Jekyll and Hyde

December 2010

Last weekend it was time for the annual RAKADS Chrismas Pantomime.  This year we performed a more "haloween" type Pantomime for the crowds:  Jekyll and Hyde or Make Mine a Double.
There were two dames in it.  My husband played the esteemed LuLu Lather, the laundress from the hospital basement, whose son is the lead boy of the pantomime.  The second dame was played by a gentelman named Mark who we are going to Christmas dinner with next weekend.  Nice guy from the UK. 

I played the rather aloof Dr. Jekyll, and I played it as straight as I possibly could as a direct reflection of the extreme play up that everyone else was giving in their roles.  My sons, Will and Zeb, played the dubious criminals Smash and Grab.  and my little Rae was multiple roled as Nurse #2, Child #1, and Zombie #3.  This year there were only 14 people in the cast or so and with the five us making up a third of the cast, it was a huge production of the Jones Family 5.  Fantastic.  We all did so well.  I made a great Dr. Jekyll.  Check out Will's facebook page for some great pictures of it, and of me!

It looks like next year I will either be the writer or the director (or both, but if I direct, the writing will be done well in advance so the changes can be made as we learn our parts, with time for actual directions.

It was fun to be in, but a horrid time for practice and I hated doing it more this year than I ever have before.  It was such a drain on me, my emotions, my sleep, everything.  In part because they kept changing my lines and changing their minds about stage directions.  My lines changed even a week before the big show as did the stage directions.  ACK!

But regardless, it was a success.  The people came, they enjoyed it, and we are hoping that next year will be better.

I don't know about a video though.  Last year I filmed it, but promptly lost the power chord to my video camera so haven't been able to watch or download the film.  This year I didn't have my camera (still no chord) and I am still looking for it.  I am hating the fact that I have no camera. 

Anyway,  I hope you see the photos.