Students participate in ‘Jekyll and Hyde: The Musical’

    Life is terribly hard when it is a facade.
    Last weekend, “Jekyll and Hyde: the Musical,” based on the Scottish novella by Robert Louis Stevenson, opened at Playhouse in the Park amidst the dark and gloomy October weather.
    Opening night for the production was Oct. 16 and drew a full house to Playhouse.
    The community theater is located in a 1907 train depot in Murray-Calloway County Central Park.
    Murray State students made up many of the 18 cast members.
    Justus Wright, sophomore from Mayfield, Ky., and Elizabeth Powell, junior from Murray, said working with the cast has been the most enjoyable part.
     “This is the most talented cast I’ve ever worked with,” Powell said. “The experience has been greater than I’d imagined.”
     Wright said he thinks of his fellow cast members as more than just co-workers.
    “The bond I’ve made with the cast has been great,” Wright said. 
    Lisa Cope, executive director of Playhouse in the Park, said the vocal skill of the students in this show is incredible.
    “The talent blew me away,” Cope said. “Every cast member brought such a rich quality to this production.”
    Because the vocal quality of the cast is so strong, the  focus of the production is on the musicality, Cope said.
    Cope said the Playhouse’s Board of Directors chose the season’s shows when she arrived in January.
    “At first, I was a little terrified when I found out I would be directing this play,” she said. “‘Jekyll and Hyde’ is a bold choice for community theater.”
    Cope said many do not realize the costs tied to producing a well-known musical.
    “Getting the rights for a musical can cost between $1,800 and $2,000, and that is before set design and costumes are made,” Cope said. 
    While Playhouse is a volunteer-based organization, sponsorships, fundraisers and donations from the community help keep out-of-pocket costs low, she said. 
    The Big Apple Cafe sponsors  “Jekyll and Hyde: The Musical.” 
    Sponsors pay a designated amount to help cover the cost to obtain the rights for the production, Cope said. Sponsors also receive a free private showing, access to the outside deck and publicity, she said.
    “Jekyll and Hyde: The Musical” will run  through Nov. 1.
    Tickets are $11 for adults, $10 for senior citizens, $9 for students age 13 and up and $8 for children under 13.
    Contact Freeland at mfreeland1@murraystate.edu.

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