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L.A. Theatre Works returns to live-in-performance audio theater
with ‘The Confession of Henry Jekyll, M.D.’ by David Rambo
Los Angeles (UPDATED April 7, 2023) — L.A. Theatre Works returns to live performance with the world premiere of The Confession of Henry Jekyll, M.D., an original, commissioned audio play by playwright and screenwriter David Rambo, inspired by “The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr. Hyde” by Robert Louis Stevenson. Each of four performances will be recorded live in front of an audience for future radio broadcast, digital download and online streaming. Performances take place April 14 through April 16, at the James Bridges Theater, located on the campus of UCLA in West Los Angeles.
LA. Theatre Works associate producer Anna Lyse Erikson directs Rambo’s modern-day psychological thriller about the duality of human nature, which stars Seamus Dever (Castle) in the title role. The cast also features Laila Ayad, Edita Brychta, Matthew Hancock, Venk Potula and André Sogliuzzo.
As Jekyll records the history of his years-long struggle to maintain his reputation as a physician, venture capitalist and philanthropist while secretly attempting to suppress a voracious, amoral beast he has long felt lurking within his psyche, his harrowing story is revealed in a series of flashbacks.
“Setting the story in present-day New York gave me a fantastic metaphor for Henry Jekyll’s struggle with himself,” says Rambo. “The city’s chaos is exciting, full of opportunities for boundary breaking exploration — that’s Hyde. The search to find peace from the chaos is the Jekyll persona; the two are constantly in conflict, just as Henry is in conflict with himself.”
Following the 3 p.m. performance on Saturday, April 15, Les Klinger, one of the world’s foremost experts on the history of crime and horror fiction, and David Rambo will discuss the play, moderated by L.A. Theatre Works producing director Susan Albert Loewenberg.
L.A. Theatre Works stands apart in its approach to making great theater widely accessible and affordable, bringing plays into homes and classrooms of millions of theater lovers, teachers and students each year. The company’s syndicated audio theater series broadcasts weekly on public radio stations across the U.S. (locally, in Southern California, on KPFK 90.7 FM); can be downloaded as a podcast via iTunes, NPR One, or wherever you get your podcasts; and can be streamed on demand at latw.org. The L.A. Theatre Works catalog of over 600 recorded plays is the largest archive of its kind in the world. Audiofile magazine calls L.A. Theatre Works productions “the gold standard for fine audio theater recordings.”
Performances of The Confession of Henry Jekyll, M.D. take place on Friday, April 14 at 8 p.m.; Saturday, April 15 at 3 p.m.; Saturday, April 15 at 8 p.m.; and Sunday, April 16 at 4 p.m. Tickets range from $15 to $65.
The James Bridges Theater is located in the UCLA School of Theater, Film and Television at 235 Charles E. Young Drive, Los Angeles, CA 90095.
For more information and to purchase tickets, call (310) 827-0889 or go to latw.org.
Details for Calendar Listings‘
The Confession of Henry Jekyll, M.D.’
WHAT:
L.A. Theatre Works returns to live performance with the world premiere of The Confession of Henry Jekyll, M.D., an original, commissioned audio play by playwright and screenwriter David Rambo, inspired by “The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde” by Robert Louis Stevenson. As Jekyll records the history of his years-long struggle to maintain his reputation as a physician, venture capitalist and philanthropist while secretly attempting to suppress a voracious, amoral beast he has long felt lurking within his psyche, his harrowing story is revealed in a series of flashbacks. Each of the four performances will be recorded live in front of an audience for future radio broadcast, digital download and online streaming.
WHO:
• Written by David Rambo
• Starring Seamus Dever as Henry Jekyll and Robert Hyde
• Featuring Laila Ayad, Edita Brychta, Matthew Hancock, Venk Potula and André Sogliuzzo
• Directed by Anna Lyse Erikson
• Commissioned and produced by L.A. Theatre Works, Susan Albert Loewenberg producing director
WHEN:
• Friday, April 14 at 8 p.m.
• Saturday, April 15 at 3 p.m.*
• Saturday, April 15 at 8 p.m.
• Sunday, April 16 at 4 p.m.
* Following the 3 p.m. performance on Saturday, April 15, Les Klinger, one of the world’s foremost experts on the history of crime and horror fiction, and David Rambo will discuss the play, moderated by L.A. Theatre Works producing director Susan Albert Loewenberg.
WHERE:
James Bridges Theater
UCLA School of Theater, Film and Television
235 Charles E. Young Drive
Los Angeles, CA 90095
(enter UCLA from Hilgard just south of Sunset Blvd.; park in Lot 3 on the lower level)
TICKETS:
$15-$65
HOW:
latw.org
310-827-0889
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