The Birmingham Evening Mail
Jekyll & Hyde – The Musical
The Grange Players
The Grange Playhouse, Walsall
WHAT a killing! This is the long-established company’s first ever musical, and they can afford to make a song and dance about it.
A cast of nearly 30 sparkle in Robert Louis Stevenson’s classic tale of dangerous experiments leading to murder in late Victorian England, given a new dimension by the lyrics of Leslie Bricusse and Frank Wildhorn’s music.
There are also outstanding individual performances, none better than Ian Eaton who is quite superb as Dr Henry Jekyll, the mild-mannered scientist dabbling in efforts to separate the good and evil in men.
Refused permission to experiment on asylum patients, he injects himself, with terrible results. By just a ruffle of his shoulder-length hair and a frightening change of expression, he becomes the brutal killer Mr Edward Hyde, and he sings the top song, This is the Moment, with considerable feeling.
Kate Rock excels in the role of pretty prostitute Lucy Harris, singing Someone Like You beautifully before joining in the touching duet, In His Eyes, with Karen Cockitt, a perfect Emma Carew, fiancée of the good Dr Jekyll.
The music tends to be a shade too loud in the opening scenes, but eventually becomes a stunning contribution to the action.
Produced and directed by Julie Lomas with Marion Kirk’s musical direction and Vicky Grice’s choreography, this tale of terror with tunes runs to Saturday night (July 21).
VERDICT: * * * *
PAUL MARSTON
