Nick Lane is the next in line to take the beast that is Jekyll and Hyde. The Stage had named his previous adaptation as ‘one of the best regional theatre productions in the UK’ when it was last performed. Awaiting the audience is a simple set contorted by shadows towering over the four chairs which stood empty on the stage; already an ominous atmosphere settles across the stage like the calm before a storm.
Balancing between 4th wall breaking narration and living in the moment the interest of the audience doesn’t wane. In fact it’s the opposite; the audience grip on to every word spoken by the small troupe of players skirting the boards. There’s only four of them but the amount of characters played you’d think it was a company of ten. There is a real storyteller feel to this piece and each glance, sentence and movement is multilayered and deep. You can see a real synergy between actors, piece and director.
