Nice production, shame about the show

JEKYLL AND HYDE, Palace, Manchester
THERE are two types of people who go to musicals like this: those who want to see the show, and those who want to see their favourite pop star in the show.

The latter might not think their evening wasted, since they get two slices of Marti Pellow for the price of one — well, more like one good piece, really.

The former Wet Wet Wet front-man turned musicals star gives a fairly superficial performance as Jekyll — achieved, it seems, mainly by speaking softly and producing as upper-class an accent as he can muster.

As Hyde he borders — unintentionally — on comedy bad guy, wearing a top hat and a cape with what appears to be a small dead animal as its collar, mustering a harsh accent and scowling as he dispatches his enemies with a leer and a song.

Truth is that while Pellow can sing, he doesn’t act terribly well — not that this has the slightest bearing on anything in the context of what is an irredeemably poor musical.

Jekyll and Hyde seems to have been put together from the biggest bag of cliches the composers — Frank Wildhorn and Leslie Bricusse — could find.

The story itself is a strange beast: part social commentary, part romance, part science project and part revenge melodrama.

Wildhorn creates a set of songs designed to fulfil most of the needs of modern B-grade musicals: they all seem to start small and reflective, then build to bombastic power ballad, while constantly changing key and meandering in search of the main melody. Little wonder few of the tunes are ever heard outside the theatre.

But the cherry on this musical meringue is Bricusse’s book and lyrics, home to some of the most banal dialogue (the show is mostly sung-through) and rhymes ever committed to music.

All this is wrapped in an admittedly handsome set, with two strong supporting actress-singers (Sabrina Carter as Hyde’s squeeze, Lucy, and Sarah Earnshaw as Jekyll’s fiancee, Emma) a strong band, great sound and the trappings of a top-grade musical production, which it is.

Just a shame the show all this effort has been applied to is so mediocre.