Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde come to visit Margate at the Theatre Royal.
The characters of Robert Louis Stevenson’s novella were brought to life by the incredible actors and actresses at Margate. Their voices filled the room with laughter as they sang a rather risky tune on prostitution. The main actor showed a brilliant performance as he switched in and out of Jekyll and Hyde. I for one forgot he was both, Jekyll and Hyde, at some points in the play. The body language and accent of Jekyll disappearing into an evil and sinister character. The actresses were all stunning and their voices ring in my head as I recall the events. One particular scene stuck with me, for both of the girls the upper class women marrying Jekyll and the working class girl in love with Jekyll, were singing their hearts out with pure emotions. I was emerged into the play as I saw the love and desperation plastered on Lucy and Emma’s faces as they gazed over the audience. Their lives, so different yet leading them down the same path to love the severely troubled Dr Jekyll.
However, the play wasn’t quite what I expected as it followed a new adaptation of the novella by Leslie Bricusse. So I’m sure you can imagine the stunned faces when it broke out into Bring on the men. However, as we watched on you could see the hard life of the working class woman who was in love with someone who she clearly couldn’t be with. There were some technical problems with the sound as Lucy’s microphone stopped working several times but despite this complication she powered through and her incredible voice echoed round the theatre as she lingered on every note. I was in awe as Jekyll and Hyde switched back and forth in the end scene. The lighting changed to show the switches but was rendered useless as he took over the stage in what could only be called a magnificent performance.
Overall, Jekyll and Hyde the musical was one of the most excellent theatre shows I have ever seen. The overwhelming passion and love the actors/ actresses showed for their craft. The mesmerising voices pulling me into the Victorian world. The awestruck audience, frozen in their seats. The talent oozing off of the stage. The plot and life stories each character held moving us. The death of Lucy and the love she held for Jekyll playing with our heart strings. Despite the technical difficulties and Lucy running off stage after dying the play was amazing. If anything these moments added to the experience making the performance more unique.
