BIRKENHEAD Operatic Society Trust stage the Wirral premiere of Jekyll & Hyde – the musical later this month.

Staged at the Floral Pavilion in New Brighton from October 22-24, it tells the tale of an eminent doctor's struggle between good and evil and is based on Robert Louis Stevenson's The Strange case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde, which was written in 1886.

The show is directed by Elsie Kelly, with music conducted by Trisha Gaskell and choreography by Charlotte Elverstone.

Elsie Kelly said: "This show will be another new venture for BOST. It’s been a fantastic production to work on and I'm sure it will excite local audiences by giving them a musical they are unlikely to have seen before".

Playing the dual lead of Dr Jekyll and Edward Hyde is Chris Simmons. He said: "There is a lot of singing in this show which is vocally demanding.

"I've enjoyed taking on the challenge of performing two very different characters, one good and the other evil.

"The musical is laced with romance, intrigue and murder, so there’s something for everyone to enjoy."

The two main female roles in the show are played by Gina Phillips and Linzi Stefanov. 

Jekyll & Hyde features an evocative score written by multi-award winning composers Frank Wildhorn and Leslie Bricusse.

Among the songs are This is the moment, which is sung by Dr Jekyll as he realises he must make himself the subject of his own experiment.

The original Broadway production of Jekyll & Hyde ran continuously for four years, clocking up more than 1,500 performances.

On screen, Jekyll was played by John Barrymore in a 1920 film version. The character also inspired Stan Lee to create Marvel Comic characters Dr Bruce Banner and alter ego The Incredible Hulk in 1961. 

Performances at the Floral Pavilion start at 7.30pm with a 2.30pm Saturday matinee. Tickets are from the box office on 0151 666 0000 or www.floralpavilion.com