The Court Theatre Youth Company’s production of Evan Placey’s Jekyll and Hyde starts by offering a sequel, of sorts, to Robert Louis Stevenson’s Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde. In the original Gothic novella, scientist Henry Jekyll discovers how to transform himself into the bestial Mr Hyde through the use of a mysterious serum.

In this female-centric continuation of the story, Jekyll’s widow, Harriet (Isayah Snow), struggles with the fallout from her husband’s death and her repressed sense of self. Her newfound role as ‘woman alone’ in a world marked by strict, misogynistic gender divisions is judged as wanting by hypocrites and bores. She’s looking for something different, and her solo trips to the theatre late at night, and her interest in her husband’s experiments, mark her as transgressive. Female behaviour, then as now, is always policed.  

It’s not spoiling much to reveal that she eventually manages to recreate the serum, unleashing the rapacious, sensual Flossie Hyde (Meg Roberts), who romps her way through the seedier sides of London, rattling cages as she goes. That’s what we’ve come for, after all – a bit of wish fulfilment? However, it’s soon clear that there’s something off about this late Victorian world. Peculiar glitches and anachronisms start creeping their way into the performances, lights and soundscape. Modern day anxieties, language and gender politics are so close to the surface that they punctuate the action. There’s an odd woman, Florence (Abby-May Burkin), hanging about; we’re deep within the story, but there’s clearly something outside it, too.

Through a series of ruptures, which cascade into various flavours of violence, Placey’s 2017 script – written for a young cast – asks us to consider what we might do to change the world if we were able to embrace our own inner Hydes and tell our own stories. Although obviously political in its tone, and contemporary in its concerns, it is also ambivalent. 

The cast of 20, as in previous Youth Company performances, are committed and enthusiastic. The three women who helm the piece offer strong, focused performances. I’m also impressed by some of the supporting cast, including Richard Townsend’s hunched, gasping portrayal of the scientist Dr Lanyon, and Jasper Sutcliffe’s robust performance as a particularly driven police officer. 

Director Dan Bain’s production frequently emphasises an uneasy sense of place and subjectivity. The moody, chiaroscuro lighting, designed by Sean Hawkins, cuts through thick haze, tracing the edges of strong tableaux. There are some lovely images, including Harriet’s attempts to persuade the chuckling, wheezing bloc of top-hatted scientists to let her continue her husband’s work. It adds a rich sense of atmosphere, and emphasises the production’s interest in duality and (perhaps) the artificial distinctions between good and evil. The stylised period costumes capture a great sense of place and character. The half dozen cheval mirrors that make up the minimal set also offer some interesting viewing angles, while keeping us grounded in the show’s thematic intentions.

I am a real fan of what this Youth Company has offered over time. Their shows brim with energy, and their choice of material – which is less bounded by pesky things like commercial sensibilities – offers space for experimentation and exploration. However, the somewhat ad hoc nature of the Court Theatre’s Pub Charity Studio Space (including the seating arrangement), which has for other shows been a little tricky, is in this instance a significant liability.

The breadth and depth of the space offers good scope for movement and blocking, but I’m unable to see much below waist level. This includes low to the ground choreography, key pieces of action, and projections on the floor. Some of those in the back row stand up intermittently to see. The high-ceilinged space also swallows much of the actors’ often accented speech, except for those who have clearly had some formal vocal training. Add in the space’s awful, uncomfortable chairs and it’s hard work. Attendees should try to get a seat near the centre of the front row.

It’s a real shame. It’s an ambitious and timely production, but these technical issues do not serve to fully showcase the talents of the promising young company, nor the full scope of the play. 

Copyright © in the review belongs to the reviewer