The conflict between good and evil is the focal point of almost any drama. The difference in Robert Louis Stevenson’s classic tale is that he places the never-ending struggle within an individual.

In his fascinating new take on Stevenson’s 1886 novella, The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, acclaimed U.S. playwright/screenwriter Jeffrey Hatcher expands the facets of evil to show Hyde as aspects of four characters, who also play other roles in Dr. Jekyll’s life.

Neither does he allow Jekyll to be a white knight, as the ‘good’ doctor continues his laboratory experiments, all the time denying responsibility for the murder and mayhem around him — evil that may be the result of the release of his underlying desires after he swallows one of his potions. And Hyde, as he tries to save the one person he has learned to care for, is not completely evil, for he tries to send her away to stop himself from harming her. …

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Photo: Maria Vartanova

The most fascinating aspect of the world’s longest-running play is its amazing longevity. Now in its 62^nd year in London’s West End, The Mousetrap has become as much part of the “must-see” list of attractions for tourists as the Tower of London and Buckingham Palace.

It is generally agreed that Agatha Christie’s murder mystery, while carefully constructed with clever twists and the occasional red herring, creaks a little after all this time. Characters tend to be stereotypes and the script often seems wordy and built around a formula. Thus, the starting point for The Mousetrap is to have a small group of strangers, one of them the murderer, trapped — in this case, in a guesthouse in a snowstorm.

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Photo: Andree Lanthier

Alert for Ted Dykstra: The Importance of Being Earnest is a social satire. It is NOT a farce. One of the key aspects of Oscar Wilde’s brilliant comedy is that it appears to observe the social niceties while subtly undercutting them.

Therefore, bun fights are more than wildly inappropriate. Having the two male leads throwing muffins across the stage at each other violates the playwright’s intent.

It is also completely out of place to have Miss Prism, the spinster governess, fondling the spout of a watering can in pseudo-sexual titillation, while panting after the bachelor vicar. Certainly, Wilde suggests that she longs to be married and he is the nearest eligible bachelor. But in the context of Earnest, they will always behave with complete propriety.

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Photo Joan Marcus.

The opening of a mirrored live bar on stage as a means of bringing down the theatrical fourth wall is a gimmick with limited appeal. Once is certainly enough and has even less appeal during the intermission.

Like the large venue, the crowded pub look hurts rather than helps the intimate tone of what should be a chamber musical.

Having said this, Once still has considerable charm as a love story — or, more accurately, a story about love and commitment. It is harder to convey the ambience in this type of stage setting than it is through the flexibility of film, but there are quiet moments or more gentle songs when the intimate nature of the storyline is front and centre as the two principals Guy (played on opening night by Ryan Link) and Girl (Dani de Waal) try not to talk about falling in love and to remain focused on making music and being true to their responsibilities.

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Once the focal point of many upper-crust houses, the formal dining room has, to a great extent, been ousted by the great room and the family/TV room and a more casual approach to social interaction. In fact, personal connections have diminished in a society increasingly attached to electronic communication. Simply put, being together at mealtime is less valued today.

In the era when the dining room was the focal point of a Downton Abbey-style household, every meal was served there and every person, whether part of the upstairs or the downstairs contingent, dressed appropriately and conversed politely. (There was no app for correct behaviour. People were taught the rules from an early age.)

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Returning to an uncomplicated childhood is a way of dealing with present crises and clarifying the future. Because the family cottage was a special place for siblings Crockett and Pen Sumner when they were young, revisiting it seems the right place to complete the circle of life. This is the premise behind The Lights of Shangri-La by David Whilteman, a new work that focuses on various facets of love.

The two particularly well-drawn characters at the centre of the drama give Shaun Toohey as Crockett and Cathy Nobleman as Pen numerous ways to connect — and they do. Toohey is first class in presenting Crockett as a man submerging his insecurities and loneliness beneath a glaze of preening performance, while Nobleman gives Pen a motherly tenderness in caring for her brother, marred only by an occasionally irritating whine, while she tries to tidy up the loose ends of her life and ensure the safety of her family. …

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Photo. Andrew Alexander.  David Warburton.

David Warburton faced a mammoth task in taking on the role of the player in Brian K. Stewart’s one-hander.

The premiere two years ago received many well-deserved accolades. In addition, the performance of Greg Kramer, the actor who originated the role, gave the impression that this was THE way to play the part. Sadly, he passed away. His death added a further level of emotional difficulty for an actor presenting The Player’s Advice to Shakespeare.

No matter, Warburton appears to have decided. In the current production of The Player’s Advice to Shakespeare, now on its way to the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, he offers a totally different and equally mesmerizing character. His actions are more reasoned as his player remains the great actor telling a story of his time, explaining how he, a former member of Will Shakespeare’s company, happens to be in the Tower of London, waiting to be hanged, drawn and quartered.

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