The North Riverside Players’ fall production of the 1990 musical “Jekyll & Hyde,” following the mad scientist Dr. Jekyll’s self-experimental transformation into the sadistic persona of Mr. Hyde, is lurking just around the corner.
The show will run once per Friday, Saturday and Sunday from Oct. 3-12 at the North Riverside village commons, 2401 S. Des Plaines Ave. Tickets cost $25 per adult, with discounts for seniors and children, and are available on the Players’ website.
Synoma Hays, the musical’s director, said she had been pitching “Jekyll & Hyde” as a possible production for several years. The theater group had looked into performing it last year, she said, but couldn’t get the rights until this year.
“I had always wanted to do this show. I did this show professionally myself 24 years ago,” Hays told the Landmark. “I have loved the music ever since, and I’ve always thought, ‘Gosh, I would love to direct this!’”
Hays said she felt the beauty of the production’s music contrasted well with its dark themes while being “a great vehicle for really good singers.” Those singers will have an extra challenge for this show, though.
While the North Riverside Players have tended to perform with the help of a live orchestra, they’ll be using pre-recorded instrumentals this year. It’s a move Players president Alan Meyer called a cost-saving measure but that may impact the immersion that comes with live music.
“Every day that we rehearse, we’re hearing what the orchestra is going to sound like because we’re practicing with them, which is fabulous, but it does have its downsides,” Hays said. “We can’t edit them, so we can’t slow anything down. We can’t speed anything up. We can’t repeat the music. We’re having to make some adjustments.”
In her role as the director, Hays said she focuses on grounding the scenes in reality and taking her cast’s experience into account.
“The thing I think about is, really, creating dynamic moments in each scene and making sure actors are connecting to each other and not just singing songs. I want them to bring the songs to life and think about what they’re saying. Not just, ‘I’m going to sing beautifully because I can,’” she said, dipping into singsong. “I also try to make sure, with the ensemble, that everybody has a special moment. Even though I have 36 people, I try to give everyone a moment, a line, something that is special for them.”
The large cast size has its pros and cons. Sometimes, blocking the stage can be a struggle if someone is absent at rehearsal, Hays said; after she’s found a way to fill an apparent hole on stage, for example, there will be an extra person at the next rehearsal who doesn’t have a spot to take.
“We have a really diverse group, which is exciting. We have people who have done our shows before that we love, our core people. They’re strong. We know how they work. They have a good rehearsal ethic. We also have people that, maybe, we’ve known of who have come from other theater groups,” she said. “What’s really exciting is, we have a lot of new people to theater. We were kind of blown away with people who auditioned for ‘Jekyll & Hyde.’ They’re like, ‘This is my first show!’ and we’re like, ‘Why would you choose this show as your first show?’ … It’s fun, and that’s a challenge, because we’re gelling a lot of different types of people.”
The production is the North Riverside Players’ first after receiving the Illinois Theatre Association’s 2025 Award of Excellence in Community Theatre in August, Meyer said.
“We were humbled. We were surprised. We were thankful,” he said. “You’re never a prophet in your own land, right? Somebody else has to say, ‘Hey, these guys are doing a good job! This is wonderful.’ We will tout that a little bit.”
Hays said, as the director, she enjoys being able to put a piece of herself and her own art into each role in the show rather than being restricted to just one in the way an actor is.
“I’m also excited to see the audience’s reaction, because we do have people in the audience. Some of the ensemble, and some of the leads, are in the audience at some point,” she said. “There are a couple times where we’re trying to intimidate the audience, in a way … I have wanted to do this show for 10 years, so I’m excited that I finally get to bring it to life.”
