What I liked
First off, the meticulous lighting and sound design, and a few very cleverly designed set pieces really created the ominous world of Jekyll and Hyde in 1865 London. Second, the quick costume changes were absolutely genius! In addition, the writing took a story that we have heard a million times and turned it into some thing funny and fresh, with lots of hilarious winks to the audience, but also some very tender and moving moments. And the performances were phenomenal. Special kudos to Anna Stromberg for playing what seemed like a hundred different characters, each with his or her own voice and dialect! (Just keeping them all straight in your mind would be a challenge, but she brought each one of them to life in a very distinctive way.) Burt Grinstead was also charming as the eponymous male lead, who is split between his Good and and Evil sides; he truly transformed before our eyes when going from Jekyll to Hyde and back.
What I didn't like
The only thing I can think of that could be improved slightly is the pace of a few moments of certain scenes. I suspect those will improve as the actors perform the show over and over again and find their rhythm; alternatively, there may be a few moments of exposition in the script that could be trimmed ever so slightly.
My overall impression
This show came highly recommended by a respected member of the LA theatre community, and he wasn’t wrong. DR. JEKYLL & MR. HYDE blew me away! From the powerful lighting and sound design, to the creative staging, to the brilliant writing and acting, this show was extraordinarily entertaining from beginning to end! I honestly did not expect much, given that fringe festival fare is always hit or miss, but this show went way beyond my expectations of what a fringe show can be. It is both hilarious and suspenseful, which is a difficult balancing act to pull off. If you see only one show at Hollywood Fringe this year, make it this one.
