the volume and distribution of the sound effects was perfect.

The show began with dialogue between Mr Utterson and Mr Enfield, who began the story by looking back at the events leading up to the demise of Dr Jekyll. The narrative takes us on the same twists and turns as the original play, written by Robert Louis Stevenson, with only very minor deviations, making this a very classic rendition of a much-loved story. I enjoyed this, finding safer retellings often more enjoyable than those that try to do too much.

Hyde stands near his victim with a face of glee — Grove Productions

The use of lighting was elementary to my enjoyment of this production. There was a focus on orange and green – warm lamps that guided the actors across the stage (and beyond!), green stage lights that lit up the characters and made them seem truly demonic, and strong contrasting beams that illuminated just enough of their faces to give the scenes an eery edge.

The use of a false ‘mirror’ allowed the reflection of Jekyll/Hide to be illuminated in a mid green glow from above. This highlighted the facial expressions of the characters and was very visually pleasing.

There were also times during the play that the actors came completely off the stage and made use of the empty space between the audience seating. I enjoyed this and became immersed in the story in a way that would have been otherwise impossible. The first use of this was startling and drew me in immediately, forgetting where I was. The theatre itself lent well to this, being small, making me feel at times that I was in the village myself.

Hyde beats his victim to death while Jekyll looks on — Grove Productions

I must give special credit to Lucy Wordsworth, in the role of Edward Hyde, who’s devilish expressionism and piercing wails cut through the smoke and the dim lighting to create an atmosphere that felt soberly uneasy. With expressions showing a lust for evil reminiscent of our old friend Bob from Twin Peaks, I felt like I was in the presence of a real monster, capable of breaking off the stage and whittling us down using only fear.

Despite the underlying spookiness, there were delightful hints of comedy scattered throughout. This was engaging and developed a depth to the story that kept me entertained.

If you would like to experience this for yourself, you can catch this show in Cheltenham until the first of November, or at Weston-Super-Mare on the 13th and 14th November, Gloucester between the 19th and 21st of November, or in Evesham on the 29th of November.