One man’s battle with his dual nature comes alive on stage at Martinsburg’s The Apollo Civic Theatre. The musical is based on Robert Louis Stevenson’s classic novella with added twists from Leslie Bricusse who wrote the book and lyrics and Frank Wildhorn who wrote the lush score. The Apollo Civic Theatre presentation features a talented cast, a great set, and wonderful costumes.
Andrew Lloyd Baughman (Hyde) stalking Brianna Galligan (Lucy). Photo by Charles “Joey” Thorne.
Director Terri Magers does a terrific job in her second Apollo production of mixing veteran actors with new actors. Out of a cast of 20, two are making their acting debuts, and four more are making their first appearance on The Apollo stage. Andrew Lloyd Baughman play is Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde with much passion and sings wonderfully.
Many of the show’s highlights come through the vocals of Brianna Galligan, who plays Lucy, and also provides the choreography. The casting of this Shenandoah University Senior is a prime example of community theatre pulling the best talent from their local area. Her best solo number is “Someone Like You.” She is terrific with Andrew in their duet “Dangerous Game.” More highlights came from Emily Santy who plays Emma. Her best solo number is“Once Upon a Dream.” She teams up with Andrew as well on “Take Me as I Am”, and it’s a number not to missed. Lucy and her band of prostitutes perform an entertaining, leg kicking version of “Bring on the Men.” Not only does the song show off Galligan’s wonderful voice – it also highlights her choreographing skills. Brianna and Emily in this musical get a chance to sing together on “In His Eyes” and the results are ear-delighting.
Other excellent performances come from André Brown (Utterson), Alan Harner (Simon Stride) and Chris Steele (Lord Savage).
The costumes by Susie Sayre really set the tone for this ‘dark’ production. Susie is the owner and designer of a local costume shop and she brings years of experience in creating costumes for the stage. Anthony Brooks designed a wonderful set for the stage. The live music from Alison Shafer, Liz Kinder and John Maestri never distract from the performance or drown out the performances.
The five star production at Martinsburg’s historic Apollo Civic Theatre is a ‘Must See!’. It is one of the few shows I have seen this year where the audience stood up and gave the cast a long standing ovation, and they deserved it!
Running Time: Approximately 2.5 hours with a 15 minute intermission.
Jekyll & Hyde The Musical plays Friday through Sunday until September 25, 2011 at The Apollo Civic Theatre – 128 East Martin Street, in Martinsburg, West Virginia. For tickets call (304) 263-6766 or purchase them online.
Watch Broadway cast member Linda Eder sing “Someone Like Me
Purchase the Broadway cast CD.
Linda Eder will be performing at The Musical Center at Music Center at Strathmore on Thursday, October 6th at 8 PM. Purchase tickets online.
