Joe Perry tackles 2 iconic roles in Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde
Playing one legendarily complex character in a play is hard enough work for most actors.
That's not stopping Calgary actor Joe Perry from playing two in the same iconic show. Perry is one of the stars of The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, playwright Nick Lane's adaptation of the Robert Louis Stevenson classic.
CTV Morning Live correspondent Adrianna Zhang sat down with Perry Thursday to talk about the show.
Q: Did you know the story of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde before doing the part?
JP: I find that the narrative of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde is found in so many different pop culture references – anywhere from The Nutty Professor to Marvel movies - I mean these are all retellings of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde.
It's just such an interesting vehicle to explore the duality of humanity, which I think most art is attempting to do anyhow, so – without knowing it, I think we've all been exposed to the Jekyll and Hyde story pretty consistently, but going back to Robert Louis Stevenson's original text, I just went back for the first time before this play – it's been super interesting to get into.
Q. This production is the North American premiere of Nick Lane's adaptation. How do you find it?
A. It's interesting. In the telling of the story, sometimes Hyde becomes this monstrous other thing – who isn't quite a person – but in this adaptation, it's very close between Jekyll and Hyde physically, so finding the differences between the two characters, making them distinguishable, and very separate entities, was a pretty intense challenge. (Director) Javier (Vilalta) has such a beautiful, movement-based esthetic that allows a lot of freedom but also a lot of challenge expressing these characters in a fully-bodied, fully-extended sort of way.
Q. There's a slightly different musical approach in this production from Lane's adaptation. How difficult was that?
A. To be honest, I get the pleasure of being Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde more often than I'm playing music (onstage) – there's a little bit (of the play) where I'm playing guitar, but the real musicians, Grant Tilly, Daniel Fong and Ally Lynch, lend such a beautiful tapestry of sound – not only with their voices but also their instruments to underscore the entire story – so I kind of get off the hook a little bit in that regard, but those three, what they bring to the project is so beautiful and unparalleled.
Performances start Saturday at Vertigo Mystery Theatre and run through Oct. 29. For more information about Vertigo Theatre, go here.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
There's actually no such thing as vegetables. Here's why you should eat them anyway
The rumours are true: Vegetables aren't real — that is, in botany, anyway. While the term fruit is recognized botanically as anything that contains a seed or seeds, vegetable is actually a broad umbrella term.
'It looked so legit': Ontario man pays $7,700 for luxury villa found on Booking.com, but the listing was fake
An Ontario man says he paid more than $7,700 for a luxury villa he found on a popular travel website -- but the listing was fake.
The Met Gala was in full bloom with Zendaya, Jennifer Lopez, Mindy Kaling among the standout stars
The Met Gala and its fashionista A-listers on Monday included Jennifer Lopez, Zendaya and a parade of others in a swirl of flora and fauna looks on a green-tinged carpet lined by live foliage.
BREAKING Israeli forces seize Rafah border crossing in Gaza, putting ceasefire talks on knife's edge
Israeli tanks seized control of Gaza’s vital Rafah border crossing on Tuesday as Israel brushed off urgent warnings from close allies and moved into the southern city even as ceasefire negotiations with Hamas remained on a knife’s edge.
Canadian cadets rock mullets and place second at U.S. military competition
Sporting mullets, Canadian Armed Forces officer cadets placed second in an annual military skills competition in the U.S.
Noelia Voigt resigns as Miss USA, citing her mental health
Noelia Voigt, who was crowned Miss USA in November 2023, has announced she is resigning from her role, saying the decision is in the best interest of her mental health.
Putin begins his fifth term as president, more in control of Russia than ever
Vladimir Putin began his fifth term Tuesday as Russian leader at a glittering Kremlin inauguration, setting out on another six years in office after destroying his political opponents, launching a devastating war in Ukraine and concentrating all power in his hands.
Winnipeg man admits to killing four women, argues he's not criminally responsible
Defence lawyers of Jeremy Skibicki have admitted in court the accused killed four Indigenous women, but argues he is not criminally responsible for the deaths by way of mental disorder – this latest development has triggered a judge-alone trial rather than a jury trial.
Mediterranean staple may lower your risk of death from dementia, study finds
A daily spoonful of olive oil could lower your risk of dying from dementia, according to a new study by Harvard scientists.