THIS classic tale of schizophrenia is brought to life by Stourport Choral and Operatic Society, superbly directed by Claire Worboys, and starring her husband, Jonathan Darby, as the tortured Dr Henry Jekyll/Edward Hyde.

As expected, Jonathan gave a terrific performance and, although there is no physical change when the personalities switch, there is no doubt which is which as his face alters from the genial doctor to the glowering, evil Hyde.

Claire, singing even better than usual, also stars as the prostitute, Lucy, and these two performances were dominant.

Others who impressed were Callum McArthur as Jekyll's friend, Utterson, Hannah McCormack as prostitute Nellie, and Paul Standing, though having a relatively minor role as the pimp Spider, managed to stand out.

I think some first-night nerves crept in as George Lloyd forgot his words several times and, in the first half, Sharon Toy struggled to stay on key.

However, in the second half, Sharon was singing beautifully and her solo Once Upon a Dream was excellent as was her duet In His Eyes with Claire.

There was hardly any dialogue and some of the songs were exceptional. I particularly enjoyed Bring on the Men sung by Claire, Hannah and the ladies of the chorus.

Jonathan had some really powerful numbers such as I Need to Know and Angst, the latter when he wants to extinguish Hyde but he is taking over, and Confrontation when the ensemble witness his battle.

His final transformation, at the wedding, was nothing short of brilliant.

As an opera fan, probably my favourite number was the quartet His Work and Nothing More featuring Jonathan, Callum, Sharon and George. This was pure magic.