Jekyll & Hyde

This show is a dark tragedy from start to finish. It is based on a book by Robert Louis Stevenson and has similarities to ‘Les Miserable’ with very few happy moments to lighten the mood. Unfortunately it doesn’t have the wonderful music and songs from that famous production. The story leads us through the life of Dr. Jekyll who decides to experiment with his new drug using himself as ‘the guinea pig’. The outcome is disastrous as it gives him an alto ego, Mr Hyde who comes and goes in a ‘schizophrenic’ manner murdering anyone who crosses him in any way and at the same time becomes insanely jealous of himself before returning to his normal state as the doctor. This was a well directed production but I felt it was slightly ambitious to perform such a dramatic show on such a small acting area with all the audience looking down onto the stage which appeared to be not more than ten feet deep at times. It meant that the cast appeared rather restricted in their movement across the front when the full company were involved. I thought the balcony area was a great idea but should have been used more often. The beautiful song ‘In my Eyes’ sung by Beckie Burtenshaw (Emma) and Debbie McLean (\Lucy) was a real ‘show stopper’. Both their performances, although very different, were outstanding in every respect. Bill Kirwan (Utterson) caught my attention every time he came on stage with his very convincing presence and last but certainly not least, Paul Bryant rose to the occasion with an outstanding portrayal of both Jekyll and Hyde. His singing was a joy to hear, his voice changes remarkable and the actual transformations were cleverly arranged and very well executed. All the principals gave convincing and well polished performances and the chorus were very supportive. The costumes, lighting and sound were good and as a whole package this was an enjoyable production.

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