It’s great to see so many young people taking part in the arts nowadays, even with vicious cuts being made and the government often calling them ‘useless’. However, in spite of all this, it’s quite clear that the arts will never die, and it falls to the younger generations to shape the future of theatre. This is why it’s great having new companies like the York Orchard Musical Theatre Company being formed – they’re providing great opportunities for young and old people alike to get involved with the arts. Formed in December last year, they’ve been hard at work on their first show, and I was very excited to find out that it was Jekyll & Hyde: The Musical. Stepping over the Joseph Rowntree Theatre’s threshold, I couldn’t wait to see what they’d done with it.

Jekyll & Hyde: The Musical is an adaptation of The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson. We follow the story of Dr Jekyll, who’s determined to examine the divide between good and evil that resides within all of us. Unable to find a willing volunteer for his experiments, he knocks up a potion and takes it himself, and we soon realise that he’s bitten off more than he can chew when his evil alter ego, Edward Hyde, begins a trail of murder and debauchery through London.

In the press pack I was given for this show, it was clearly stated that York Orchard was set up as an amateur theatre group. Until I read this, I had no idea that this was an amateur production; there were some stunning performances throughout this show, both dramatically and musically. Beth Stevens was excellent as Lucy Harris, and delivered a marvellous vocal performance, while Rob Fisher did a great job of tackling the tough double role of Jekyll and Hyde. Megan Conway was also brilliant as Emma Carew, and the whole company generally worked very well as an ensemble. The former are currently studying for their A-Levels, while the latter is a writing, directing and performance graduate from the University of York; the rest of the company are at various points throughout their academic and performance careers. The vast range of talent and skill levels at work here in this production came together throughout the performance and made me think this was anything but amateur, which, if a production isn’t marketed as amateur, should do.

Sometimes, I felt that transitions between scenes were a little bit clunky, and there were a few problems with the sound in terms of the orchestra overpowering the performers on stage. The energy and a sense of urgency in some scenes also seemed to drop at times, but this is easily forgiven when you consider how excellent the production is as a whole. A neatly designed set works in harmony with the lighting to assist the performers in creating atmosphere throughout the show. Combine this with the strong characterisations and you’ve got all the ingredients for a well-executed musical, which this production of Jekyll & Hyde certainly is.

York Orchard claims that its goal is to ‘produce impressive shows showcasing local talent’ and ‘allow the cast to have fun’, and this production clearly evidences these objectives; despite minor issues, this production is fantastic. The company works well with one another, and you can really tell that they’re enjoying themselves onstage. There’s a lot that some bigger, ‘professional’ and amateur productions could learn from here, and I can’t wait to see what York Orchard does next.

Jekyll & Hyde: The Musical is playing at the Joseph Rowntree Theatre, York until 4 July. For more information and tickets, see the Joseph Rowntree Theatre website. Photo by Chris Midgley.