On the opening night of the Filigree Theatre’s Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, the audience was tense with anticipation. Smoke filled the small space, and as the audience padded to their seats, which were set in a semicircle with a row in between for the actors to make a path through, they were questioning what this was while delighting in their suspense.
The set design captured the cobbled London streets of the19th century thatglistened under the dim glow of gas lamps shrouded in a mist thick enough to conceal the city’s darkest secrets. And in this fog, something lurks—something unnatural, something terrifying. In Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde, the gripping stage adaptation of Robert Louis Stevenson’s classic tale, the line between man and monster blurs, and what unfolds is a theatrical descent into obsession, ambition, and the chilling cost of tampering with the unknown.
At the heart of this gothic spectacle is Dr. Henry Jekyll, a man of brilliance and conviction whose radical theories challenge the very nature of morality itself. But in his relentless pursuit of discovery, Jekyll opens a door that should have remained shut. What lies beyond is not simply a science—it is something far more primal and seductive.
The production masterfully brings this duality to life with a performance that seamlessly shifts between refinement and brutality. The tension builds in every flickering candlelight and every ominous glance. The shadowed alleyways serve as battlegrounds where decorum and depravity clash, where society’s genteel facade masks something far more sinister beneath.
It is directed by the theatre’s founder, Elizabeth Newman, and stars familiar faces who have performed in Newman’s previous productions, including the stars of the show Bailey Ellis and Scot Friedman. The supporting cast included Arielle LaGuette, Molly McKee, Mike Ooi, and Beau Paul. The supporting cast adds to the richness of the world—characters drawn to Jekyll for love, loyalty, or ambition, each unknowingly orbiting the storm brewing within him. A woman with a haunting past finds herself entangled in forces beyond her comprehension while London’s elite watch from the sidelines, oblivious to the monster that walks among them.
As the story unfolds, the audience wonders where one man ends and the other begins. How long can a mask be worn before it becomes the face beneath?
And when Jekyll looks in the mirror again… will he be able to turn back?
And, more importantly… does he even want to?
If you’ve never read the book or seen the theatrical performance this is a show you don’t want to miss!
For tickets and information, contact www.filigreetheatre.com
The show runs through February 23, from Thursday through Sunday, at 8 p.m. and on Sundays at 3 p.m., at the Factory on 5th, 3409 East 5th Street, Austin, TX 78702.