SYNOPSIS of
DR JEKYLL & MR HYDE
By Robert Louis Stevenson
Adapted for the stage by Paul Stebbings and Phil Smith
For TNT theatre Britain and ADG Europe.
Scene 1
The audience see a glass of blue liquid on a pillar. They are invited to drink it by a
mysterious man who emerges form the audience. He talks about Evil, what is it? Is it
an action or an idea? Where is evil ? Is it inside us? Is it inside everyone? Dare we
say we are not evil? As he talks there is a terrible banging on a door at the back of
the stage and at the end of his speech a beast like man rushes out into the theatre
and out of the back door. The Mysterious Man says that now he is ready to show the
audience the greatest story of the Good and Evil within us: DR JEKYLL AND MR
HYDE.
Scene 2
A street at night in London in the late Victorian time. Fog, gas lights, damp and
smoke. A small girl is taking a message for her mother to the pharmacist when a
horrible man races down the street and knocks her over, trampling her with his heavy
boots. But he is seen doing this by the people on the street they follow him and catch
him. The girl’s father arrives and holding the injured crying child in his arms attacks
the terrible stranger who hurt her. A mob gathers, they will perhaps kill the stranger.
But there is a lawyer out on his evening walk, Mr Utterson. He calms the crowd and
tells them that the law should be obeyed not mob rule. He confronts the stranger
with his evil and then says he will not take him to the police if he gives the family of
the girl compensation now. The terrified but aggressive stranger agrees. His name is
Mr Hyde and he is almost beast like in appearance and snarls as much as he
speaks. My Hyde says he has no money on him but will get a cheque. He
disappears into the door of a nearby smart house and returns with a cheque for one
hundred pounds (a lot of money in the 1870’s!) . The father agrees to take the
money, more than a year’s wages for him and goes away. Utterson is frightened
when he realises the cheque is drawn on the bank account not of Mr Hyde but
Utterson’s old friend, the good Doctor Jekyll. He confronts the terrible My Hyde, is he
blackmailing Dr Jekyll? But Hyde laughs and disappears into the fog of the night.
Scene 3
The Man of Mystery introduces the audience to Utterson who is at his home (also his
office). He is a man who lives a careful life. He has weaknesses, for example for wine
and theatre, but he never drinks wine and he never goes to the theatre. He is now a
worried man. He opens his safe and checks the last will and testament of his friend
and client, Dr Jekyll. To his horror his suspicions are correct: the will leaves
everything he owns and all his money (he is rich) to Mr Hyde should he die or
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disappear. Utterson is convinced that Hyde is blackmailing Dr Jekyll and goes to
see his old friend.
Scene 4
Utterson arrives at Jekyll’s house on a cold wet night. He knocks but all he hears is
the growls and barking of a large dog. He demands to be let in. At last Hyde’s voice
tells him to go away. Frustrated Utterson has no choice but to obey but as he goes
the sound of the dog follows him through the foggy streets and he runs in terror
home, Once home he falls into a sleep and has nightmares of My Hyde knocking
down the small girl again and again.
The next day Utterson is determined to once again try to see Dr Jekyll. In daylight
he returns to the house and is about to call the police when the door is at last opened
by Mr Poole, the faithful old servant of Dr Jekyll. Poole tells the lawyer that Dr Jekyll
is out searching for chemicals for his experiments and is spending little time treating
poor sick people as he usually does. Utterson regrets that Dr Jekyll is more
interested in experimental science than charity. Poole then tells Utterson that Mr
Hyde is in the house. Utterson insists on meeting him and is surprised that Poole
tells him Hyde has a key to the house and even the laboratory. Poole tries to be loyal
but he is terrified of what happens in the house and of Mr Hyde. (there are animal
experiments in the laboratory not just chemical experiments).
Hyde and Utterson talk. Hyde tells the lawyer to stop pursuing him. Utterson
confronts Hyde, saying the will is a motive for Hyde to murder Jekyll. Hyde denies it,
Hyde and Utterson argue. As Utterson leaves Poole hands him a letter from Dr
Jekyll.
Scene 5
Back home Utterson opens the letter and finds to his relief it is an invitation to meet
Dr Jekyll at his home the next day. He keeps the invitation (which will be important
evidence later on).
The Man of Mystery returns and talks to the audience about secrets and their relation
to lies and evil. A song about secrets is sung in the style of Victorian theatre.
Everyone has secrets is the song’s theme and those secrets let evil in.
Utterson goes to Jekyll’s house again and greets Poole cheerily. But the door to the
laboratory is locked and Dr Jekyll is within. Sobs and crying are heard behind the
door. Only two people have a key to that door. Suddenly Dr Jekyll opens the door
from inside and emerges to meet his old friend, smiling and totally normal. Utterson
is shocked but also happy. They talk. At first they enjoy each other’s company but as
Utterson starts to question Jekyll’s will and express his worry that it gives Hyde a
motive for murder and that he does not trust Hyde, Dr Jekyll becomes upset and
then angry. Jekyll insists he can trust Hyde. Reluctantly Utterson gives up and Jekyll
goes back to his experiments.
Scene six
A London street. A young maid servant is looking out of her window and singing a
love song to herself. She sees Mr Hyde in the street (who she knows and dislikes).
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He is talking to a respectable old man who has it seems asked his way. Suddenly in
a fit of anger Mr Hyde raise his heavy walking stick and beats the old man to the
ground, he carries on beating in animal fury. Murder! The maid screams. Hyde runs
off. A policeman wakes Utterson at his house and asks him to identify the letter that
the murdered man was carrying. The victim was a client of Utterson, Sir Danvers
Carew. Then Utterson notices the policemen is carrying half a walking stick. It was a
stick that Utterson bought as a present for Dr Jekyll. It was the murder weapon. He
sends the policeman away without telling him about the stick and worries that he has
been wrong to do so. But he is loyal to his old friend, Jekyll. He dresses and at once
goes to see Dr Jekyll.
