Review: Dr Jekyll & Mr Hyde

Hey readers!
It's time for my review of Dr Jekyll & Mr Hyde.
Beginning on the 9th of February, a brand new production of Dr Jekyll & Mr Hyde opened at the Rose Theatre in Kingston for one week only before touring across the rest of the UK. The Rose Theatre is virtually on my doorstep, and yet I had not seen a show there for 8 years! I thought that this production looked really interesting and I was keen to return to the Rose Theatre, so I finally returned after 8 long years. Once I had arrived, I felt surprised that it had taken me so long to return the Rose Theatre, as it truly is a wonderful theatre. Sadly though, I had more mixed thoughts about the play itself.

The story follows the well-respected Dr. Jekyll, who during one of his audacious experiments trying to separate good from evil, he inadvertently unleashes an alternative personality… the fiendish Mr Hyde. As this sinister figure starts causing terror and havoc in foggy London, Dr. Jekyll must race to find a cure for his monstrous alter-ego before it takes over for good. It is a fascinating story, however I feel that it has been adapted in a rather dull manner, causing the story to feel somewhat lifeless. I became somewhat disinterested with the play on numerous occasions, and I don't believe this should have been the case. I find the storyline to be so interesting, so why did the way it has been written in this instance leave me unresponsive? The conclusion that I reach was that there is a lot of exposition within the play, resulting in large chunks becoming fairly tedious. The play is a total of 2 hours and 10 minutes, and I don't believe that it needed to be this long. There were scenes that took place which could have easily been removed, and this production could have served as a one-act play. Additionally, the writer works hard to introduce dozens of characters and subplots to the audience, which I felt prohibited me from fully understanding what was happening on this stage, causing me to become fairly confused. There were times, especially in act one, that I became a little bewildered with who each character was and what relationships they had with other characters.

Despite holding negative views towards the way this play has been written, luckily I still have some very positive views on other aspects of this production! Firstly, I thought that the cast were excellent. Led by Phil Daniels in the role of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde and this cast work exceptionally well together. Each cast member held their own on the stage, with each and every one of them brining something unique and different to the play.

In addition to that, this production has been exceedingly well designed. The set design, by Simon Higlett, was extremely striking and worked to a great effect. The play has to show numerous occasions and I thought that the set handled this well. Simon Higlett has also designed the costumes, which I thought were once again excellent; they suited the Victorian time period very well. I also held the lighting design in a high regard, which serviced the show ably.

The featured star of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde is, drum roll please... PHIL DANIELS!

A year ago I saw Phil Daniels perform in This House, which he was absolutely excellent in and I'm pleased to say he has once again given an excellent performance! Phil Daniels was an exceptional Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde. He gave a captivating performance and was fascinating to watch. He really is such an incredible actor. Whilst I may not have been such a huge fan of the play itself, there is no denying that his performance was truly outstanding.

Now for my final verdict on Dr Jekyll and My Hyde. I give Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde...

It was extremely difficult for me to choose a rating for this production. On the one hand, I was extremely unimpressed with the way it was written, but on the other hand, it is superbly acted and is excellently designed. I eventually decided to give it 2 stars, as it isn't quite as good as some of the shows that I have awarded 3 stars to. If I did half ratings, this would be awarded 2 and a half stars.

Think it should have got a higher rating? Agree with my rating? Think it should have got a lower rating? If so comment below.

Thanks for reading!

-The Reviewer