Split Stage explores good, evil in performance of 'Jekyll & Hyde'

Elly Carr will take a step back in time this weekend performing in Split Stage Productions’ rendition of the musical “Jekyll & Hyde.”

Based on Robert Louis Stevenson’s 1886 novel “The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde,” the 1990 musical falls on Carr’s all-time favorite list.

“When I was in high school,” said Carr, 36, of Penn Township, “this was the show.”

But coming back to the show two decades later, Carr has a greater appreciation for the musical and her character, Lucy Harris.

“She is that character that is longing for something else, something better, something more,” Carr said of Lucy, who is a prostitute. “Ultimately, she goes on a bit of a rollercoaster throughout the show of moments of hope and then she gets let down.”

“It’s a really fascinating thing to approach a role like this as an adult with the life experience of having ups and downs and highs and lows within life after adolescence,” Carr said. “It’s really exciting to attack it and not be 17.”

Split Stage Productions opened in 2013. The 18-person cast, featuring talent from across Southwestern Pa., will perform “Jekyll & Hyde” Feb. 7-8 and 13-15 at the Lamp Theatre in Irwin.

The performance comes with a dose of nostalgia for director Laura Wurzell, who has helmed and choreographed shows at the theater company for more than a decade.

Wurzell’s first experienced “Jekyll & Hyde” about 15 years ago. She choreographed the at the Apple Hill Playhouse in Salem, which closed in 2020 and reopened as the Red Barn Winery a year later.

Several of the actors Wurzell worked with more than a decade ago will perform in the February shows, she said.

“Coming back to the show is fun, because it’s a lot of history,” said Wurzell.

This time around, Wurzell’s focus is on the show’s “good and evil” theme, exemplified by Dr. Henry Jekyll and his alter ego Edward Hyde.

“That side of him — that evil side of him — (Jekyll) has a hard time taking responsibility for that,” Wurzell said. “And I find that interesting, because we often talk about good and evil in people and that we have choices and that you have the devil and the angel on your shoulder.

“As humans, we can have a hard time accepting responsibility for that side of ourselves that maybe we’re not always proud of.”

Wurzell and music director Chris McAllister were also tasked with recreating the show’s strong vocals without the assistance of extra ensemble characters — a challenge the cast has taken head-on.

“When they sing, it sounds like it’s double the cast singing,” Wurzell said.

Carr hopes the performance exposes residents to Westmoreland County’s musical talent.

“This show has the most indulgent vocals,” Carr said, “and a lot of the songs from the show are wildly popular in the theater world. There will be people in the audience who care only about hearing certain songs.”