PICT Classic Theatre brings The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll to the airwaves

I’m proud of the daughter for her involvement in this Equity audio production.  (Some of the screams mentioned by the reviewer are hers.)

One would be hard-pressed to find a more perfect production for the pandemic, as the radio drama comes with no visuals and forces one to shut out the outside world for the hour and 57 minutes of the performance. The recording and editing is clean and crisp, and it’s best to listen in a quiet room with no distractions.

For those familiar with another local theater group, Bricolage Production Company, which has performed live radio-themed broadcasts in front of audiences for years under its Midnight Radio series, you’ll have a fun time trying to pick out the foley sound effects, like doors closing and an especially impressive sound effect of horse carriages riding off into the distance. (Also, the screams of murder are quite perfect for this time of year.)

All of the characters’ voices are distinct enough to be able to tell apart, which is crucial for a radio performance. I will admit, however, that halfway through, curiosity got the best of me, and I couldn’t resist looking up who played Dr. Jekyll. (It was the great Pittsburgher Tony Bingham, who left a lasting impression on me as Charles Wychwood, a tormented poet in Quantum Theatre’s 2018 Chatterton, and so the rest of the production saw Jekyll take on Wychwood’s rustled gray hair and cardigan red sweater, for better or for worse, in my head.)

Also performing are Karen Baum, Ken Bolden, Darren Eliker, James FitzGerald, Martin Giles, Carolyn Jerz, John Michnya, and Cotter Smith. —Pittsburgh City Paper