“Horrors of Dr. Moreau” is my latest directorial project at Your Theatre, Inc. This production is staged in-the-round for the first production of the 69th Season. “Horrors of Dr. Moreau”, based on the H.G. Wells story, is an entrancing opening to the Spine-Tingling Season, and will have you wiggling in your seat.
As an audience member, it all starts as soon as you enter the auditorium. Your ears are filled with the sounds of a living environment. You’ll then take your seat, which has a great view of the island. Don’t worry, no creatures will nibble at your toes, at least not until the show starts. You’ll try to get comfortable in your seat which seems to be right on the island, Dr. Moreau’s island, which you sense is populated by as-of-yet unseen creatures. When the show begins, night descends upon the island, and soon the screams of a beast in pain fill the void. The island folk stir, unable to sleep. You will not be able to help yourself from feeling that you want to escape, to leave the presence of island beasts. Soon, reality sets in, because there is no escape!
As the story unfolds, you’ll want to join the island folk when they celebrate a new arrival. You’ll want to rescue a creature in grave danger, and you’ll wish to feed the hungry and teach the uninformed. You may feel compelled to join their rituals, and you might find yourself involuntarily uttering their mantras. When more truth about life on the island comes to light, you might once again consider escape, but there is no escape!
The scene changes and time passes, and you’ll feel empathy and sympathy for the island folk when they learn their fate and endure their pain. You’ll want to know if all this is real. Did Prendick make it all up? Has he gone mad as a result of being shipwrecked? Does Dr. Moreau really exist? Does Prendick finally escape these real or imaged horrors?
When you exit the theatre after the performance, you might never again view your fellow humans in the same light as yourself. Are we not men?