Jekyll and Hyde

Bristol Hippodrome

YOU don’t have to be a Marti Pellow fan to enjoy the musical melodrama Jekyll and Hyde, but there were plenty in the audience at the Bristol Hippodrome last night.

The Wet, Wet, Wet singer is earning something of a reputation for himself as a star of the stage, following his performance in The Witches of Eastwick in 2008, and now as the split persona of Dr Henry Jekyll and Edward Hyde.

Pellow is suitably eerie as the obsessive doctor, adamant he has created a cure for mental illness, but still shows a sense of tenderness and morality.

But as he transforms into the mad and menacing Hyde, it is clear to see Pellow has not just been given the part based on his powerful voice but because he can also act.

With a few simple additions to his costume, namely a cape, top hat and silver-topped cane, Pellow evolves as Jekyll’s nemesis with a change in his voice, mannerisms and stage presence.

As he rampages through the streets of Victorian London, hell-bent on murder and ravaging lady of the night Lucy (played by understudy Carolyn Maitland) all memory of the charming pop singer is gone as the more nervy amongst us slink into the back of our seats biting our nails and covering our eyes.

Throughout the show, the star easily interchanges between the two entangled characters and during the climatic scene, convincingly argues with a pre-recording of himself on a giant screen.

But Pellow is not the only star of the show. Carolyn Maitland has made the absolute most of her moment in the limelight, showcasing a beautiful voice combined with a real sense of innocence in a long list of solos including Someone Like You and A New Life.

She is supported equally well by Sarah Earnshaw, as Dr Jekyll’s intended, whose operatic vocals against Maitland’s enforced East End accent reinforce the contrasts between the classes of the day.

The production did feel a little slow to get going and some of the ensemble numbers seemed to lack direction with not enough choreography and a lack of distinction between the rich and the poor. Overall though, it is visually and vocally stunning and certainly a treat for Marti Pellow’s loyal fanbase.

But be warned, it is a little scary.

Jekyll and Hyde is on at the Bristol Hippodrome until May 14. Call the box office on 0844 871 3912 for tickets.