Review: Actors’ Playhouse’s ‘Jekyll & Hyde’ Is Powerfully Thrilling

Actors’ Playhouse’s “Jekyll & Hyde” plays in Coral Gables at the Miracle Theatre through Sunday. Nov. 1. (Photo by Javier Franceschi)

Before the lights go up on “Jekyll & Hyde” at Actors’ Playhouse, a voiceover announcement asks the audience to leave Coral Gables behind and enter London. It sets the mood for the gothic musical about a scientist whose attempt to separate good from evil takes a terrible twist.

Dr. Henry Jekyll (E.L. Losada in the role more than convincingly crafts the devilish duality) believes his research can benefit humanity. When Jekyll appears before a hospital’s Board of Governors to test his formula on a human subject, his proposal is rejected. He takes matters into his own hands and makes himself its subject. What’s unleashed is Edward Hyde, a violent alter ego who threatens what the scientist wanted to prove wrong about those with mental illness. It also leads to deadly consequences for those he loves.

E.L. Losada fearing his transformation as Dr. Jekyll in “Jekyll & Hyde” at Actors’ Playhouse at the Miracle Theatre. (Photo by Javier Franceschi)

The musical, based on Robert Louis Stevenson’s novella, has music by Frank Wildhorn and book and lyrics by Leslie Bricusse. In the Actors’ Playhouse production, directed by David Arisco, its competing forces find expression in the performances, the costumes, choreography and even the arrangement of the set.

Losada played Jekyll and Hyde at Broward Stage Door in 2005, earning a Carbonell Award for best actor in a musical. More than two decades later, he returns to the roles on a larger stage. And here, it gives him room to roam, making him appear small as the mild-mannered scientist, while large and imposing as the demonic Hyde.

Don Seward is a commanding presence as John Utterson, Jekyll’s best friend and lawyer. He is the calm amid the storm, bringing a steadiness that makes Jekyll’s unraveling all the more apparent.

E.L. Losada as Jekyll/Hyde and Don Seward as his friend and lawyer John Utterson in “Jekyll & Hyde” at Actors’ Playhouse at the Miracle Theatre. (Photo by Alberto Romeu)

Losada soars in many of the songs, but the musical’s signature is “This Is the Moment.” The actor commands the number with expressiveness and also the details he must physically display while singing it. Jekyll is preparing to inject his own concoction. The scientist’s anticipation of a breakthrough builds alongside the music, giving the familiar anthem a purpose beyond showing off the singer’s voice. His confidence makes the experiment all the more unsettling.

Emily van Vliet Perea is the provocative Lucy in “Jekyll & Hyde” at Actors’ Playhouse at the Miracle Theatre. (Photo by Alberto Romeu)

Anette Barrios-Torres offers a kind contrast as Jekyll’s fiancée, Emma Carew, to rough and tumble Lucy Harris, a sex worker who experiences Jekyll’s kindness and Hyde’s cruelty, so magnificently played by Emily van Vliet Perea.

Losada and Barrios-Torres bring warmth and convincing chemistry to the beautifully sung “Take Me As I Am” in Act I as the couple ready to be married for better or for worse. Veteran actor Barry Tarallo, who brings depth to every role, is the concerned father, warning his daughter about her future husband.

Anette Barrios-Torres and E.L. Losada performing “Take Me As I Am” in “Jekyll & Hyde” at Actors’ Playhouse at the Miracle Theatre. (Photo by Alberto Romeu)

There’s a foreshadowing at the end of “Take Me As I Am,” when Jekyll is ready to leave for the evening. He tells her, “Goodnight, my angel.”

“Goodnight, my devil,” she replies.

While the exchange adds brief comic relief, what sounds like affectionate teasing is also a warning of what’s to come. It serves its purpose as being unsettling.

Women have little presence in Stevenson’s novella, but the musical makes them crucial to the story. As Lucy, Perea, returning to Actors’ Playhouse after “The Spitfire Grill,” brings both fire and longing to a vocally demanding role originated on Broadway by Linda Eder. Her “Bring on the Men” commands attention, but she also reveals the hope beneath Lucy’s bravado that makes Jekyll’s kindness mean so much to her. Her relationship with Hyde is indicative of her two sides as well.

