This one man production is a very interesting take on Jekyll and Hyde, one I have never seen before. I must admit I was a bit unsure to start with, however, I couldn’t have been more mistaken. The performance was dark and thrilling but also really fun and very humorous in places. I had absolutely no trouble following the story or distinguishing between characters, this was due to Stratford's incredible use of lighting, accents and posture.
The lighting particularly stood out to me, it was very clever on Stratford's part. The lighting would change based on the character, time and place, this made it so much easier to follow who was talking at which time when it may not have otherwise been obvious. As well as this, Stratford's talent for accents certainly didn’t go unnoticed., I believe this may be the most important thing when it comes to distinguishing between characters in a one man performance and Stratford absolutely nailed it.
Stratford's performance of Hyde stayed with me long after the show had ended. He was the perfect mix of horrifying and in some places quite humorous. I must comment on one particular part where I thought he was actually going to jump off the stage at a member of the audience. It has to be one of the most exiting performances of Hyde I’ve ever seen! I also thought it was really interesting how every time Jekyll turned into Hyde the lights would become green and much darker which made his face look so sinister and sadistic.
The stage itself was fairly simple, with a wooden chair, desk and stand. The performance ran for 90 minutes including an interval. The play was engaging and entertaining and I certainly didn’t see anyone in the audience looking bored or uninterested. If you have been considering going to watch this performance I hope this review convinces you to. It was a brilliantly acted play and I would love to see more from Mark Stratford in the future.
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