The Royal Winnipeg Ballet (RWB) will continue its 85th season with the Canadian premiere of Jekyll & Hyde. An adaptation of the novella The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson, the ballet tells the story of London doctor, Dr. Henry Jekyll, who struggles to contain the desires of his evil alter ego, Mr. Edward Hyde.
Choreographer Val Caniparoli had wanted to adapt Stevenson’s novella into a ballet for many years.
“When I was a kid, I loved all those film noir, the black and white horror films […] and Jekyll and Hyde is up there,” he recalled. “Jekyll & Hyde seemed to resonate with every company I ever showed that idea to.”
Caniparoli began developing Jekyll & Hyde after receiving funding from the Kansas City Ballet to workshop the production — an opportunity he described as rare in the ballet world.
The ballet’s development faced unforeseen challenges due to the COVID-19 pandemic. However, one of the interested ballet companies, the Finnish National Ballet, remained open.
“[Finland] was the only country other than New Zealand that was still open,” said Caniparoli. “And so [Jekyll & Hyde] was created during COVID. Most of this was created before I even went [to Finland], via Zoom. I hope I never have to create in my office at three in the morning in Zoom, kicking things over, ever, ever again!”
Caniparoli and his team received clearance from the government to travel to Finland as essential workers, as many people in the country would have been out of work if the production had been canceled. They were required to undergo a two-week quarantine, with only half the usual orchestra, and tickets only being sold to half capacity.
Following its run in Finland, Jekyll & Hyde was picked up by four North American ballet companies, with RWB being the final stop.
“The road to getting [Jekyll & Hyde], even to this point, I’m still pinching myself, because it shouldn’t have happened,” Caniparoli said, reflecting on its developmental process.
Jekyll & Hyde, according to Caniparoli, is based primarily on the “duality of nature” and the internal battle between good and evil through the character of Dr. Jekyll and his alter ego, Mr. Hyde. “I had an idea of what it would be like for the same person, in this case, two men dancing together, but not just dancing together, they’re the same person, fighting between good and evil,” he said.
In the ballet, Caniparoli highlighted the challenge of teaching the dancers playing Jekyll and Hyde. The duality of the roles draws comparison to Swan Lake’s dual role of Odette and Odile, with the added challenge of two different performers portraying the same character.
“It’s complex because I keep telling [the dancers playing Jekyll and Hyde], ‘you guys are the same person. There’s good and bad in both of you,’” he said. “It’s not an easy role to do, either one of them.”
A notable aspect of Jekyll & Hyde is its showcase of male-presenting dancers in leading roles. Historically, ballet has been dominated by female-presenting dancers, and some female characters had to be included and developed by Caniparoli to allow for more female-presenting dancers in the cast, as the original novel featured very few female characters. Caniparoli acknowledged that having multiple male-presenting protagonists was unusual in ballet.
The ballet also introduces a new onstage character — Robert Louis Stevenson himself. Caniparoli said the decision highlights the parallels between the author’s personal struggles and the story, noting that Jekyll & Hyde is a semi-autobiographical work.
“[Stevenson] struggled between good and evil for the rest of his life, he was very sickly and he was always on drugs […] There’s a parallel with the story about struggling with good and evil, and the use of drugs and how it alters your mind,” said Caniparoli, adding that Stevenson wrote the novella while in the hospital. RWB picked up Jekyll & Hydeafter Caniparoli connected with RWB associate artistic director, Tara Birtwhistle, who was enthusiastic about the project after seeing it in Kansas City. In the process, Caniparoli has enjoyed working with RWB’s dancers and highlighted their enthusiasm and dedication.
“I’m just struck how open these dancers are and how quick they are,” he said. I’ve been loving going in because I know they’re there, they’re involved, they’re there for it, and the excitement level in the room — it’s electric.”
Ultimately, Caniparoli is proud of how audiences have been surprised by every aspect of the show.
“I’m really proud of, if you like it or don’t like it, the comment [from the audience] is, ‘I’ve never seen anything like this before.’ That’s not easy to do,” he said. “And I love that.”
The Royal Winnipeg Ballet’s production of Jekyll & Hyde runs from March 6 to March 9 at the Centennial Concert Hall. The production is rated PG-13 for suggestive content. For tickets and more information, visit rwb.org. For more on Val Caniparoli, visit valcaniparoli.com.
