SHOULD it be particularly surprising that this reworked 1997 US attempt to bring Robert Louis Stevenson's famous story to musical life has developed a good and evil side?

The bad is a songbook apparently welded together from a coach crash in Mayfair, involving parties heading for Les Miserables, Miss Saigon, Oliver! and Phantom. I swear a chorus straight out of Faginland appeared about to burst into Mary Hopkins' Those Were The Days My Friend at one point in a passionate, but rambling, first half.

The good is that the cast includes some fine singing talent with Louise Dearman shining as the prostitute Lucy Harris, who pays a terrible price for falling under Edward Hyde's malevolent spell. Shona Lindsay, as Henry Jekyll's unfortunate fiancee, produces a pulsating duet with Dearman in a second half which enjoys some original, if rather melancholic, moments.

There is a sterling performance by star and co-producer Paul Nicholas but he does rush the production's one showstopper, This Is The Moment, seemingly distracted by preparing for his transformation experiment. And whoever persuaded Nicholas you can get away with letting down your long wig to become Mr Hyde has done him a real disservice.

There's a lot more alchemy required before this musical gets a West End run.

* Jekyll & Hyde runs until Saturday. Box Office: 0870 602 1130.

Published: 19/05/2005