This review was originally written for The Reviews Hub: https://www.thereviewshub.com/jack-the-courtyard-theatre-london/

Murderers steal the spotlight, but what about their victims? The case of Jack the Ripper has gained renewed interest in recent years, with this new musical Jack, reimagining the Ripper case to shed light on the murderer’s victims instead, with some success.

It is a musical, following a run at the Edinburgh Festival, with a very loosely threaded plot. Centring around Mary Jane Kelly (Nicole Palka), the Ripper’s last victim, Kelly’s entanglement with the other victims, as well as desperate DI Alfie Foster (Orla Wyatt) and a conniving journalist Howell (Cameron Maiklem), the piece uses Kelly’s dilapidated East End home to spark intrigue into Kelly’s character, and her knowledge of the victims.

Indeed, the musical reasonably attempts to shed light on those murdered rather than the killer. Palka’s Kelly is mysterious, with Palka a strong lead across this brief piece, coming in at just over an hour. Olivia Russell’s Mary Ann Nichols, the first victim, is cast as vulnerable, while Malaika’s script uses Eleanor Bogie’s bold Annie Chapman, the second murdered, as a vessel to call out the investigation’s prejudices against working-class women, labelling them all as prostitutes despite evidence suggesting otherwise.

Although with the best intentions, the musical’s brevity prevents the piece from living up to its aims. While we do get some backstory into Mary Ann and Annie, Elizabeth Stride and Catherine Eddowes (Becky Devlin and Esme Dannatt, respectively) do not get similar treatment; their deaths are quickly glossed over. Meanwhile, ironically, more attention is given to the male characters, especially Wyatt’s excellent portrayal of conflicted DI Alfie, while Maiklem’s menacing journalist Howell, like the other men, is used to hint at the ambiguity of the actual murderer.

It is also a production that struggles to balance its design elements, too. Hannah Wei’s lighting design is well put together, with hues of pinks, reds and blues helping evoke the various mood shifts with aplomb, while Ted Fussel’s set design, however, is reduced to a few red strings stretched across the back and some platforms that add very little. The sound mixing also hinders the backing track, at odds with the radio mic levels, making some of the plot points frustratingly unclear.

Jack does, though, have a few catchy numbers which help to keep the piece moving, and these are delivered slickly by a hard-working ensemble. Though the piece never quite hits its target, it is a noble attempt to shift the narrative from its traditional male-centric perspective.