The Orange Curtain Review

Written by Alina Mae Wilson 

There is a reason The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson is as famous as it is.  The essential idea behind all the action is delightful.  Stevenson’s novella is centered on the increasingly strange behavior displayed by the well known and well respected Dr. Henry Jekyll. As it turns out, Jekyll has been performing experiments on himself, which transform him into the immoral Mr. Edward Hyde.  Thus we have what is loosely considered by many to be a story focusing on the good and evil battling inside every person.  It’s one of the most delicious plot concepts ever put to paper.  In 1997 Jekyll & Hyde the Musical made its Broadway debut.   It has a score requiring powerful singing and a story calling for skilled actors, yet I find something is missing from it.  While I appreciate its intellectual aspects, I often find myself irritated because of the story’s lack of shock value and emotional pain. Fortunately, the Huntington Beach Academy for the Performing Arts has taken any pressure they might have felt from tackling such a show and used it as a propellant to overcome those issues.  In short, these youthful performers are excellent. Continue Reading