Review: ALFRED HITCHCOCK PRESENTS - THE MUSICAL, Theatre Royal Bath

The ironic part about Alfred Hitchcock Presents - The Musical is that the Master of Suspense himself feels lost in a production that deserves more madcap frights. While opening on Hitchcock’s classic line ‘Good evening,’ Jay Dyer’s attempts to interweave its eight stories of betrayal, thrills and passion together (including season 3’s Lamb to the Slaughter and season 1’s The Babysitter) in just two hours leave it feeling muddled and incoherent. 

There’s a hint of self awareness with a recap opening act two, but it does little to fix the stories’ unfocused direction and lack of frights. Twists come in thick and fast, leaving little time for development with some barely resolved or handwaved the moment they're over. The most egregious of them is The Man with a Problem as Liam Tamne’s titular character appears sporadically atop a ladder only to abruptly end once he offs Joaquin Pedro Valdes’ cop.

The late Steven Ludvak’s (A Gentleman’s Guide To Love and Murder) jazzy score, while embracing its 50s pastiche, feel like imitations of Sondheim wit. It’s only Vaudeville ditty "Everybody Wants To Kill Someone" where the production really picks up - if only the rest of the numbers shared its same level of cleverness and humour.

What can’t be denied is the creativity in Doyle and David L Arsenault’s monochrome set and Jonathan Lipman’s 1950s inspired costumes. With an old-fashioned television screen bordering the proscenium, the action takes place on a soundstage complete with boom mics, spotlights and period appropriate boxy cameras. However, it also creates its own issues. With performers hamming up their lines and mugging to the cameras, ample moments to insert meta humour in its show within a show setting are left squandered and create a disconnect to the action.

Besides its visuals, it’s the ensemble filled with West End heavyweights who add pedigree to the production. Among the game of who's-who in the musical theatre world, Nicola Hughes (Chicago) is a joy as jazz singer and scorned lover to Damian Humbley. Scarlett Strallen (Mary Poppins) makes a delightful UK return as murder-obsessed Stepford housewife showing off her soprano and comedic timing. However it’s Sally Ann Tripplett (Cabaret, The Witches) who steals the show as crazed babysitter Lottie Croakem.

Alfred Hitchcock Presents - The Musical has its moments that inject the Hitchcockian spirit it needs, but its lack of frights and baffling structure leave it as dull as its grey sets. Inspired visuals and a starry cast can only do so much, but will it transfer to the West End like other recent productions at the Theatre Royal Bath? That’s a mystery only someone like Alfred Hitchcock would know the answer to.

 Alfred Hitchcock Presents -The Musical runs at the Theatre Royal Bath until April 12