Alfred Hitchcock Presents: The Musical carves itself a unique, if niche, foothold in musical theatre adaptations, with its stellar cast, enjoyable songs, impressive staging and a gloriously fun book. Based on the Alfred Hitchcock Presents television show (hosted and produced by the man himself between 1955 and 1965), this musical adaptation takes on eight storylines and mashes them into a musical. John Doyle's direction and Jay Dyer's book create a masterful musical that is only amplified by the strong ensemble cast.
The musical's attempt to cram in eight storylines results in a confusing and shallow plot, yet the common themes of betrayal, love, anger, pain, revenge and death breathe life into the characters who propel the story forward. Audiences are sat in rapt attention from the moment the cast walk on stage, trying to follow the storylines, which prove surprisingly simple to follow after a point. Although with some of the cast taking on multiple roles, the characters themselves could be more challenging to follow.
The musical, understandably, doesn't have enough time to devote to each of the storylines, choosing to breeze through them, only focusing on the motive and the murder itself. Smaller moments, such as wrestling with the guilt, weighing up the morality and trying to deal with the consequences are often packed away in a song, that multiple characters sing together, creating universal and beautiful moments of humanity.
Paying homage to the television series, and with a repeated reminder in the final song titled We Do This, So You Don't Have To, about how media can result in senseless violence, the staging of this production is one of its cleverest tricks. Co-designed by David L. Arsenault and Doyle, the set is very very limited with grey backdrops and grey wooden panelling around the stage. A professional massive film video camera, along with lights and overhead microphone, frame the scenes, allowing audiences a glimpse into this world. Cast members wield these three props constantly, taking care to ensure that angles are right for the show and never blocking the audience. Door frames are wheeled on, to help distinguish scenes and locations, in seamless choreographed movement, that works beautifully with the songs. It's a small but strong reminder about how it takes a village to bring a show to audiences.
However, on the flipside, this does result in having the larger cast dotted around the stage, who are also watching the scenes with little to no expression (apart from Valdes who seems just as drawn into each storyline as the audience are), which can be distracting at the best of times. This staging design, original and impressive as it is, does grow a little tiresome towards the second act, where the consequences of every murder doesn't quite leave as much as an impact due to the barrier the television crew.
The cast of fourteen boasts of numerous glowing talents straight from London's West End, and becomes the show's biggest strength. Sally Ann Triplett is a stand out performer as Lottie the babysitter, and is as full of energy and madness as one can hope for. Triplett's stage presence, performance and vocals leave the audiences dazzled and wanting more. Scarlett Strallen delivers another formidable performance, particularly so in her final scene as her character Mary snaps, with a performance so chilling, it's almost a relief when the next scene takes over.
Nicola Hughes and Damian Humbley are well paired, complimenting one another with powerful vocals, great comedic timing and strong performances as each grapple with their options. Keanna Bloomfield is an earnest performer in a more heartfelt story and delivers a gentler performance that has audiences rooting for her. Liam Tamne excels in the first act, with his mysterious repeating chorus and beautiful vocals. Joaquin Pedro Valdes, although severely underused, shines in his solo song as Michael, with an impressively fast paced song and killer vocals.
The musical features an original score by Steven Lutvak and has Benjamin Holder as musical director. The songs, impressive and enjoyable as they are in the moment, aren't quite catchy enough to remember after leaving the theatre, apart from a couple of exceptions. However, they do a remarkable job at showcasing the talented cast, with several very impressive moments both vocally and lyrically. There are also plenty of moments throughout the play that use music to help build up the suspense and the aftermath. Musically, it's a very strong piece.
The cast have been decked in grey, white and black costumes (Jonathan Lipman), keeping in tone with the time period. Sam Cox as wigs, hair and make-up supervisor does a splendid job at making the character personalities and positions obvious. Johanna Town as lighting design does a good job, juggling both the onstage lighting and the rigged lights above. With the use of a great curtain, shadows and silhouettes are used to great effect.
Alfred Hitchcock Presents: The Musical is a highly enjoyable and deeply entertaining musical that will delights fans of musical theatre, murder mystery and Alfred Hitchcock. Although a little lacking in certain aspects, on the whole it's a truly tremendous piece with a unique creative flair and signature style.
Alfred Hitchcock Presents: The Musical plays at Theatre Royal Bath until 12th April.
★★★★☆ (4*)
Gifted tickets in return for an honest review | Photography by Manuel Harlan
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