The atmospheric thriller "Jekyll & Hyde" re-emerges from the dark shadows of the Pittsburgh CLO seasons' past to once again explore man's struggle with the duality of good and evil within, and to deliver a few powerhouse solos by talented performers.

The Dr. Henry Jekyll we first meet is obsessed with casting out the demons that drive men mad -- good men, like his father. Possessed by his quest, he's not quite the good doctor who had come to be beloved by his loyal friend Utterson and his fiance Emma, but not yet the man he's going to be.

Even the best of motives can go awry. "Use your gifts wisely," his future father-in-law Sir Danvers warns him early on.

Good advice, unheeded. Kevin Gray's Jekyll is a man on a mission, arrogant in his certainty and angered by hypocritical hospital board members who would keep him from experimenting on a human subject. They speak of ethics and morals that they fail to practice, which pushes Jekyll to take drastic measures.

Mr. Gray reprises the dual role he performed at CLO in 2002, directed again by Robert Cuccioli, Broadway's original "J&H" star. It's a brutally demanding role, and Mr. Gray wrestles bravely from beginning to end with Frank Wildhorn's swelling, soaring score. The hair trick -- ponytail, good Henry Jekyll; hair loose, bad Edward Hyde -- gets old fast, but Mr. Gray shows great range from the doctor's struggle to hold on to his deteriorating humanity to the creepy, gravel-voiced menace of Mr. Hyde.

There's a lot of melodrama and just the occasional chuckle in the book by Leslie Bricusse, adapted from Robert Louis Stevenson's 19th-century classic, "The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde." The musical was conceived by Mr. Wildhorn with Pittsburgher Steve Cuden and further tinkered with by Mr. Cuccioli from several scripts.

It's quite an undertaking for the lead, and in this production Mr. Gray is aided enormously by the women who love Dr. Jekyll but fall victim emotionally and physically to his darker side.

Elizabeth Stanley, who recently spent a year on Broadway as the lone woman among rock legends in "Million Dollar Quartet," makes a stunning debut for Pittsburgh CLO. She plays Lucy, the prostitute with a heart of gold who falls hard for Jekyll but has the misfortune to fall in with Hyde. Ms. Stanley wowed the audience with dynamic solos of "Someone Like You" and "A New Life," songs full of hope and possibilities. She also was one-half of the beautiful duet "In His Eyes" with Brynn O'Malley's devoted Emma.

The first-rate CLO orchestra, led by Tom Helm, and the rest of the supporting cast rose to the occasion of opening the company's 65th summer season. George Dvorsky's concern was palpable in what could be a thankless role as Utterson, Tim Hartman was reliable and in strong voice as concerned father Sir Danvers, and Suzanne Ishee's Lady Beaconsfield stood out among the pretentious upper crust and was equally entertaining as the madam Nellie.

A few first-night notes went awry, scenery snapping too-loudly into place (was that fixture in the lab supposed to dangle at one end?) and light cues that were a bit off. The first act lagged on the way to Dr. Jekyll's first transformation, particularly the drawn-out number that introduces Lucy at an establishment called The Red Rat. But once Dr. Jekyll announces "This Is the Moment" and goes over to the dark side, the action and Hyde's murderous rampage pick up the pace.

The complex struggles of Dr. Jekyll are well-documented in literature and various entertainments, but I found the more interesting study of duality in this production to be the ways of attraction as seen through the eyes of the women. Lucy, the girl from the wrong side of the tracks, is possessed by Hyde but drawn to Jekyll's gentler, kinder side. And good girl Emma chooses the doctor who is considered the bad boy among her aristocratic gentleman suitors.

Isn't that always the way?

First Published: June 16, 2011, 8:00 a.m.