October 13-22, 2023
Jekyll & Hyde
This new ballet was decidedly menacing, with stark lighting and ominous sound design and, you know, incarnate evil.
An absolute Halloween masterpiece in KC
A tale of a dark mind and shady streets
A North American Premiere
Witness the psychological torment and self-destruction of Henry Jekyll, a morally upright and well-mannered doctor, as he struggles against the vile urges of his alter ego Edward Hyde in Victorian England. This North American premiere of Val Caniparoli’s newest ballet focuses on the eternal struggle of good versus evil as it plays out within one man.
The ballet’s narrative is framed as a feverish hallucination of the novella’s author, Robert Louis Stevenson himself, as he imagines the tale of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. As the story progresses, the lines between reality and fiction become blurred, with the world of the mental hospital returning and Stevenson realizing he has unleashed a monster, the dark side of all of our better selves, through his writing of The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde.
Parental discretion is advised.
Val Caniparoli’s choreography had its world premiere at the Finnish National Ballet in 2020.
Video courtesy of Thomas Freundlich and Finnish National Ballet.
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Choreography
Val Caniparoli
Score
Krzysztof Penderecki, Henryk Górecki, Wojciech Kilar, Henryk Wieniawski, and Frédéric Chopin
Music compiled, edited and arranged by Ramona Pansegrau
Recorded music played by Finnish National Opera Orchestra
Music
Kansas City Symphony
Scenery and Costume Design
David Israel Reynoso
Lighting Design
Jim French
Dramaturg
Carey Perloff
Presenting Sponsor
Supporting Sponsors
Media Sponsor
The Story Of Jekyll & Hyde
The Story Of Jekyll & Hyde
Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde is a novella written by Scottish author Robert Louis Stevenson, first published in 1886.
The ballet’s story follows Dr. Jekyll’s pursuit of unleashing the hidden underbelly of the human experience and his descent into his evil twin, Mr. Hyde. The ballet features themes of duality, temptation, and the struggle between good and evil, and explores the consequences of Dr. Jekyll’s experiments.
The ballet’s narrative is framed as a feverish hallucination of Robert Louis Stevenson himself, as he imagines the tale of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. As the story progresses, the lines between reality and fiction become blurred, with the world of the mental hospital returning and Stevenson realizing the dark side of human nature that he has unleashed into the world through his writing.
Gallery
All photos courtesy of Brett Pruitt & East Market Studios.
Spotify Playlist
Courtesy of Finnish National Ballet
Meet the Dancers
We make it look easy, but it takes dozens of talented people to put together a stunning performance and train the next generation of professional dancers.
Pre-Curtain Talks
Free for all ticketholders, arrive early and hear about the show you are about to see. Learn how music, special effects, and costumes all make magic on stage by attending the pre-curtain talk, Belger Footnotes, hosted by Artistic Director Devon Carney.
Held at the Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts one hour prior to curtain. No reservation is necessary.
