 "Photo: Chris Ripley")
They’re back. The Kaleidoscope theatre group has returned for their second of three performances this year. After performing I Hate Hamlet in September, Kaleidoscope takes the stage to perform Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde.
Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde is a play based on the “Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde” by Robert Louis Stevenson. It is the story of Henry Jekyll’s experiments that bring forth his other self: Edward Hyde. Students who want to see the conclusion of this play can come to a free performance for Medaille students and employees on February 8, 2010 at 7:30 p.m. The show will run on Friday and Saturday, February 12-13; the show times are 7:30 p.m. on Friday and Saturday with an extra 3:00 p.m. matinee on Saturday afternoon.
Anne Pfohl, a visiting instructor who teaches Abnormal Psychology, will be attending the upcoming play.
“Jekyll and Hyde captures some of the common thinking about abnormal human behavior -- the parts of ourselves that we don’t like to think about or discuss -- like mental illness,” said Pfohl. “Working with Kaleidoscope gives us a unique perspective, a deeper way of exploring this story, common misconception about mental illness, and how we feel about it in ourselves and others.”
Kaleidoscope Theatre is one of many organizations that is a part of The Theatre Alliance of Buffalo. TAB is a group of Western New York theatre groups that devotes its time to promoting the welfare of the organizations involved and an appreciation for the arts and theatre. Also involved in The Theatre Alliance of Buffalo are Shea’s Performing Arts Center and Shakespeare in Delaware Park.
Kaleidoscope Theatre came over to Medaille College when Canisius College banished them after their performance of Polish Joke. They were also under pressure from Buffalo’s Polish Community. Buffalo News writer Colin Dabkowski pointed out that David Ives, the writer of Polish Joke, wrote the play “for the purpose of critiquing anti-Polish stereotypes and flipping them on their heads.”
Medaille College has given the group a one-year contract to perform in the school’s Lecture Hall on the Buffalo campus. Keith Wharton, co-founder of Kaleidoscope, said they had chances to go to other places, but chose Medaille based on the fact that Medaille was excited to have them perform on campus. If Medaille extended the contract, the group wants a say in the choice of the performances. This does not concern Wharton, who said that Canisius did the same thing and approved Polish Joke.
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