PUSH Physical Theatre, creators of the award-winning 2022 hit “Generic Male,” return to Orlando for the world premiere of “Hyde,” an atmospheric experiment in dance theater inspired by Robert Louis Stevenson’s horror novella The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde that’s told from the monster’s perspective. Ashley Jones plays the titular terror, who enlists two performers (Heather Stevenson and Darren Stevenson) in retelling his story through thrilling, gravity-defying movement pieces set to Ricky Desktop, Peter Gundry and Gungor.
The trio, who wrote and directed the show collaboratively, reinvent the iconic transformation scene, sway in a deathly waltz, and mirror each other in a show-stopping shadow routine. However, just as these breathtaking demonstrations of dance combat and hand-balancing acrobatics are reaching their climax, they are interrupted by an inopportune phone call from an eagerly expected late arrival.
That launches Hyde into another fourth wall-breaking interrogation of the audience, whom he initially teases with seemingly silly interactive games before threatening to “do something terrible” and challenging us to stop him. Interspersed in all this are fragments of mournful monologues that hint a deeper meaning behind Hyde’s increasingly confounding confrontations with his viewers.
PUSH’s last production was the kind of show I could recommend unreservedly to nearly any Fringe-goer, but this work-in-progress is a far pricklier piece that features just as much thoughtful imagination, but in a far less accessible package. I personally felt the moody lighting was too murky, the ending was too enigmatic, and the overall balance tipped too far in favor of monologuing rather than movement. But for modern dance devotees who appreciate exceptional weight-sharing, as well as lovers of avant-garde expressionism with a gothic edge, “Hyde” will be another must-see.
Orlando Fringe Festival: Tickets and times for “Hyde”
Seth Kubersky
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