Inver Hills Theatre Presents ‘Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde’

All men have two sides—one good and one evil.

So believes Dr. Jekyll, a respected physician and the protagonist of "Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde", which debuts at this weekend.

Jekyll's descent into his own evil nature is the focus of the play, an adaptation of the classic, 19th Century thriller written by Robert Louis Stevenson. Directed by longtime Inver Hills theater instructor George M. Roesler, the play stars Victor Bartosiewicz as Dr. Henry Jekyll and Mr. Edward Hyde.

The play applies both to those in a Halloween-horror state of mind and those interested in one man's introspective battle between his good and evil nature.

"It's creepy," agreed Bartosiewicz. "And it's definitely is going to be fun to watch."

Showings of "Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde" are scheduled for 7:30 p.m. on Nov. 4 and 5, and again on Nov. 11 and 12. All performances will be held at the Fine Arts Theater on the college's campus.

During the course of the play, Jekyll perfects a drug which transforms him from the gentle Dr. Jekyll into the hideous Mr. Hyde. Eventually, the character of Mr. Hyde begins to take complete possession of Dr. Jekyll.

"I've always loved the story of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde," said Roesler. "I directed the play about 20 years ago and just had a great time with it. I'm drawn to the Gothic horrors. I've done "Frankenstein," "Dracula," and I like the concept of good versus evil and the battle between the two. And of course in this case we have one character battling within himself the ideal of dual nature."

The horror of the transformation of Jekyll to Hyde is brought to the forefront through the character of Jekyll's fiancee, played by Rachel Peake.

"You can see the conflict in his eyes when he's trying to hold back from becomming Hyde, but he's still (unable)," said Peake. "But he's still a sympathetic character."

"Yes, definitely a sympathetic character," agreed Bartosiewicz. "He definitely let the worst side of his nature take complete possession of him and, luckily for him, at the end he redeems himself."

Tickets are $10 for adults, $5 for seniors and students and free to Inver Hills students. Tickets are available for purchase at the door the evening of the performance.

Three monologues from the original novella have been added to provide background for the story.

"It's where we see more of the inner thought of Jekyll," Roseler said.

The play also features Jamie Abe of South St. Paul as Pauline; Paul C. Proto of St. Paul as Dr. Lanyon; David A. Backer of Farmington as Mr. Utterson; Alex Dean of Cottage Grove as Richard Enfield; Rachel Peake of Cottage Grove as Diana Carew; Jeremy Schoenecker of St. Paul Park as Danvers Carew; Katie Lienemann of Inver Grove Heights as Bridget; Elaina Zimmerman of West St. Paul as Connie; and Luke Zenker of Eagan as Inspector Newcomen.

Production staff includes scenic design and technical director Renee Petersen of Burnsville; costume designers Emma Blue of St. Paul and Bobbi Iverson-Roesler of St. Paul; and stage manager Katie Ross of Cottage Grove.