BY BARBARA GREENBERG
DANVILLE — The names Jekyll and Hyde have become so familiar that they’re often used as adjectives. No one questions what’s meant when a person is described as “a real Jekyll and Hyde.” He or she is two-faced at best, schizophrenic at worst.
Audiences will find yet another meaning to the names when Danville Light Opera presents the musical “Jekyll & Hyde” on Oct. 27 and 28. The Robert Louis Stephenson classic, about a doctor who experiments on himself and creates a monster, takes on a new dimension with the addition of music and songs.
“The score is full of passion and power,” Belinda Smith, the show’s musical director and wife of Commercial-News editor Larry Smith, said. “The music is so mysterious, and the words tell the story of Jekyll’s conflict. Everyone knows the basic story, but the music brings it alive.”
Many of those who appear in the show were attracted by that music.
Jim Gilmour considers himself more of an actor than a singer, but when he learned DLO would bring the show to Danville he felt drawn to the auditions.
“I’m not a singer,” Gilmour said, “but I knew and loved this music. I wanted to be part of this show.”
His wife, Anna Beth Gilmour, felt the same way about the score. Jim wound up cast as Sir Danvers Carew, a part that utilized his acting skills. Anna Beth said she loves to sing and that her part in the show’s chorus is perfect for her.
Both were delighted when Lisa Richter, Gilmour’s daughter, also was selected for a role in the musical.
“This is the first time that we’re all together in a show,” Jim said.
Richter feels equally excited about the family debut. She’s plays Spider, one of the saloon girls, in “Jekyll & Hyde.”
“My dad and I were both in ‘Jesus Christ Superstar,’” she said, “but the three of us have never all done the same show before.
“I knew my dad and his wife loved this music,” she said, “but I had to talk them into auditioning. I told my dad, ‘If you’re a good actor, you can sell a song.’”
Three members of another family appear in DLO’s season premiere — although one of them has four feet instead of two.
Geno Carver, a Danville High School sophomore, plays Jekyll’s best friend and attorney.
“I’m always cast as one of the adults,” the mature-looking Carver said. He said that he finds community theater “a great creative outlet.”
His mother, Jeanne Dunn, appears as Lady Beaconsfield, a character she described as “a wealthy, snooty type.” Such a woman would naturally choose one attention-getting accessory — a little dog. That part went to Lily, the family’s Pomeranian, who never leaves Dunn’s side on or off stage.
Dunn, a DLO veteran, said, “Theater provides a great community. I met my best friends in shows.
“I’m very proud of Geno,” she said. “It’s wonderful for us to have these kinds of opportunities together.”
Julia Megan Sullivan directed and choreographed “Jekyll & Hyde.” Certified in stage combat, she also served as fight director. (Sullivan is a daughter of Commercial-News reporter Barbara Greenberg.)
Like many in the cast, Sullivan knew and loved the score. But she’d seen the show performed and it was its message that attracted her to direct it.
“It’s really about man’s inner turmoil,” she said. “It demonstrates how people operate under a façade. Good can be evil, and evil can be good. The only thing constant is change.”
To convey those serious themes, Sullivan said she needed “very strong actors who could sing. But all our actors are very competent musicians.”
Anthony Roach, who stars as Jekyll, is a prime example of that description. Smith described him as “an actor who has stretched himself for this role. His performance is powerful.”
Sullivan said the show was specifically chosen to “keep DLO’s loyal audience, but offer something different at the same time.”
The performance remains family friendly in the tradition of DLO.
Smith teaches music at Danville’s Southwest Elementary school. “I’d love for my students to see this show,” she said.
IF YOU GO
Danville Light Opera will present “Jekyll & Hyde” at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 27, and at 2 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 28, in the Danville High School Auditorium. Tickets are $16 for adults, and $12 for students high school age and under.
Reservations can be made by calling the DLO Box Office at 431-1660 or by stopping by DLO's Center Stage Rehearsal Hall in the Village Mall. Box office hours are from 2-4 p.m., Sunday and from 7-9 p.m. Oct. 21-24 Tickets also can be purchased at First Savings Bank, 6 W. Williams St., and at the door.