Henry Gainza’s fitting choreography in “Jekyll & Hyde” at Actors’ Playhouse at the Miracle Theatre. (Photo by Javier Franceschi)

Henry Gainza’s choreography (Gainza also plays the Bishop of Basingstoke) is sometimes flowing, other times monstrous, reflecting the extremes of the story itself. It really shines in “Bring on the Men,” with Perea and the women of the Red Rat bringing an impenetrable energy to the number. The dance ensemble including dance captain Lauren Horgan, TJ Canlon, Alexandra Van Hasselt, Olivia Hudson-Fuentes, and Cat Pagano, who is also fight captain, add to the steam heat and execute Gainza’s choreography with ease.

Arisco finds some moments in the show to bring out the constant duality present in the musical. In the second act’s “In His Eyes,” he positions Barrios-Torress at stage right and Perea as Lucy at stage left, both occupying opposite sides of Jekyll and Hyde’s world. One is the woman he intends to marry; the other is attracted to the softness of Jekyll and then is also drawn to the brutishness of Hyde.

The multi-faceted set design by Brandon M. Newton in “Jekyll & Hyde” at Actors’ Playhouse at the Miracle Theatre. (Photo by Javier Franceschi)

Brandon M. Newton’s incredibly versatile set moves from Jekyll’s laboratory to the Board of Governors’ courtroom, with multiple levels allowing the action to shift throughout the space. Mirrors across the back add an element of reflection as Jekyll turns to Hyde. He doesn’t look into them; they serve as a visual reminder of his divided self.

Ellis Tillman’s period costumes beautifully establish the world of Victorian London. For Jekyll-Hyde, the costumes are crucial and add to the characterization, distinguishing the two men inhabiting the same body. Hyde’s long brown leather coat gives him a menacing presence, cementing the sense that something dangerous has taken over.

Eric Nelson’s lighting design may be a bit too dark in the first act, but there are striking choices, too. A bright golden light bathes Losada’s Jekyll as he excitedly prepares to conduct his experiment. The almost angelic glow captures how he sees this moment: He believes he is about to do something good, even as he prepares to unleash its opposite. Redar Sorensen’s production and sound design brings a richness to the production.

Music director Max Milian leads an excellent nine-piece band. Having the musicians out of sight keeps the audience in the moment, but with music so integral to the production, keeping them unseen even at curtain call may be a disservice. They deserve a mention here: Milian is also on keyboard, Antulio Mora is keyboard 2. Strings are Tony Seepersad on violin and Marcel Krasner on cello. Wind instruments are Jason Arkins and Bejamin Eisenberg on reeds, brass players are Doug Michels on trumpet/flugelhorn, Marciej Piestrasko on trombone and percussion by Mark Schubert.

A minor criticism of a nearly perfect production is that the ending could use a little more time. Seward lunges a beat too quickly, and Emma’s final moments need more room to register. There’s a sense of anticipating what comes next rather than letting it happen.

Ellis Tillman’s perfectly period costumes for Actors’ Playhouse’s “Jekyll & Hyde.” (Photo by Javier Franceschi)

The supporting cast includes Lovell Rose, Joline Mujica, Jeremy Sevelovitz, Paul Louis-Gonzalez, Stephen G. Anthony, Sofia Porcel and Ryan Townsend, with Logan Clinger, Luis Otamendi and Jonathan Eisele rounding out the ensemble. It’s a sizable company, and Arisco manages it with an assured hand, giving the large ensemble scenes the same care as the intimate exchanges.

“Jekyll & Hyde” is a big, brawny show, and Arisco allows for it the scale it deserves, filling the Miracle Theatre with powerful voices, monstrous movement and the unsettling consequences of one man’s determined cause. Bringing its many moving parts together is an impressive feat — and makes for a thrilling night at the theater.

WHAT:  “Jekyll & Hyde”

WHERE:  Actors’ Playhouse at The Miracle Theatre, 280 Miracle Mile, Coral Gables

WHEN:  8 p.m. Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday; 3 p.m. Sunday. Through Sunday, Nov. 1. 

COST:  $50-$100.

INFORMATION: 305-444-9293 or actorsplayhouse.org.

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