I think all of us have a little bit of Jekyll and Hyde in us. We have parts of ourselves that we wish weren't there and that we're trying to overcome. Jekyll tries to get rid of that totally but doesn't realize that it's in overcoming them that we become who we are. And without them, there is no good. – Jared Haddock
Human nature is about to be tested within the walls of CenterPoint Legacy Theatre in its upcoming production of “Jekyll and Hyde,” which runs Sept. 29-Oct. 25.
A musical that boasts four Tony awards, “Jekyll and Hyde” is the story of a doctor who seeks to free his father of mental illness and to triumph over evil by creating a formula that separates a person’s desire to be good from the natural inclination to be evil.
“I think many people will find something in the show that resonates with them because we all know someone who has faced addiction or mental illness or something beyond their control,” said director Scott Montgomery. “[Jekyll’s experiment] goes haywire, and he gets caught up in this journey and profession that take him down a dark path. It's a reminder that each path we go on can go dark.”
“Jekyll and Hyde” was the first production Montgomery saw on Broadway, and he has directed it previously at Hale Centre Theatre in West Valley City.
Montgomery said he has integrated into the show some of the special effects and techniques used in the original Broadway production.
“It’s such a unique show,” Montgomery said. “To hear it performed by vocalists that do it justice is really a treat, and luckily, we have a cast that pulls it off.”
Henry Jekyll/Edward Hyde will by played by Danny Inkley (Monday/Wednesday/Friday cast) and Jared Haddock (Tuesday/Thursday/Saturday cast).
“I think all of us have a little bit of Jekyll and Hyde in us,” Haddock said. “We have parts of ourselves that we wish weren't there and that we're trying to overcome. Jekyll tries to get rid of that totally but doesn't realize that it's in overcoming them that we become who we are. And without them, there is no good.”
“Jekyll and Hyde” is usually categorized as belonging within a more sinister genre, but Haddock said CenterPoint will be presenting the spectacle from a lighter angle.
“What I really like about what (Montgomery's) doing is bringing humanity in it, and I hope the audience walks away with a sense of light,” he said.
When Dr. Jekyll’s hope to destruct the natural man goes awry, there comes a point when he’s unsure if he’ll be able to triumph over his evil counterpart, Mr. Hyde.
“As Jekyll, I enjoy that he has such a deep fascination with trying to overcome evil,” Haddock said. “That's us as a human race, and I really connect with that idea of trying to better ourselves.”
Holly Jo Cushing will be playing the part of Lucy Harris (Tuesday/Thursday/Saturday cast), a woman who is forced to sell herself to keep her room and board at The Red Rat, a dodgy bar in Camden.
Cushing, a Utah native, has previously performed on Broadway as Fantine in “Les Miserables,” and she also played Lucy a few years ago when CenterPoint was called Rodgers Memorial Theatre.
“I like to play dark parts because it’s easier to play someone you’re not a lot like,” she said. “I like Lucy because she has some emotional songs, but she also has ‘Bring on the Men,’ which is a fun number. She is a pretty colorful character.”
Community theater has a “special feeling” about it, Cushing said.
“The magical thing about community theater is that people are doing it for free, and it’s because they love what they are doing,” she said. “Everyone works so hard and puts in so much time to serve.”
Due to the show's “mature themes,” the theater recommends audience members for “Jekyll and Hyde” be over the age of 12.
If you go …
What: “Jekyll and Hyde”
Where: CenterPoint Legacy Theatre, 525 N. 400 West, Centerville
When: Sept. 29-Oct. 25
How much: $17-$22
Phone: 801-298-1302
Megan Marsden Christensen writes for KSL and graduated from BYU-Idaho with a bachelor's degree in communication.