Jekyll and Hyde the Musical

The open stage was dark and very atmospheric and as the lights came on we were aware of a patient lying in a hospital bed. Dr Jekyll is visiting his ailing father and is convinced that the evil in him has caused his illness.  He believes man is both good and evil and sets about inventing a potion to drive out evil. When the hospital board refuses his request for a test subject he decides to take the potion himself with devastating effect.

Loosely based on the book The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson, the mesmerising score by Frank Wildhorn and Leslie Bricusse takes us through the story, interspersed with dialogue. A high level of vocal achievement together with clear diction is therefore required for the audience to follow the plot and this was certainly evident here.

Darrell Williams as Dr Henry Jekyll set the bar high with his opening number “Lost in the Darkness”.   A superb performance by this actor of the intrepid Dr. Henry Jekyll, his powerful singing voice captivating the audience.  He sang with such feeling as to be almost chilling at times.  This was especially evident in “This is the Moment”, sang as he was about to drink his own potion.

Jekyll is supported throughout by his friend John Utterson, a strong performance by Daniel Abbott, who encourages him to continue with his experiment after being refused help by the board.  Jekyll’s metamorphosis into Mr Hyde, an excellent characterisation by James Jefferies of this evil madman, was very cleverly carried out with Jekyll bending double as the evil is drawn out of him.  Backing towards the wings he is met by Hyde backing towards him and as they turn, the metamorphosis is complete. 

Alex Outlaw has a beautiful soprano voice and was well cast as Henry’s fiancée, Emma Carew. Confused at the changes she sees in her intended, she nevertheless stands by him. Her rival for Jekyll’s affection is Lucy Harris a prostitute befriended by Dr.Jekyll. Sensitively played by Lucy Powell, her solos were beautifully sung. 

There were other good performances, including Mike Sykes as Sir Danvers Carew, Emma’s father and a member of the board at the hospital, Steve Charles as the Bishop of Basingstoke who doesn’t exactly practice what he preaches and Charlotte Pritchard as Lady Beaconsfield. Plus others too numerous to mention.

Direction and choreography were excellent, one of the highlights being the dance scene with the Red Rat Girls dressed in red and black complete with bustiers and suspenders The Director told me before the show that he had wanted to bring out the sexiness. Well, it certainly did that, so I’m sure he must be pleased.

There were also some great chorus numbers and the orchestra under the guidance of MD Frances Jefferies provided excellent accompaniment and was never too loud, allowing us to hear every word of the songs as well as the dialogue.

Lighting and sound were, for the most part good. There were a few lighting issues with the back of the stage not being blacked out in time on occasions.

There were also some first night problems with the gauze which was distracting but I think it would be unfair to the cast and production team to dwell on this.  I’ve no doubt the Stage Manager and his team sorted it out. 

That apart, this was a terrific show.  Congratulations to all involved.  We had a thoroughly enjoyable evening.

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