“JEKYLL & HYDE”: Performances are underway for “Jekyll & Hyde.” Presented by Kelsey Theatre and Off-Centre Stages, and directed by Genevieve Estanislau, the musical runs through October 27 at Kelsey Theatre. Above: Dr. Henry Jekyll (William Kamps) struggles to regain control over a rather dangerous experiment. (Photo by Abigail Acolia Photography)

By Donald H. Sanborn III

Kelsey Theatre is presenting Off-Centre Stages’ production of Jekyll & Hyde. The popular musical continues Kelsey’s “Season of Transformations” by portraying one of the most famous literary metamorphoses: doctor into murderer.

Loosely adapted from Robert Louis Stevenson’s novella Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (1886), Jekyll & Hyde is conceived for the stage by Steve Cuden and Frank Wildhorn. The book is by Leslie Bricusse, who also is credited with the lyrics, though a few of the songs have words by all three writers. Using the novella as a point of departure, the musical adds a romantic element, as well as themes of class tension, ambition, and autonomy versus community.

Composed by Wildhorn, the music blends a pop idiom with cabaret, traditional musical theater, and liturgical music. In turn, the libretto blends Victorian melodrama with classic Greek tragedy (complete with a chorus that comments on settings and events), leavened by comic moments. (Jekyll’s engagement party, awkwardly attended by the aristocratic hospital board that has just roundly rejected the proposal for his experiment, has some sparkling dialogue.)

Wildhorn’s lushly melodic score marks a thorough embrace of the “pop opera” style of Les Miserables and The Phantom of The Opera. Key songs from Jekyll & Hyde (especially “Someone Like You,” and “A New Life”) have been widely performed and recorded by Linda Eder, who originated the role of Lucy Harris.

Jekyll & Hyde’s 1990 premiere at the Alley Theatre, and the release of an initial concept album the same year, have been followed by two other concept albums, a tour, and two Broadway productions (the 1997 debut and a 2013 revival).

The production now at Kelsey is directed by Genevieve Estanislau, who also provides the choreography and set design. Estanislau takes advantage of the show’s strengths, while bringing creative choices that depart from previous productions.

As a set designer, Estanislau artfully minimizes any sense of stability or order, by eschewing a straight-ahead proscenium view. Frequent Kelsey audiences will notice that the orchestra is not in its usual platform off to one side, but instead is concealed right under it. Instead, the platform is occupied by the most lavishly detailed setting: Jekyll’s consulting room.

Covered in tiles of black and white (a choice reinforced in some ensemble members’ costumes), the stage itself initially is furnished only by a ladder and a hard wooden chair (which, as the show opens, is occupied by a mysterious figure). The stage is bookended by a portrait of Jekyll on one end, and Hyde on the other.

Estanislau is particularly deft in making heightened use of choreography to illustrate key moments, especially Jekyll’s first transformation into Hyde. Whereas the Broadway production had the actor on stage alone, Estanislau has him surrounded by dancers — perhaps representing distortions of people with whom he recently has come into contact — who, in an eerie sequence that almost recalls Bob Fosse, portray Jekyll’s inner demons rising to the surface, ready to rewrite his soul.

William Kamps delivers an outstanding performance as the title characters. A sturdy baritone, he brings both requisite vocal power and a dramatic arc to his songs. For Jekyll’s signature ballad, “This is the Moment,” Kamps opens with affable, almost boyish eagerness, letting the rendition build in intensity as he steels his resolve to test his theories, and a dangerous chemical formula, on himself.

The anthemic music for the song captures the heroism Jekyll aims to embody — he wants to believe his actions are in service of scientific advancement — while the lyrics (especially in the short bridge) accentuate the doctor’s ambitious, less noble motivations, suggesting that the formula is merely a vehicle for a dark descent on which Jekyll might have embarked with or without it. Estanislau’s staging entails a literal descent, as Jekyll processes downstairs from his study to his laboratory.

A natural inclination is to compare the portrayal of Jekyll to that of Hyde. Kamp’s performance underlines that actually there are three iterations of the protagonist: pre-transformation Jekyll, Hyde, and post-transformation Jekyll. Kamps satisfyingly contrasts the frustrated, driven passion of pre-transformation Jekyll with the still determined but increasingly desperate post-Hyde Jekyll who steadily loses control over his experiment as his alter ego wreaks havoc in London.

The best sequences with Hyde (a character depicted via a lower tone of voice) come when Kamps uses menacing eye contact and in the menacingly seductive choreography of “It’s a Dangerous Game,” a duet between Hyde and Lucy (Karaline Rosen).

