Alfred Hitchcock Presents – The Musical, Theatre Royal Bath Review
Alfred Hitchcock Presents - The Musical production. Photo by Marc Brenner
Written by Bryony for Theatre & Tonic
Disclaimer: Gifted tickets in exchange for an honest review
Alfred Hitchcock Presents – The Musical… perhaps not an obvious choice for these stories, but a unique and bold one, nonetheless. It’s just another ordinary day in your average American city when we’re introduced to our first character, technically before the lights have gone down for the show to start, which was a fun touch I thought. He’s soon joined on stage for a rousing opening number with his fellow cast including a paranoid housewife, a duplicitous jazz singer, a witness to murder, an escaped convict and a man literally on the edge.
For those who didn’t know (like me), Alfred Hitchcock presents is an American television anthology series, made up of 30 minute episodes of dramas, thrillers and mysteries. The musical, particularly the first half, takes us on a whistle stop tour through some of these stories, told through an original score by Steven Lutvak and the inventive book by Jay Dyer that’s very tongue in cheek, Hitchcock’s trademark style.
As a self-confessed film fan, I (perhaps ashamedly) came to this show with little knowledge of Alfred Hitchcock. A household name to many, and creator of iconic movies like Psycho, Vertigo, North by Northwest, Rear Window and The Birds. Having since done my research since, I now realise there were snippets of familiar stories and funny one-liners that would have made any die-hard fans night.
Given the number of actors and the pace of the show, I found it difficult to keep up with the interwoven tales of betrayal, blackmail and homicide at times. However, it’s evident how much work has gone in to looking through the possible material that could have been used – 361 episodes of television if you count the 93 hour-long instalments that comprised The Alfred Hitchcock Hour – to see how they could be weaved together. As the second half started, it became clear that was the intention, as the cast provided a helpful recap of the individual stories shared so far.
John Doyle and David L. Arsenault’s set design was simple but worked well to compliment the variety of stories being told, as different accompaniments from doors and kitchen counters, to ladders and front seats of cars were expertly moved around the stage by the actors themselves. With the addition of show lights and a camera that enabled us to focus on the story of that moment and served as a great reminder that we’re watching these episodes play out.
There were a couple of particular stand out performances from Sally Ann Triplett, who plays Lottie Croakem and Sadie Grimes, Scarlett Strallen who plays Mary and Nicola Hughes who plays Eve, however the cast as a whole couldn’t be faulted. When you take a closer look at their credentials it’s clear to see why. Their voices harmonised beautifully during the full cast numbers, that alone being enough to persuade any avid theatregoer to give this one a watch.
At Theatre Royal Bath until 12 April 2025
★ ★ ★
