Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde
This is an enjoyable production of the book by Robert Louis Stevenson, dramatised for radio by Yvonne Antrobus.
It is directed by Claire Grove
BBC Radio 4 The Saturday Play Feb 3, 2007
It will be available to Listen Again on The Saturday Play web page through Friday February 9, 2007.
It's funny in New York there is a theme restaurant that the tourists take the kiddies too. It's called Jerkyll & Hyde.
It's not the first time that quite serious, adult, literature having to do with moral and psychological issues has been turned into some form entertainment for children. Frankenstein, Dracula, etc.
In that way I think some depth, art, of these things is stripped away.
Yet in another way they become bigger things. They turn into modern, fairy tales, folk tales and maybe the depth remains and is somehow transferred even in the bare bones of the stories.
Frankenstein: Become god-like and think you can create life. Then weird stuff can happen that you didn't anticipate. You ain't so smart as you might think are you.
Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde: Mind and body altering substances can be fun and very interesting. But. . .
I'm going to have to read the novel one day. I was quite fascinated by the play. The concept of attempting it integrate the good and bad side of ones personality is just great.
He drinks the stuff and feels free form his repression, guilt. It's just a great drug abuse melodrama and I'm quite fond of the genre. I recently watched a 1980s cocaine movie with James Woods called The Boost. Same deal.
These things must be big fun to act in. Adam Godley in the lead role gets to really chew the microphone.