Scene seven
Utterson finds Jekyll sunk in depression in his laboratory. Utterson tells him that the
murder weapon was Jekyll’s own walking stick. Hyde is now a confirmed murderer,
the police search for him and he will be caught and hung and Jekyll is in danger of
being dragged into the legal case as Hyde’s protector. Is Jekyll hiding Hyde even
now? Jekyll says that he is tortured by the knowledge that the man he protected
and cared for has committed murder. But, he says, Utterson need not worry for the
Hyde has gone for ever and neither of them will see him again. Utterson is suspicious
but Jekyll show shim a letter which he says was delivered by Hyde himself. The letter
says Hyde has a perfect escape, apologises for his ungratefulness to Jekyll and
promises to disappear from London. He gives the letter to Utterson for safe keeping.
Utterson goes, rather relived but still worried. He checks with Poole to see if Hyde
has delivered the letter but Poole says no one has come to the house today.
Now Utterson is very suspicious . He returns to his office and finds Jekyll’s
invitation. He compares the handwriting and sees they are the same. Jekyll has been
lying to him and must be protecting a murderer.
The Man of Mystery returns and accuses the audience of enjoying murder stories
and not being shocked.
The murder of Sir Danvers Carew is all over the newspapers! A great hunt is
organised by the police but he cannot be found.
The newspaper boys sing a song about murder – how it sells newspapers and how
the public enjoy reading about it: the entertainment value of evil.
Scene eight
Utterson is in the street, he meets the Policeman and is about to tell him about his
suspicions when Dr Jekyll suddenly appears, all smiles, and suggests Utterson and
he take a refreshing walk as the day is fine. Utterson is so happy seeing his friend
returned to good spirits that he agrees. They walk and talk. Jekyll seems quite
recovered. He assures Utterson that My Hyde has gone and will never return (and
will never be found by the police). Dr Jekyll tells his old friend that he has resumed
his charitable work as a doctor among the poor of London and abandoned his
scientific experiments. Utterson is delighted. They agree to meet at Jekyll’s house the
next day and Utterson buys a fine wine to celebrate.
The Man of Mystery teases the audience, saying this looks like a happy ending and
that is not what they want, is it? The audience want blood.
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Scene nine.
Utterson goes to Jekyll’s house in a happy mood but is met by a worried Poole. He is
not to be allowed in, these are the direct orders from Dr Jekyll. For three days
Utterson returns to the house but is never allowed in the door. On the third day he
sees Jekyll at the high upstairs window and they talk. Jekyll says he is sorry for not
allowing Utterson inside but he is in no condition to meet anyone, he is depressed
and shattered. Is Jekyll a prisoner? They talk but Jekyll suddenly vanishes from the
window with a cry of despair. Poole apologises to Utterson that he canot let him in
the house and tells Utterson that he is always being sent out to get chemicals for the
doctor. None of which chemicals seem to be the right one.
Scene ten.
The Man of Mystery warns the audience that this is the final scene, where good and
bad will be explored and revealed.
Utterson in sitting alone in his office reading about evil from the bible to try and find
guidance on how to deal with the terrible condition of his friend. It is raining and
Poole knocks on his door. He asks Utterson to come quickly to Jekyll’s house.
Terrible things are happening there. Utterson goes at once. It seems that Dr Jekyll
has locked himself in his laboratory. Utterson sends Poole for the police and breaks
down the laboratory door, the room is empty but a glass of blue liquid stands on the
table. Just as he enters he is surprised by Hyde, who enters from the street. They
confront each other. Hyde demands that Utterson give him the glass of liquid.
Utterson demands to know where is Jekyll, has Hyde murdered him at last? Hyde is
in distress. He needs the glass of liquid, it is the last glass that exists. He starts to talk
about him being both Jekyll and Hyde in one. Utterson dismisses the idea as
madness. Then Hyde grabs the glass, drinks it and before Utterson’s amazed eyes
turns into Jekyll.
Jekyll is terrified and admits everything to Utterson: how he discovered a potion that
would take the evil from himself and make it breathe as another human: Mr Hyde. But
that he could not control this other evil half and could not control his desire to be that
evil half - so that Jekyll remained a human mix of good and evil, while Hyde was
pure evil. Evil is like a drug for Jekyll, he must have it even if it destroys him. He feels
terrible guilt and powerlessness. Utterson tries to comfort him, but is himself crying
and shattered. Jekyll goes on to say that two terrible new things have sent him into
despair: his potion has run out now, he cannot find the chemicals he needs in
London. It might have been an impurity in his first chemicals that created this effect.
And, what is worse, is that Hyde now comes back whenever Jekyll feels the
temptation to be Hyde. He needs no chemical potion to turn into Hyde but he needs
chemicals to turn back to Jekyll. So now, when Hyde next transforms, Jekyll will
vanish for ever and be locked in his evil self. Utterson tries to comfort him but then
Jekyll transforms into Hyde in his arms. They wrestle and fight. Hyde breaks free and
races upstairs with Utterson and now the police in pursuit. There he falls from the
high window to his death – was it suicide? Was it lightening from heaven or was it
Jekyll somewhere inside Hyde destroying his evil creation? The Man of Mystery asks
the audience to judge.
The End.
Paul Stebbings May 2013
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