What to look for when watching the show

Script extract

MR ENFIELD (defensively) Well I had no reason to suspect -

DR JEKYLL Quite, Mr Enfield - while I kept on giving dinner parties -

LANYON Which I later very much regretted attending.

DR JEKYLL Oh did you , Dr Lanyon – I took those foul rooms in Soho -

THE INSPECTOR (defensively) In which we later found all the clues we needed -

DR JEKYLL But never me, Inspector - and I added that clause to my will -

UTTERSON To which I objected to most strongly -

DR JEKYLL - but then drew up anyway.

(now flaunting himself in front of DOCTOR S; a rise in temperature; he becomes a tempter).

DOCTOR S You see – Doctor - I didn't risk anything; I merely planned. A new life. A new life - can you imagine?

Of course I can.

DR JEKYLL

DOCTOR S

DR JEKYLL

DOCTOR S

DR JEKYLL Really?

(right back at him) Really, Doctor. How do you think I got here?

By planning?

Yes – but I would have stopped. I'd have stopped as soon as I realised what Hyde actually was. What he did.

Oh really, doctor - are you sure? All I had to do each night was to get home, swallow a second dose, and whatever Edward Hyde had been up to after dark passed away like the stain of breath upon a mirror. There is no pleasure, my dear, like the pleasure of complete safety.

What to look for when watching the show

We don’t recommend that students make notes during the production, it may spoil their experience and they might miss something! They should give the performance their full attention. Instead, use this pack to prepare students before they see the production, and you could give them pointers about what to look out for. If you are preparing students for the Live theatre section of the GCSE Drama written exam, you could put students into groups and give them one area of responsibility each to pay particular attention to during the production, such as: • Sound • Lighting • Set • Costume • Acting moments • Ensemble work

If you would like to focus more on acting and characterisation, you could ask students to look at one of the below characters and pick out some key moments for them: • Dr Stevenson • Jekyll/Hyde • Utterson • The Girl If you are studying the play as part of GCSE English preparation, you could ask students to focus on the following questions: • How is the stage adaptation different from the novel? • How does the adaptation bring out

Stevenson’s themes? • How is Victorian society presented on stage? • What understanding do we get of Jekyll’s character from this performance? • How is Utterson conveyed in this performance? • How is the portrayal of Hyde similar or different to his description in the book? • How is the wider context of the novel communicated in this adaptation?