Review: Jekyll & Hyde The Musical

Newcomers The York Orchard Musical Theatre Company made a bold choice for their first production, a musical version of Jekyll & Hyde. It’s certainly unusual entertainment.

Although she didn’t play the lead role the star of the show for me, and my daughter, was Beth Stevens as Lucy, the alternative love interest with a shady reputation.

This girl has a voice that truly stands out, and a very promising future ahead of her.

We both felt that Steven Jobson who played the roles of Simon Stride and Spider was the stand out male performer. He has a great voice and stage presence.

Rob Fisher did an excellent job of portraying the dual role of Jekyll & Hyde – although we felt it was let down by a rather dodgy wig which distracted us too much from his performance.

I’d expected a greater contrast between the two roles. Merely releasing the ponytail and changing his voice didn’t work as well as we would have anticipated.

The problem was that the character of Spider looked more like Jekyll than Jekyll himself. Spider got to wear the chunky long coat which would have been far more fitting for Hyde than the belted raincoat that emphasised his slight frame. And Spider’s wig was much more Hyde-like as well.

Talented cast

Rob has a great range in his voice, and this was used to emphasise the transformation, along with subtle lighting effects.

Musical director Ben Papworth did an excellent job with the music. There’s little spoken dialogue throughout the show and the songs tell the story.

A few times I struggled to hear the odd word, although I think that’s probably age related rather than venue…

My favourite song from the show was one from the first act, Bring On The Men from Beth Stevens. It’s set in a bar and Beth’s character Lucy is a singer with a sideline of prostitute.

Although I didn’t fall in love with the show, I still had a very enjoyable evening, as did my daughter, her friend and the audience at large.

This musical theatre company has a very promising future. They plan to produce two shows a year. With such a talented cast, I look forward to seeing them again.