REVIEW: Gothic Thriller JEKYLL AND HYDE THE MUSICAL Is Given A Makeover For Its Australian Professional Production Premiere

Tuesday 2nd August 2022, 7:30pm, Hayes Theatre, Sydney

Sydney finally receives a fully staged professional production of JEKYLL AND HYDE THE MUSICAL, the musical theatre interpretation of Robert Louis Stevenson's famous novella. Under Hayden Tee's direction the gothic exploration of the duality of human behavior is given a 20th century update with a significant change of setting from the Victorian England to a post WWII military hospital.

Frank Wildhorn (Music and Lyrics), Leslie Bricusse (Lyrics and Book) and Steve Cuden's (Lyrics) musical originally aligned with Robert Louis Stevenson's setting in 19th century London. In an effort to highlight the contemporary relevance of the themes, Hayden Tee has done away with the oppressive costumes of crinolines and cravats in favor of repositioning the work in a military mental hospital following the end of World War Two to draw parallels to the modern era's mental health concerns that may be triggered by a significant global experience. While the story always had Dr Jekyll's (Brendan MacLean) lawyer Utterson (Madeleine Jones) narrating their memory of the ill-fated experiment, Tee's interpretation places greater emphasis on the psychological impact their support of their best friends' endeavors had on Utterson. While other interpretations of the work recreate the memories within their settings, Utterson's recount all unfolds in St Jude's hospital in a space reminiscent of the operating theatres that had open viewing galleries. Melanie Liertz's set design captures this cleanly while evoking the era of the work and incorporating elements that help indicate transitions from Dr Jekyll's laboratory with shelves of samples to The Red Rat nightclub/brothel with a red lamp and remnants of the various rendezvous revealed under UV lights. Mason Browne's costume design adds a delightfully camp twist to militaristic and medically inspired uniforms with easy changes between the character and ensemble roles that the majority of the cast double.

Drawing a cast of Australian and New Zealand performers, Tee presents a gloriously diverse cast with a number of performers making their Sydney debut. Making his musical theatre debut, Brendan MacLean takes on the dual role of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde. Maclean infuses a strong undertone of a maniacal and obsessive nature to his expression of Dr Jekyll, reinforcing that the those elements of his personality always existed well before he encouraged Mr Hyde to reveal himself. He gives Dr Jekyll's signature numbers, I Need To Know and This Is The Moment his own twist with a passionate expression of the purpose of Jekyll's study and a brightness and optimism that the experiment is showing promising results, showcasing a tenor register. The shift between the two sides of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde is presented simply with an addition of a laboratory coat and scrub cap, but it is Maclean's physicality and vocal changes that ensure the two are distinct, even during Confrontation where Maclean remains clearly visible throughout Siobhan Ginty's wonderfully choreographed fight scene.

Georgina Hopson and Brady Peeti portray the two women most important to Dr Jekyll, his fiancé Emma Carew and prostitute Lucy Harris. With the shift from Emma being a Victorian era woman with not much more to do than be a daughter or a wife, to being a medical professional in her own right, Hopson ensures that Emma is seen as a confident and strong character throughout, making the devotion to Dr Jekyll feel much more genuine, conveyed through a devastatingly poignant Once Upon a Dream. While the majority of the performers adopt accents more connected to the setting, Brady Peeti's natural Kiwi accent, as a Wahine Māori, works with the premise that New Zealand and Australian soldiers found themselves in the post war convalescent hospitals in England before being repatriated home. While Lucy has moments of confidence and control, Peeti ensures that the audience sees that she is more a victim of circumstance and is actually a sweet and vulnerable character beneath the bluff and bravado. She has a rich mezzo range and infuses a seductive tone to Take Me As I Am and exhibits a good comic timing with cutting quips.

While the original orchestrations would have called for a full orchestra, musical supervisor and orchestrator Nigel Ubrihien has adapted the work for the intimate space of Hayes Theatre. Two cellists flank the stage while musicians on keys and double bass double as characters to round out the ensemble numbers. Weaving the musicians within the dramatization helps reinforce the story as being a reenactment of Utterson's memories. The musical arrangements of the numbers have also been adjusted to accommodate the voices where performers that don't necessarily match the traditional casting conventions such as Madeline Jones presenting Utterson and Brendan MacLean having a higher vocal range than other castings

Once the premise of the work becomes clear, this production is captivating with strong performances. The underlying messages of the continuing need to champion the good in humanity whilst striving to remove or at least suppress the hypocritical evil behaviors are strong as they remain relevant in the often self-absorbed and selfish society of the 21st century. A bold new imagining with beautiful music, JEKYLL AND HYDE THE MUSICAL is well worth tracking down a ticket before it sells out.

https://hayestheatre.com.au/event/jekyll-and-hyde/

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