This somewhat fascination in living a double life for both Stevenson and Wilde interests me greatly. I wonder if it was a common topic in other literature as well at the time. I also cannot help but imagine that the two authors are living vicariously through their own character and wishing that they could have that secret life.
In reality though, isn’t their writing their double life?
I could go on to talk about the symbolic meaning of double lives for a while, but instead I want to focus on something different with these pieces, the actual staging of it. As a theater major and director, I love reading plays. I have seen Jekyll and Hyde portrayed on stage many times but, I had not ever gotten around to reading it myself until now. I also had read Wilde’s other works but never the story of Earnest. I find it fascinating that both deal with alter egos. Just the sense of drama within that always makes for a good show.
I have seen Jekyll and Hyde be played by the same actor in some productions and I have seen them played by separate actors and others. After reading the text for myself, I wonder how Stevenson would stage it. Some people do it bare stage and other’s do it with big elaborate sets. The dramatic writing in this piece can be left up to so much interpretation. I had not realized before that that is why productions of this show very so greatly.
I can imagine Wilde’s story of Earnest in different ways too. Under a particular director it could be a comedy, under another it could be a drama. It just depends on how you play up the idea of identity. There are many famous theatrical shows now that play on mismatched identities. There’s Thoroughly Modern Millie where everyone seems to be the opposite of who they say they are. There is also Don’t Dress for Dinner which you can never tell who is with who romantically. I was reminded of both these shows as I was reading about Earnest and wondered if inspiration was drawn from there.
I think a big takeaway from these readings is the fact that from then until now, humans have always had this sense of escapism in wanting to be someone else. Afterall, do we not all wear masks?
