Thank goodness it’s Friday, which usually would mean a movie review, but this Friday, I thought I’d take a bit of a detour and throw a theater review in the mix.
First, some insights: Any and all visitors to this site can tell 2WC has an affinity for film, but our first love is theater. Particularly musical theater, but for various reasons, we simply can’t see enough theater to populate this blog with it as much as we’d like. That, and as much as I love it, a part of me hates reviewing it.
Why? I’m completely and totally biased, even the most horrible of theatrical performances will still hold a special place in my heart. Perhaps it’s the immediacy, the intimacy, and the vulnerability of a live performance.
Seriously, a show would have to be overtly offensive, cruel, and physically abusive/harmful for me to hate it…that doesn’t mean I can’t see faults in a show.
So, you can probably see where this is headed (partially because of the poster just below): My review of the Broadway-bound tour of Jekyll & Hyde. It’s a show with a history (that involves David Hasselhoff, so take that as you will). Some love it, some hate it, and now it’s returning to the Great White Way.
Personally, it’s a show I’ve listened to for years and always wanted to see. Here’s what I thought:
The story of Jekyll & Hyde is one of duality, good vs. evil in the most personal sense. Through the transformation of the good Dr. Jekyll into the sinister Mr. Hyde we observe and experience a literal manifestation of the duality that each of us must face.
The show is framed by Dr. Jekyll’s search for a way to cure his father, who suffers from an unspecified mental illness which has him institutionalized. It’s a plot point that is both over-used and under-explained. It’s not fleshed out enough to anchor the front and back-end of this show and yet it does. Thankfully, while you’re in the middle of the story it’s easy to forget about.
Two songs into the show we arrive at “Facade,” a number which is a textbook Broadway opening number. I appreciate the effort to be different, but the opening plot points just aren’t strong enough to justify the choice…but the songs are beautiful.
All of the songs are beautiful, with a tendency towards the rock/pop musical genre. Frank Wildhorn’s lyrics and melodies are astounding and hauntingly memorable. That’s perhaps the most frustrating aspect of this show is that it’s a phenomenal collection of tragically beautiful Broadway classics—”This is the Moment”, “Bring on the Men”, “A New Life”, “Once Upon a Dream”, “Someone Like You”…I could go on—trapped in a book that comes so close, but ultimately does them no justice.
Still, to call this a bad show would not be fair. It’s entertaining in its own way and this cast is amazing.
Constantine Maroulis as Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde is infectiously entertaining, even if his accent takes an occasional journey through Europe (seriously someone tell me what his accent is meant to be…I honestly just want to know). He’s an enthusiastic performer and audiences love him for it, as they should. He’s simply an entertaining performer and a joy to watch in this show.
Deborah Cox as the tragic Lucy only occasionally turns the show into a Deborah Cox concert. Although whether that’s the fault of the production or acting choices is unclear. Her accent is pretty spot-on cockney by the way.
The six members of the Board of Governors (Blair Ross, Richard White, David Benoit, Brian Gallagher, Mel Johnson Jr., and Jason Wooten) are a fascinating and entertaining look at class and an excellent device for
But perhaps my favorite performance of the show came from Teal Wicks as Jekyll’s fiance, Emma. She has a classic Broadway leading lady presence that is simply mesmerizing, and she came out for her own curtain call applauding everyone else in the cast, which was awesomely humble.
So, would I recommend this show? Yes. It’s a rarely done piece that houses some fantastic musical numbers. That along with some amazing performances make it a perfectly entertaining couple hours (and some change) of entertainment.
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…bi-daily smile…