Rosen is appealing as Lucy, the world-weary but kindhearted songstress at the Red Rat, the brothel where Jekyll meets her. Rosen’s belting but controlled mezzo-soprano gives a pleasing shape to Lucy’s solo ballads, the plaintive “Someone Like You” and wistful “A New Life.” Rosen and the ensemble infuse their raunchy, uptempo showpiece “Bring on the Men” with plenty of earthy sensuality — though Estanislau uses movement sparingly, likely so that the number does not overshadow Jekyll’s transformation.

Angel Aucker also shines as Emma, Jekyll’s headstrong, staunchly supportive fiancée (and the daughter of Sir Danvers Carew). Varying both her vocal inflections and body movement, Aucker imbues her duet with Kamps, “Take Me as I Am,” with a touch of whimsy (helping to negate Variety’s 1997 quip that the show has “half the personality of its title character, and it’s the dour, humorless half”). Aucker brings a pleasant soprano and sensitive phrasing to her soothing solo “Once Upon a Dream;” and her showpiece duet with Rosen, “In His Eyes.”

As Sir Danvers, chairman of the hospital board, Edward J. Forsthoffer III captures the character’s mixture of reserve, tact, and eagerness to protect Emma. Forsthoffer and Aucker deliver a sweet rendition of their tender duet “Letting Go.”

J. Ryan Harmer ably portrays lawyer Gabriel John Utterson’s mixture of supportiveness, concern, and frustration with Jekyll’s increasingly erratic behavior. Here, Utterson is played more as a brother figure for Jekyll, rather than the paternal figure of the Broadway version. Harmer, Kamps, Aucker, and Forsthoffer sound good together in their tense quartet “His Work and Nothing More.”

Matt Keelan is suitably effete as Mr. Simon Stride, a board member and Jekyll’s embittered rival for Emma’s affections. Similarly, Leah Panuccio is entertainingly snobbish as Lady Beaconsfield.

The cast is ably rounded out by John Dwyer (Bishop of Basingstoke), Joseph Schachter (General Lord Glossop), TJ Walton (Sir Archibald), Jessica Steele (Poole and Lady Savage), Belle Salvatore (Nellie), Mary Sudol (Bisset), and Allana Harrell (Spider). Well serving Jason Howland’s musical arrangements, the ensemble satisfyingly blends the voices of Rocky Addison, Julia Beckman, Sean Gavin, Megan Moyers, Travis Weaver, and Kit Weeden.

Music Director Madelyn Curtin ably conducts the orchestra, which does justice to Kim Scharnberg’s orchestrations. The woodwinds seem to come to the forefront a bit more here than on Broadway, where the strings were noticeably prominent. A flute restatement of “In His Eyes,” leading into “A New Life,” is nicely rendered.

ick Mastalesz’s sound design generally serves the performances well (though at the October 20 performance, Kamps’ microphone briefly stopped functioning in the middle of one of his solos). Christian Confalone’s lighting enhances the spookiness of the murder sequences, and punctuates the moods of the songs.

Taking a cue from the show’s mixture of Victorian setting with contemporary music, the costumes (by Kelly Plexico, Zhi Sharpe, Kit Weeden, and Justine DeNicola) suggest the time period rather than attempt to strictly imitate it. Jekyll’s patterned shirt — which looks less formal and historic than the outfits worn by Sir Danvers and the other hospital governors — underlines his defiant outsider status.

“Comments on style … should never be made by those who have none.” A tempting parallel exists between Jekyll’s adversarial relationship with the governors, and reactions to the creative approach of Wildhorn and his collaborators.

Anyone who followed musical theater in the mid-1990s may remember that opinions about this show’s merits felt particularly divided and intense. Snide condescension from detractors was matched by fervent enthusiasm from fans. In response to the original Broadway production’s impending closing, an online chat post paraphrased a lyric line: “One sweet chance to prove the critics wrong!”

To be sure, some stretches of the show remain uneven. This particularly concerns the lyrics, as there are quite a few forced rhymes (such as “Simon” with “waste your time on”). Examples of this abound in “Murder, Murder,” which is musically interesting but seems to defy smooth choreography. Certain scenes call for over-the-top acting that will seem ridiculously camp to some audiences.

Generally, though, the online fan need not have worried; the show has proven its detractors wrong, by holding up remarkably well as a work of theater. What emerges is a cautionary parable about excessive self-isolation — it is easy to compare Jekyll to sufferers of any number of additions or adversities. It is fortunate that Estanislau and a talented cast are able to give Jekyll & Hyde “a new life” at Kelsey.

“Jekyll & Hyde” will play at the Kelsey Theatre at Mercer County Community College, 1200 Old Trenton Road in West Windsor, through October 27. For tickets, show times, and more information call (609)570-3333 or visit kelsey.mccc.edu/shows_current.shtml.