Chemical Imbalance: A Jekyll and Hyde Play

by Lauren Wilson

Book by Lauren Wilson

Genres: Plays

48 pages, Paperback

First published June 30, 2007

About the author

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Reviews

[Esme · Rating 5 out of 5]

Nice, fast-paced comedic piece. Definitely will be a great play to put on and I would love to watch it sometime. The script is hilarious and witty.

[Anne Mason · Rating 3 out of 5]

A tongue-in-cheek adaptation of Robert Louis Stevenson’s infamous tale.

DPS casting breakdown is 4m5w with doubling, but there’s creative flexibility in casting. One child plays the twin girls. With no doubling (other than the twin girls), the play could be performed with 1 girl, 7 women, and 2 men (or 6 women and 3 men) doubling options could be 7 women and 3 men or 6 women and 4 men. And the two older women could be played by male actors.

Accents: RP, Irish, Scottish. Farce/slapstick/physical comedy. Some combat (slaps, punches, billy club strikes, and a pointy cane sword fight). Some intimacy (bawdy and humorous - not softly romantic). Action occurs in the Jekyll living room, Jekyll’s lab, and a public outdoor setting. Victorian era production design.

Doubling cast breakdown:
Jekyll (also Hyde)
Ambrosia/Constable
Xavier/Lieutenant
Euphonia (male or female)
Mrs. Throckmortonshire (male or female)
Rosamunda
Calliope/Penelope (child)
Ivy
Plodgett

[Phillip · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you're expecting a stage version of Stevenson's Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, this is not it. While Wilson uses versions of Jekyll and Hyde as characters, the plot is completely different, the themes are completely different, and the tone is completely different. The sentence that best describes this play is one said by the cook to the maid when gossiping about the murders around the house: "They'll take a story and add their own embroiderings to it, until it bears no resemblance to the original at all" (27). I would actually describe this play as Jekyll and Hyde co-written for the stage by Jane Austen and Eugene Ionesco. There is a domestic plot, in which Jekyll is trying to marry Rosmunda Dewthistle, while his mother and sister are navigating society connections--so that's the Jane Austen aspect. Many of Hyde's actions are more on the Ionesco side, grounded in absurdism. For instance, some of his crimes include stamping on a wreath and dampening a baby in a puddle (though he does kill several animals and a police officer--and by the way, authors, stop using violence against animals to be edgy). And when he tries to kill the maid and cook, he does so in a series of bizarrely over-the-top ways, like a stick of dynamite with a match that won't light or trying to sharpen a butter knife. The Austen influence is more pronounced at the beginning, whereas the Ionesco influence grows toward the end.
https://youtu.be/3s5_WSXpAs0

[nevaeh galluccio · Rating 2 out of 5]

I think reading this play was harder than it would be to actually watch it. I think a lot of the comedy would be communicated better with the comedic timing and delivery instead of reading it straight; I did not realize this was a full-on comedy play until my reread. It was still entertaining regardless at several points. I had a fun time performing Scene 3 for my acting class as a monologue.

[bee · Rating 5 out of 5]

5 stars.

this is such a silly show - we're doing it in my theatre class for our first ever student directed play. it's a comedy and it's so, so silly. definitely very comical and i enjoy it very much. i'm so excited to see what we do with it in theatre.

"why no, in fact the murderin's been a bit slow since this mornin'. a bit of fig cake sounds right pleasant."

[Stirling · Rating 3 out of 5]

Amusing. And strange. I think the ending was sending a message.

[Caitlin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderful storyline to the Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde story. I am doing this for theatre!