Rethink All You Thought You Knew About Gothic Classic Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde Thanks to a New Adaptation

Does anyone really know the story behind Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde? Or, like actor Ewen Leslie, do we only think we do? When Leslie landed the dual lead role in Sydney Theatre Company’s upcoming production of the Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde , he realised he’d misinterpreted the tale in which a doctor (Jekyll) creates a serum that unleashes his dark side, manifested in the character of Hyde.

“I always thought it was the story of a scientist who accidentally created this potion that, when he drank it, he would turn into this horrible monster that was out of his control,” Leslie admits to Broadsheet , pointing out his only references to what he knew about the story were Bugs Bunny and Tom and Jerry cartoons.

“But [then] I read the novel, and what I didn’t realise was that it was something Dr Jekyll was willingly doing. It was about someone who lived in the Victorian times where there was a lot of social pressures … and he felt he needed to create a completely different person to go out and indulge in these kinds of secret fantasies.”

Considered one of the most chilling stories ever written, the Strange Case of Dr Jekyll And Mr Hyde follows London lawyer Gabriel Utterson (played by actor Matthew Backer) as he attempts to unravel the mysteries surrounding his friend Jekyll and his relationship with Hyde, a shadowy new presence in his life.

“I guess I’ve played a lot of good men in difficult situations in the past, but I’ve played a lot of bad ones, who have done awful shit, such as Cassius in Julius Caesar, so I hope I can bring those things together [in this role],” says Leslie.

This gothic classic by Robert Louis Stevenson is brought to life on stage by the award-winning creative team behind national sensation The Picture of Dorian Gray ; between them, Leslie and Backer will play every role in the production.

STC artistic director Kip Williams , director and writer of both Dorian Gray and this vivid adaptation, will again blend theatrical storytelling with technical wizardry, mixing live performance with real-time and pre-recorded videos.

“The most important thing is we want to create a really thrilling ride that the audience goes on with us,” Leslie says. “[We] want it to be a wild ride.”

Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde will run as part of Adelaide Festival from March 3 - March 12 at Her Majesty's Theatre.

adelaidefestival.com.au