WHO can doubt that Robert Louis Stevenson’s iconic 1886 novella The Strange Case Of Dr Jekyll And Mr Hyde was inspired not only by the legal case of his Edinburgh acquaintance, the French teacher Eugène Chantrelle (who was hanged in 1878 for murdering his young wife Elizabeth by poisoning), but also by the architecture and history of Edinburgh’s Old Town?
The famous story of the upstanding medic Dr Henry Jekyll and his demonic alter-ego Edward Hyde may be set in London, but it reverberates with the Gothic atmosphere of the ancient district of Scotland’s capital that sits to the south of Edinburgh Castle and the Royal Mile.
Where better, then, for the superb Scottish actor Forbes Masson to perform Gary McNair’s stage adaptation (in a production created originally for Reading Rep Theatre in Berkshire) than at Edinburgh’s great repertory theatre, the Royal Lyceum? Aided only by a microphone and a chair, Masson (performing on the Lyceum stage for the first time in 20 years) evokes brilliantly the intrigue, concern and horror felt by Jekyll’s friend, the lawyer Gabriel John Utterson.
At the outset, employing a sardonic wit that is typical of McNair’s supple and lively script, Utterson assures us that he is not the “good guy” of the story he is about to tell. He is not the villain either, you understand.
But, as the kind of man who enjoys a good brandy in a gentleman’s club immediately after successfully defending a murderer in court, Utterson isn’t making any claims to moral superiority. This is a good point well made, and one to which (in a clever philosophical dialogue between McNair’s text and Stevenson’s novella) we return later in the play.
Max Jones’s set (entirely dark, save for lighting designer Richard Howell’s purposeful illumination using modernistic, white neon strobes) provides Masson with a perfect, abstract void, a kind of theatrical canvas on which the actor paints theatrical pictures. This he does through his dexterous, captivating expression of a text that combines excellent, dramatic storytelling with a pleasing amalgam of the linguistic registers of McNair and Stevenson.
More than that, however, as the actor-narrator shifts between the story’s various characters, his physical performance puts one in mind of the solo shows of such celebrated monodramatists as Guy Masterson and Steven Berkoff. When, near the play’s conclusion, we finally encounter the two-in-one human paradox that is Jekyll transforming into Hyde, Masson proves to have a memorable and impressive capacity for paroxysm.
As (assisted by Richard Hammarton’s atmospheric music and sound) Masson’s Utterson takes us ever deeper into Stevenson’s story, one finds oneself caught up anew in the questions of metaphysics, science and morality that fascinated the Victorians, and continue to fixate us now in the 21st century. Simultaneously entertaining and disquieting, director Michael Fentiman’s stylish, drum-tight production is set to delight audiences on its short tour to Tayside and Stirlingshire.
Touring Perth Theatre (Jan 31 to Feb 3); Dundee Rep (Feb 7-10) and Macrobert Arts Centre, University of Stirling (Feb 15-17)
Why are you making commenting on The National only available to subscribers?
We know there are thousands of National readers who want to debate, argue and go back and forth in the comments section of our stories. We’ve got the most informed readers in Scotland, asking each other the big questions about the future of our country.
Unfortunately, though, these important debates are being spoiled by a vocal minority of trolls who aren’t really interested in the issues, try to derail the conversations, register under fake names, and post vile abuse.
So that’s why we’ve decided to make the ability to comment only available to our paying subscribers. That way, all the trolls who post abuse on our website will have to pay if they want to join the debate – and risk a permanent ban from the account that they subscribe with.
The conversation will go back to what it should be about – people who care passionately about the issues, but disagree constructively on what we should do about them. Let’s get that debate started!
Callum Baird, Editor of The National
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereLast Updated:
Report this comment Cancel