Directed by Abigail Harper 

Musical Direction by Joe Atkinson and Kieron Moore 

Music by Frank Wildhorn 

Book by Leslie Bricusse 

Lyrics by Frank Wildhorn, Leslie Bricusse and Steve Cuden 

Review by Andrew Joseph

The University of St Andrews’ Musical Theatre Society took on the epic Gothic musical Jekyll and Hyde, telling the haunting story of the fight between good and evil. 

This story lives and dies by the quality of the lead performer. The duplicitous role of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde is a physical and vocal challenge; the actor must deftly switch between two fully realised personalities and carry the weight of Wildhorn’s epic score. In this production, James McNinch shone as both the scientist and the sinner. A choral scholar of the University of St Andrews chapel choir, McNinch’s singing voice was his greatest asset in the role. He was flexible with vocal colour, accessing both sweetness and darkness to differentiate the characters, and his healthy technique saw him through the entire show without tiring out. McNinch played Mr Hyde as a floating, creeping, slithering man, which was a welcome change from the more common brutish portrayal (we’re looking at you, David Hasselhoff). The specificity of Mr Hyde’s physicality, however, was sometimes lost during the more involved musical passages, leaving the audience to rely more on cues from costume and lighting to confirm which character was present. 

Shona M’Gadzah’s lighting designs were thoughtful, dramatic, and executed to a professional standard. The highlight of M’Gadzah’s work was The Confrontation, an argumentative song in which Jekyll and Hyde rapidly cut across each other. For Jekyll’s lines, McNinch was lit in white from above, while during Hyde’s interjections, lit in red from behind, casting an enormous and intimidating shadow on the gauze before him. This song also benefitted from McNinch bringing a little extra vocal colour to differentiate the characters. 

Similarly duplicitous is Jekyll’s love life, with both Emma (Amy Dunn) and Lucy (Jasmine Willans) winning his heart. Dunn was fierce and romantic as Jekyll’s bride-to-be, with a stunningly clear voice, while Willans complimented this with a powerful and more contemporary vocal style. Their storyline came to a head in the Act II duet In His Eyes, in which both singers found a tasteful vocal blend. Willans also proved herself to be a triple threat by leading Elena Kalenti’s sultry choreography in Bring On the Men, Feather Boa and all. 

The production benefitted from a large and strong chorus, directed by Kieron Moore. Incidentally, Moore gave a stand-out performance of This is the Moment from Jekyll and Hyde at A Chronicle in Concert last year – perhaps this production has been long in the making. The chorus displayed crisp diction, particularly Bella Yow and Ava Daniels, and there was a good choral blend throughout. 

First-time director Abigail Harper provided the chorus with clear intentions and nice ensemble movement without the action being over-choreographed. Harper’s character-driven approach was best exemplified by the acting amongst the chorus, with Ben McClure giving a particularly truthful and intense portrayal of Simon Stride. Similarly, Patrick Fewins exuded warmth and trustworthiness as Jekyll’s confidant. 

Supporting the singers was an excellent and full-sounding offstage band, directed by Joe Atkinson. Last seen directing A Chronicle in Concert, Atkinson continued his winning streak with Jekyll and Hyde. The music was fluid, clean, and reliably in tune, and the players and singers kept in time. In future performances, the band should take a well-deserved onstage bow. 

There are a few moments in which the stage management team was distracted from the action on stage, appearing during scenes to clear furniture. This production captured the dark and macabre spirit of the musical and offered a technically proficient, passionate take on a classic tale.