JR Bustamante, On February 18, 2012

MAKATI CITY, Philippines—Repertory Philippines presented a sneak preview of its upcoming production  for March at Greenbelt One’s Onstage, on February 13 with some of its cast  members belting out famous songs from ‘Jekyll & Hyde’. Michael Williams,  Jett Pangan, Kalila Aguilos, Cris Villongco, and Junix Inocian, the leads in  this evocative tale of the epic battle between good and evil, sang the popular  hits, e.g. ‘Someone Like You,’ ‘In His Eyes’, ‘Take Me As I Am,’ and ‘This is  the Moment.’

Directed by Repertory Philippines’ associate artistic director and multi-awarded stage actress Menchu Lauchengco-Yulo, ‘Jekyll & Hyde’, will be presented on March 16 – April 15 with shows on  Fridays and Saturdays at 8:00 p.m. and matinee shows on Saturdays and Sundays at 3:30 p.m. All performances are at Onstage, Greenbelt One, Makati City.

If you believed you could separate the ‘good’ and ‘bad’ personalities inside you with the goal of controlling  the beast by setting it apart, allowing only  the good to remain by drinking a special drug that can do that, would you take the chance for the good of humanity? That was the question in the mind of the good Dr. Jekyll before he embarked on this quixotic experiment.

After the excerpts, a deep discussion ensued regarding  the duality of human nature and questions that leave us thinking about the truth behind the theme. The trickiness of performing man’s bi-polar  nature within a single character was explained by Lauchengco-Yulo.

“In every man there are two motives, the good  and the evil. The evil motives are being held back by inhibition. Education is what keeps us from enacting on our animalistic tendencies. If drugs remove inhibition, then repression comes out. Evil is always stronger than the  good,” she added.

She admitted that the script was very challenging to direct but she enjoyed the whole process, “I had to deconstruct  and rebuild the script, which became a wonderful collaboration with the performers. I love the energy of the cast.”

In response to a question on how he feels about the transition from singing in a band to performing in theatre, Jett Pangan (formerly from the 90s band, The Dawn) replies, “My life is a continuous  transition, one day in the theatre and the next in a smoke-filled bar. At the same, these transitions are also a journey for me professionally and personally. I can’t live without it.”

With regard to his character, he describes as a well-bred, simple man who lost his inhibition. Jett states, “When inhibition is gone, there is no more fear, guilt or remorse to behave like an animal.”

‘Jekyll & Hyde’ is set against the backdrop of Victorian London, with the respectable Dr. Jekyll who has begun to display alarmingly erratic behaviour. From the gentle, humane Dr. Jekyll, his evil side  emerges in the person of Mr. Hyde when he drinks a secret potion. The plot  further becomes complex when a brutal figure haunts the city's streets, committing assault and murder under the cloak of darkness and dismal London fog.

Veteran stage actors Michael Williams and Jett Pangan will be alternating for the role of Dr. Henry Jekyll/ Edward Hyde, the brilliant but obsessive scientist with a sadistic alter ego. Kalila Aguilos portrays the role of saucy actress Lucy Harris and Cris Villonco plays the role of Emma Carew, the sweet fiancée of Jekyll. Tricia  Jimenez is will be part of the ensemble and is understudy for the same role. Junix Inocian plays the role of Gabriel John Utterson, Jekyll's lawyer and friend.

Steve Cadd plays the role of Sir Danvers Carew, Emma's father and Chairman of the Board of Governors. Jack Salud plays the role of Simon  Stride, the secretary of the Board of Governors and Jekyll's rival for Emma's affections. Meanwhile Reuben Uy is Lord Savage, a member of the Board of Governors. Red Nuestro as Bishop of Basingstoke, a hypocritical, sadistic, sexually driven man of the cloth and a member of the Board of Governors. Mayen Bustamante-Cadd as Lady  Beaconsfield, the only female member of the Board of Governors and Jamie Inocian plays the role of the Rt. Hon. Sir Archibald Proops, a member of the Board of Governors.

Oliver Usison is General Lord Glossop, a pompous retired army man and a member of the Board of Governors and Jamie Wilson as Spider, a pimp and proprietor of ‘The Red Rat, Naths Everett as Nellie, the German  prostitute-manageress and James Stacey as Poole, Jekyll's loyal manservant.

The artistic and creative team of Jekyl & Hyde is led by Baby Barredo (artistic director), Menchu Lauchengco-Yulo (associate artistic director), Rem Zamora (assistant director), John Batalla (lighting designer), Joey Mendoza (Set Designer), Raven Ong (costume designer), and Onyl Torres (musical director).

For tickets, inquiries and other information, call Repertory Philippines at 571-6926 or (632) 571-4941 or email info@repertory.ph. Tickets are also available via Ticketworld or call at (632) 891-9999. Visit www.repertory.ph, subscribe to youtube.com/repertoryphils, and add ‘Rep Phils’ on facebook.