News

THE QUEEN'S THEATRE FOR YOUNG MINDS production of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde has just concluded a hugely successful tour to secondary schools across Essex and London.

More than 1,000 young people aged 14 – 16 watched the specially adapted show performed by the Queen’s professional resident company of actor-musicians cut to the chase….                                                                                                             

The show visited schools in Havering, Barking and Dagenham, Newham, Epping Forest, Greenwich, Chelmsford, Basildon and Southend from 3 – 20 October.

The tour ran in conjunction with the World Premiere of The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde, a new stage adaptation by Chris Bond opening at the Queen’s Theatre on Friday 28 October. Chris’s past hits at the Queen’s include It’s a Fine Life! and Sweeney Todd. It was Chris’ version of Sweeney Todd which inspired Stephen Sondheim’s award-winning musical and the Hollywood blockbuster.

Students have been enthralled by Robert Louis Stevenson’s story of Dr Henry Jekyll’s battle between good and evil. Amid the East End’s back alleys and boozers, Dr Jekyll is tormented by passion for his beloved Eleanor and experiments with a potion powerful enough to split a personality in two. When he drinks it, he mutates into the depraved Mr Hyde, unleashing murderous havoc onto Victorian London’s murky underworld.

Directed by Queen’s Education Manager Patrick O’Sullivan, the Theatre for Young Minds production starred cut to the chase… actor-musicians Niall Costigan, Shaun Hennessy and Natasha Moore. Students also took part in discussions about the play’s themes in Question and Answer sessions held afterwards, led by the cast.

Patrick said: “The students really enjoyed the show and discovered there is much more to this gothic horror than meets the eye. They learned a lot about Victorian society and the effects of suppressing human nature. We were delighted to bring live theatre to these young audiences and breathe new life into this classic tale.”