Musical Review: Jekyll and Hyde

The 1990's offered some of the most ground-breaking productions in the history of musical theatre. Musicals such as "Rent," "Miss Saigon" and "The Secret Garden" served to attract an entirely new and diverse generation of theatre enthusiasts. An exciting edition to the theatrical repertoire during this era was the development of the gothic musical. The gothic musical generally offers a fresh take on a classic tale and is spun with haunting music and lyrics. Dark and moody, although effectively laced with realistic character development and dialogue, these pieces transport us to an entirely different world, and therefore serve the most fundamental purpose of theatre. The most successful gothic musical during the experimental 1990's was "Jekyll & Hyde: The Musical."

"Jekyll and Hyde," based on Robert Louis Stevenson's classic novella, originally opened in Houston, Texas at the Alley Theatre 1990. The story follows the mania of Dr. Jekyll who, upon taking an elixir of his own invention, reveals a devastating and evil side of his personality, Mr. Hyde. The two facets of the personality battle within, while Dr. Jekyll's love interests, Emma and Lucy, suffer in the wake of a man in turmoil. The music by Steve Cudon and Frank Wildhorn meshed with the lyrics of Leslie Bricusse to create a moving and lasting musical theatre experience. The show went on the road in 1995 with a 28 city tour which provided the time and an outlet for fine details of the show to be tweaked and evaluated. "Jekyll" later opened on Broadway in 1996 to packed houses and earned four Tony Award nominations.

While "Jekyll and Hyde" was not the most critically acclaimed musical of the nineties, it remains a favorite with theatre enthusiasts, as it broke through the stereotype of the stuffy musical and allowed the gothic musical genre to reach a larger audience. With its diverse music and believable characters, "Jekyll" allows the audience to have a beautiful and emotional theatrical experience without the unapproachable quality of an opera such as "La Boehm," nor the shocking quality of street-slang strewn "Rent." The songs range from up-beat suspense building numbers such as "Murder, Murder" to the sweet sincerity of the ballads "Take Me as I Am" and "A New Life." The music is classic gothic, laced with haunting minor keys and unexpected changes throughout; it provides a perfect vehicle for lyrics which swell with the emotion of the story.

Throughout the show's history, it has served as a vehicle to many talented performers such as Colm Wilkinson, Sebastian Bach, Chuck Wagner, and Coleen Sexton. There was even a DVD production released in 2001 with the title roles played by David Hasselhoff, who has also reprised his performance in tours throughout the world. However, the definitive cast can be found on the Original Broadway Cast Recording. It includes Robert Cuccioli as Jekyll & Hyde, Linda Eder as Lucy, and Christine Noll as Emma. The diversity of vocals in these three phenomenal performers sets the music and story on fire with passion. Christine Noll's clear soprano voice contrasts elegantly with Linda Eder's huge brassy belting range, while Robert Cuccioli commands the title roles with authority and definitive masculinity. The best way to experience the best of gothic musicals, the Original Broadway Cast Recording offers a thrilling and gifted dream cast.

In recent years, Broadway has taken a turn toward entertainment recycling; re-making films into high-budget, movie star studded stage spectaculars such as "Legally Blonde" and "Grease." And while such money-making productions do have their merit in pure entertainment value, they often lack substance and true emotional depth.

But with productions of "Jekyll and Hyde" currently touring all over the world, as well as upcoming regional and community theatre runs in many major U.S. cities, catching a performance of this meaningful genre of theatre might prove more satisfying then shelling out several hundred dollars to see the latest Broadway fad-show.

While it's been several years since "Jekyll and Hyde" catapulted the gothic musical to the forefront of the theatrical world, the show's music, lyrics, and haunting message of good versus evil live on to inspire audiences and artists all over the world.