Raconteur Radio presents "The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde"

On Wednesday, October 26, 2016 @ 7:00 PM Raconteur Radio Presents "The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde" at the Woodbridge Main Library. This is a staged radio play with period costumes, theatrical lighting, Golden Age radio equipment, vintage commercials, fog fx, and, of course, extensive sound effects. The drama features players Jeff Maschi, Laurence Mintz, Danielle Illario, and Alex Dawson. PLUS: jazz vocalist Danielle Illario will sing the period ballad, Roses of Picardy.

"The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde" is based on the 1886 novella by Scottish author Robert Louis Stevenson, it tells of a London lawyer named Gabriel John Utterson who investigates strange occurrences between his old friend, Dr. Henry Jekyll, and the evil Edward Hyde.

The young Robert Louis Stevenson suffered from repeated nightmares of living a double life, in which by day he worked as a respectable doctor and by night he roamed the back alleys of old-town Edinburgh. In three days of furious writing, he produced a story about his dream existence. His wife found it too gruesome, so he promptly burned the manuscript. In another three days, he wrote it again. "The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde" was published as a "shilling shocker" in 1886, and became an instant classic. In the first six months 40,000 copies were sold. Queen Victoria read it. Sermons and editorials were written about it. An intriguing combination of fantast thriller and moral allegory, "The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde" depicts the gripping struggle of two opposing personalities — one essentially good, the other evil — for the soul of one man. Its tingling suspense and sensitive portrayal of man's dual nature reveals Stevenson as a writer of great skill and originality, whose power to terrify and move us remains, over a century later, undiminished.

Raconteur Radio stages theatrical presentations of vintage radio plays, classic works of literature, and pop culture parodies for live audiences throughout the Tri-State area. They've been called "family friendly guerrilla theater" by the New York Times, one of "the 7 best things to do in NJ" by the Newark Star-Ledger, "innovative and entertaining," by the Home News Tribune, and "a radio show on steroids," by the Courier News, as well as "epic!" by Lev Grossman (of Time Magazine), "amazing!" by Kyle Hartzell (of NPR), "dazzling!" by Megan Ryan (of wNYC), "spellbinding!" by Tom Lynch (of Theatre World), "thrilling!" by Barry Monush (of The Museum of Television & Radio), and "outstanding!" by Lee Pfeiffer (of Cinema Retro Magazine). For more info, visit www.RaconteurRadio.com.

Note: Raconteur Radio presentations are considered parody productions and are not affiliated with the original material or its presenters.

The Woodbridge Main Library is located at 1 George Frederick Plaza, Woodbridge. This presentation is free and open to all. No tickets or reservations are needed.