Little Theatre Company
Jekyll & Hyde
Palace Theatre, Westcliff-on-Sea
12th to 15th October 2016
7.30pm
Jekyll & Hyde
Palace Theatre, Westcliff-on-Sea
12th to 15th October 2016
7.30pm
From the moment you enter the Palace Theatre auditorium you are aware of the faint musical under-rumblings of a storm brewing. The ghostly passing of characters walking across the stage, behind the gauze, adding to the atmospheric tension as audience members take their seats.
The story of Jekyll and Hyde is fairly simple. Dr Jekyll's father is in an insane asylum suffering with a mental illness that Jekyll believes has been caused by the evil in his father's soul. He sets out to try and find a cure but needs a person to try out his tests on. His proposal is refused by the Board of Governors at the hospital and so he locks himself away to find a cure, using the potions on himself, which as we all know, does not resolve well.
Facade in the opening act, gives an indication of the quality of Little Theatre Company's ensemble vocals and throughout the whole of the show, whether on stage or off, singing in the wings, the company are constantly delivering quality performances. Although not all of the songs in this show are instantly memorable, they are so cleverly written and with some wonderfully complex harmonies, they have the power to hold an audiences attention.
Olly Gourley plays the dual roles of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde. He shows remarkable control in a character that demands an awful lot - not only on one's voice, but also requires a vast amount of one's emotional stamina. Olly certainly gives it his all in This is the Moment and does an outstanding job in Confrontation where he takes on the personalities of Jekyll and Hyde. I rather admire the fact that Olly uses his foppish hair to fall forwards to cover his face to transition into the evil Hyde, rather than resort to a mask or some-such; this made for a much more believable characterisation.
The gloom of the show is lifted with Jekyll and Hyde's love interests, with Sarah Woolner playing his sweetly loyal and understanding fiancee, Emma; and Eleanor Softly taking on the role of prostitute Lucy, who finds herself intertwined with both the kindly Jekyll and the dangerously sadistic Hyde.
Sarah and Olly share some lovely moments and work well together on stage with a good chemistry between the two. Sarah really comes into her own with Once Upon a Dream which was sung beautifully.
Eleanor as Lucy was the one who certainly gave Act 1 a big lift in her introductory number, Bring on the Men and is certainly someone to keep an eye on in the future with her cracking vocals and stage presence.
Director, Bradley Green, has clearly brought his visualisation to the stage and has done a fine job with pushing his cast beyond their expectations. I would, however, have liked to have seen some more inventive choreography but, to be fair, this show is not essentially dance focused.
I was also glad that Bradley brought in the Girls of the Night song to this production (it has been left out of previous productions) as it gave the ladies of the company a perfect opportunity to show off their harmonies. I also loved all of the costumes in this show which were perfect for the Victorian period.
What this show highlights, for me, is that Little Theatre Company have the skills to pull off an amazing, yet complex, score. Clare Penfold has done a wonderful job as Musical Director, nurturing a strong cast and providing a wonderful sound that left me, and I'm sure most of the first night audience, with goosebumps.
For tickets call 01702 351135 or go online to www.southendtheatres.org.uk
The story of Jekyll and Hyde is fairly simple. Dr Jekyll's father is in an insane asylum suffering with a mental illness that Jekyll believes has been caused by the evil in his father's soul. He sets out to try and find a cure but needs a person to try out his tests on. His proposal is refused by the Board of Governors at the hospital and so he locks himself away to find a cure, using the potions on himself, which as we all know, does not resolve well.
Facade in the opening act, gives an indication of the quality of Little Theatre Company's ensemble vocals and throughout the whole of the show, whether on stage or off, singing in the wings, the company are constantly delivering quality performances. Although not all of the songs in this show are instantly memorable, they are so cleverly written and with some wonderfully complex harmonies, they have the power to hold an audiences attention.
Olly Gourley plays the dual roles of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde. He shows remarkable control in a character that demands an awful lot - not only on one's voice, but also requires a vast amount of one's emotional stamina. Olly certainly gives it his all in This is the Moment and does an outstanding job in Confrontation where he takes on the personalities of Jekyll and Hyde. I rather admire the fact that Olly uses his foppish hair to fall forwards to cover his face to transition into the evil Hyde, rather than resort to a mask or some-such; this made for a much more believable characterisation.
The gloom of the show is lifted with Jekyll and Hyde's love interests, with Sarah Woolner playing his sweetly loyal and understanding fiancee, Emma; and Eleanor Softly taking on the role of prostitute Lucy, who finds herself intertwined with both the kindly Jekyll and the dangerously sadistic Hyde.
Sarah and Olly share some lovely moments and work well together on stage with a good chemistry between the two. Sarah really comes into her own with Once Upon a Dream which was sung beautifully.
Eleanor as Lucy was the one who certainly gave Act 1 a big lift in her introductory number, Bring on the Men and is certainly someone to keep an eye on in the future with her cracking vocals and stage presence.
Director, Bradley Green, has clearly brought his visualisation to the stage and has done a fine job with pushing his cast beyond their expectations. I would, however, have liked to have seen some more inventive choreography but, to be fair, this show is not essentially dance focused.
I was also glad that Bradley brought in the Girls of the Night song to this production (it has been left out of previous productions) as it gave the ladies of the company a perfect opportunity to show off their harmonies. I also loved all of the costumes in this show which were perfect for the Victorian period.
What this show highlights, for me, is that Little Theatre Company have the skills to pull off an amazing, yet complex, score. Clare Penfold has done a wonderful job as Musical Director, nurturing a strong cast and providing a wonderful sound that left me, and I'm sure most of the first night audience, with goosebumps.
For tickets call 01702 351135 or go online to www.southendtheatres.org.uk
Ask the Audience
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Penny, 25, Leigh-on-Sea
It was absolutely stunning. The singing was phenomenal. I saw Legally Blonde, their last show, as this was just on a different scale. I thought they illustrated the story really well. The part with Jekyll and Hyde channelling the two different personalities was insanely good. I thought Lucy was excellent and had good stage presence. It was a little bit raunchy in places, so I'm not sure if that would be comfortable for some people. The transitions between sets was a bit off putting in places but overall I thought it was brilliant. |
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Nathan, 24, Eastwood
All the singing was absolutely phenomenal not just from the leads but everyone. Lucy was the one who stood out for me, especially in the 'Someone Like You' song. I really enjoyed it.
All the singing was absolutely phenomenal not just from the leads but everyone. Lucy was the one who stood out for me, especially in the 'Someone Like You' song. I really enjoyed it.