Review: Jekyll and Hyde at the Mercury Theatre, Colchester

JEKYLL invents a chemical that he believes can cure mental illness, but experiments on himself unleash the submerged evil, depravity and lust that lurks inside him, creating his alter-ego, Mr. Hyde.

From R L Stevenson’s novella through to the original staging of this musical version, Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde are the same man. However in this Colchester Operatic Society production, director David Rutter takes the decision to split the role and it completely undermines the material.

Although Thomas Pleasant (Jekyll) and Olly Medlicott sing well, I can’t help but feel that this has robbed a performer of the opportunity to give a barn storming performance.

Characterisation is also a problem, Jekyll is much nastier than Hyde, and the horror is blanded out - the murders are about as grisly as a pillow fight.

Fortunately there is much to enjoy within the ensemble. The show belongs to the excellent Giulia Cipriani, who steals it as the whore Lucy. She is mesmerising, sings powerfully and gets closer than anyone else to showing the consequences of Jekyll’s actions.

On the ‘good’ side, Leanne Field sings beautifully as Emma, Jekyll’s fiancée. And within the group, talented performers such as Chi Chi Armstrong, Adam Duarte-Dias and Jonathan Davis keep the audience engaged.

Interestingly, it is the chorus work that is the most powerful musically, and here the group excel. It all takes place on a gorgeous set, even though some of the transitions between scenes needed to be looked at as they were very clumsy on the first night.

The show itself will always stand in the shadow of greater and more successful musicals. The lyrics are too literal and there is no song that snags into your ear worm upon one listen. The splitting of the lead role will be divisive, but I feel it hasn’t given the piece the production it deserves. A rare miss step by one of the best local groups.

PAUL T. DAVIES