Civic joins with MSO for 'Jekyll & Hyde'

IVY FARGUHESON

Oct 23

It's been over a decade since Fred Reese directed a play at the Muncie Civic Theatre and, boy, is he glad to be back.

A long time supporter of the arts in Muncie, Reese was asked by the theater staff to direct their latest production, Jekyll and Hyde: the Musical and he is ready for the community to see what the performance has in store.

"It's good to be back," he said. "I love to take liberties with the script and I have. We've put some twists in it and it's a very thought-provoking piece."

With musical director Bohuslav Rattay and costume designer Collin Northcutt-Mountbaton, the production should not only be a visual wonder, but a musical one as well.

Rattay, who is also the artistic director for the Muncie Symphony Orchestra and the Ball State Symphony Orchestra, has fit time into his busy schedule to bring his talents over to Civic for his first musical production in the United States.

Asked by Reese to be a part of this show, Rattay jumped at the chance to provide live music to the performance, hopefully giving the production a richer setting. He also looks forward to giving back to the community that has given so much to him.

"I wanted to give something back and this was a great opportunity to donate my time," he said. "I think it's a little different than what people are used to here."

What the Muncie community has not been accustomed to at the Civic Theatre is live music for its musical productions. Although there are plenty of musicians throughout East Central Indiana, the theatre has had a hard time finding performers who will play for free.

As a not-for-profit theater, Muncie Civic hasn't had the funds to pay for live musicians, deciding to use musical tracks and tapes to accompany their musical productions.

But for Jekyll and Hyde, both Reese and Rattay are working for free in hopes that others will be willing to do the same.

"It's a wonderful example for our community that (they) would step up and say, 'I'll donate my time,'" said Marty Grubbs, the musical's producer. "It's exciting that we found some people that have connections to people who are willing to some in and donate their time to us. We think it's wonderful."

With Matthew Arnold as Jekyll and Hyde and Katie Nuss as the female lead, Emma, this show is expected to catch the audience's attention early and often, similar to its Broadway version.

And with community members performing each of the roles, the audience will be surprised to their friends and family performing at such high levels.

"We've really pushed ourselves to produce the best product we possibly can," Grubbs said. "We really strive to be as professional as we possibly can so that the person who's coming to see the show is seeing something they might see in Chicago or New York."

This creative team, along with the actors and musicians, hope to remind the audience that Muncie can provide them with cultural attractions to meet their entertainment needs. And with $15 tickets for adults and $5 for students, they hope to meet their wallet's needs as well.

"When you sit down and that little piece of overture is playing and the conductor stands up, there's just that (sense) of, 'I'm somewhere,'" Reese said. "To me, that's just what community theater is all about."