BASH presented the musical Jekyll and Hyde from April 3-6, the first school in the area to attempt to put on the Broadway hit. The production was better than anyone could have ever imagined.

The story of Jekyll and Hyde originates from the 1886 novella Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, written by Robert Louis Stevenson (better known for Treasure Island). It deals with the now classic tale of a scientist who experiments a drug on himself and has it go horribly wrong, turning him into a murderous schizophrenic. Sometime between its publication and today, someone thought it would be a good idea for a musical, and thus Jekyll and Hyde the musical was born. The concept seems farfetched; however, it flows quite nicely on stage and goes by pretty fast.

Part of the reason it worked so well was the excellent cast. There were not a lot of people in it, so a majority of the scenes had to be carried by only a few cast members at a time. This could have ruined the play, but the acting was good enough to carry each scene. Picking one standout actor is difficult since everyone was working at the same level. But  Courtney Gehret (playing Lucy Harris) scene-for-scene was outstanding. Anthony Sermarini (John Utterson), Allyson Bennett (Emma Carew), and Steve Bachmann (Danvers Carew) were all excellently cast in their parts. The Ensemble shouldn’t go unnoticed, especially after hearing how well they harmonized with each other. And props to CJ Hartung for playing the difficult part of Jekyll and Hyde.

Hands down, one of the best aspects of the play was the orchestra, who never missed a note. It almost sounded pre-recorded but in the best possible way. Their music was absolutely flawless.

In the big picture, BASH’s Jekyll and Hyde production was far better than one would expect for a high school production. From the set production to the music, everything worked like a well-oiled machine. It was fast-paced and fun entertainment.

EDITOR’S NOTE: This story has been edited. The Cub apologizes for content in the previous version that offended anyone. The paper welcomes comments on any of the versions of the story.

ADDITIONAL REVIEW: For a review on Jekyll and Hyde from the head of International Jekyll and Hyde Fan Club, click here.