Jekyll and Hyde

YAOS‘s Jekyll and Hyde not for the squeamish! Luke Whitchurch was the man upon whose shoulders this entire production rested! And he more than rose to that challenge pouring both his heart and soul into Dr. Jekyll and Mr Hyde! His was a powerful performance, his Jekyll was determined and a little meek and as Hyde he made you squirm in your seat! Luke gave this split personality life and belief both vocally and physically, his was a performance that would not look amiss on a West End stage.

This remarkable piece of theatre would not been the success it was without the support of two strong female performers. Jennifer Holland- Brewer, she was a tour-de-force as the prostitute Lucy, her strong dance ability and earthy vocal were ideally suited to ‘Bring On The Men’ and in contrast later singing ‘A New Life’ before she met her fate!

Naomi Riglar’s performance as Emma Carew was beautifully prim and Victorian. This lady has a radiant voice with an ability to convey her most earnest feelings in every word either spoken or sung.

Keeping the storyline moving was in the capable hands of Shaun Driver. Opening the show alone he set the mood for the horrors to come! Standing in front of gauze concealing the horrific scene of experiments on live patients and Dr Jekyll dead father! His character was that of Gabriel John Utterson, Dr. Jekyll’s steadfast friend. Gabriel is a solid character and his character never falters as he watches his friend go through a whole gambit of emotions and is left helpless as he witnesses him self destruct! Shaun is an exceptional and generous actor and complimented Luke’s Jekyll. In addition playing supporting roles YAOS were fortunate to have some seasoned and some new performers who each brought their own unique talent to their roles.

Jekyll and Hyde has a demanding score and to bring this to life takes a great deal of work! Without doubt this was achieved, both vocally and in the pit. As with Jekyll the man of two parts so was the Ensemble! Act 1 They excelled and made ‘Facade one of the highlights of the entire production. Act 2 Opening ‘Murder’ was not as tight as it might have been ‘umbrellas’? The wedding scene was interesting with a lot of fumbling and mumbling.

Costume overall had been well selected, it is important to show the contrast between the clean Victorian  gentry in their finery and the prostitutes and the other seedy characters skulking in London’s underbelly covered in the night smog! To have added to the realism they should have been dirtier, as should Lucy’s underwear and Jekyll’s shirt splendid pristine white even after committing murder! Enhancing the overall look and feel to the production was the lighting; this played a huge part in creating the seedy eerie and at times grotesque moments.

In short this production was a fabulous creative piece of theatre. Well done.

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