Jekyll & Hyde (Brierley Hill Musical Theatre Company)
Probably one of the least performed yet most powerful musicals from the stable of the great Leslie Bricusse, in collaboration with Frank Wildhorne, there is something totally absorbing about the story of Henry Jekyll and his attempt to rid the human psyche of its evil side, only to be taken over by his own dark persona in the form of Edward Hyde.
Brierley Hill Musical Theatre Company under the continued excellent direction of Tye Harris have brought this story to the stage at the Civic Hall and delivered musical theatre at its best, led by a gargantuan performance from Alec White in the lead role, his performance in the scenes when the character lurches from Jekyll to Hyde in quick succession is quite frankly phenomenal and his singing is equally outstanding, not least of all his delivery of the instantly recognisable ‘This is the Moment’.
When it comes to vocals, this production has more than its fair share of stunning singers in particular Niamh Slater as Jekyll’s fiancé Emma Carew and Kate Cox as Lucy Harris the main attraction at The Red Rat bar and caught in a relationship between Jekyll and Hyde without realising they are one and the same person. I can only say that both of these ladies have voices and stage presence that by rights should be gracing the London Palladium rather than Brierley Hill Civic Hall, I am however thankful that I was able to witness these performances.
Hyde chooses to dispose of the people that were unsupportive of Jekyll’s experiments, the board of St Jude’s Hospital, commencing with Richard Howarth’s vexatious Bishop of Basingstoke, James Callaghan’s militarily confident General Lord Glossop, Liam Pinches as a strictly upper class Sir Archibald Proops, Deb Glennon’s scathing Lady Beaconsfield, Sian Hickman’s outspoken Lady Savage and finally Dan Smith’s rather self-important (wishing he could marry Emma instead) Simon Stride.
All of these characters are dispensed with brutally, leaving only his great friend John Utterson, a stalwart performance from Jack Humphries and his prospective father-in-law Sir Danvers Carew played with great charm by Simon Peacock to continue the narrative to the end at which point Utterson is forced to shoot his friend in order to save him from himself.
There a relatively small ensemble cast to create the atmosphere on stage but, they do so incredibly well using some stylised movement from choreographer Anna Forster which is enhanced by the 'mood music' from Edd Caine and his orchestra.
Whilst this may not be a musical that is as widely known as many others it is certainly one that you should not miss, a suspense ridden engaging story, preformed by a talented cast, despite the opening number it is absolutely not a facade !
Book Here
Brierley Hill Musical Theatre Company under the continued excellent direction of Tye Harris have brought this story to the stage at the Civic Hall and delivered musical theatre at its best, led by a gargantuan performance from Alec White in the lead role, his performance in the scenes when the character lurches from Jekyll to Hyde in quick succession is quite frankly phenomenal and his singing is equally outstanding, not least of all his delivery of the instantly recognisable ‘This is the Moment’.
When it comes to vocals, this production has more than its fair share of stunning singers in particular Niamh Slater as Jekyll’s fiancé Emma Carew and Kate Cox as Lucy Harris the main attraction at The Red Rat bar and caught in a relationship between Jekyll and Hyde without realising they are one and the same person. I can only say that both of these ladies have voices and stage presence that by rights should be gracing the London Palladium rather than Brierley Hill Civic Hall, I am however thankful that I was able to witness these performances.
Hyde chooses to dispose of the people that were unsupportive of Jekyll’s experiments, the board of St Jude’s Hospital, commencing with Richard Howarth’s vexatious Bishop of Basingstoke, James Callaghan’s militarily confident General Lord Glossop, Liam Pinches as a strictly upper class Sir Archibald Proops, Deb Glennon’s scathing Lady Beaconsfield, Sian Hickman’s outspoken Lady Savage and finally Dan Smith’s rather self-important (wishing he could marry Emma instead) Simon Stride.
All of these characters are dispensed with brutally, leaving only his great friend John Utterson, a stalwart performance from Jack Humphries and his prospective father-in-law Sir Danvers Carew played with great charm by Simon Peacock to continue the narrative to the end at which point Utterson is forced to shoot his friend in order to save him from himself.
There a relatively small ensemble cast to create the atmosphere on stage but, they do so incredibly well using some stylised movement from choreographer Anna Forster which is enhanced by the 'mood music' from Edd Caine and his orchestra.
Whilst this may not be a musical that is as widely known as many others it is certainly one that you should not miss, a suspense ridden engaging story, preformed by a talented cast, despite the opening number it is absolutely not a facade !
Book Here
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