The musical Jekyll and Hyde, based on Robert Louis Stevenson’s classic novel, tells the powerful tale of obsessive scientist Dr Jekyll who, unable to control his alter ego Edward Hyde, embarks on a murderous rampage through the streets of London. With an impressive set and period costumes, the audience is immediately plunged into Gothic England, accompanied by Frank Wildhorn’s music including the well-known songs This is the Moment and Someone Like You, which match the dark and sinister plot perfectly.

With leading man Marti Pellow forced to sit out due to an injury, understudy Martin Dickinson gave a convincing performance as the evil Hyde. It was at times quite frightening, revealing the inner turmoil of good and evil perfectly.

Sabrina Carter is excellent as the prostitute Lucy – portraying great sadness and vulnerability with ease through her impressive voice.

Sarah Earshaw’s performance was equally impressive as Dr Jekyll’s fiancée Emma. She portrayed her innocence and belief for her future husband with passion through song.

While the cast gave an overall excellent performance, the storyline took a long time to develop and the first act seemed to drag.

This was quickly rectified in the faster-paced second act, which brought the story back up to speed with the realistic portrayal of Hyde’s murderous exploits.