'Jekyll and Hyde' at Colonnade - Oct. 17-18, 24-25

photo Zach Jordan, seated, is Dr. Jekyll, and Joseph Watts, Michael Lynn and Gwynne Jones, from left, play various incarnations and personalities of Mr. Hyde in the Back Alley Productions presentation of "Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde," opening this weekend at the Catoosa County Colonnade.

If You Go• What: Back Alley Production's "Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde"• When: 7:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday, Oct. 17-18; 7:30 p.m. Friday, Oct. 24; 1 and 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 25• Where: Catoosa County Colonnade, 264 Catoosa Circle, Ringgold, Ga.• Admission: $11 adults, $9 students and seniors• Phone: 706-621-2870• Email: backalleyperformances@gmail.com• Website: tinyurl.com/hydetix, backalleyproductions.org

With a nod to Halloween, a North Georgia theater company is delving into darkness for its next stage production. Back Alley Productions will present "Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde" in five performances over the next two weekends.

The story is adapted by playwright Jeffrey Hatcher from the classic Robert Louis Stevenson novella in which the good-natured Dr. Henry Jekyll descends into the evil within himself when an experiment goes awry and he splits his own personality. At first, Jekyll delights in the moral freedom his alter ego possesses. Soon, however, his fear grows when he realizes he is involuntarily turning into the creature in his sleep, even without taking the potion.

Several actors will portray the character of Hyde, director Kaylee Smith says, because Hatcher's adaptation strives to show the universal pull of evil inside everyone.

"This isn't your everyday 'Jekyll and Hyde,'" Smith says in a news release. "Many stage and film adaptations tend to water down the gravity of evil in Stevenson's original. Hatcher's version goes full throttle. So we've tailored the set, costumes and lighting to invoke that level of fright and suspense in a day and age where creating fear is no small task."

Set on the foggy streets of London, the production is perfectly timed for the Halloween season, Smith says, and will appeal to fans of old-school suspense and psychological thrillers.

"Our goal, when the curtain goes up, is to make your hair stand up on your back," she says. "With a frightening script, haunting cast and spooky ambience, we're going to milk our audience for as many goose bumps as we can get."

Due to adult subject matter, parental guidance is advised for children under age 13.

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