Jekyll & Hyde

Playing at the Marquis Theatre located at 1535 Broadway at 45th street. It runs two hours and fifteen minutes with one intermission. The show closes June 3, 2013.

Jekyll and Hyde is based on the 19th century British Novella “The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde” by Scottish author Robert Louise Stevenson.

The musical had its world premiere at the Alley Theatre in May of 1990. It was then produced at the Alley Theatre in Houston, Texas from January thru February 1995 and Seattle, Washington from February thru March 1995. The musical then took a U. S. National tour from August thru April 1995.

It opened on Broadway at the Plymouth Theatre on April 28, 1997 thru January 7, 2001. The show played 44 previews and 1,543 performances. Jekyll & Hyde is the longest running show in the history of the Plymouth Theatre. The theatre in now called the Gerald Schoenfeld Theatre. It was nominated for four Tony Awards for Best Book of a Musical, Best Actor, Best Costume Design and Best Lighting.

Leslie Bricusse did the book and lyrics. He has won four Tony Awards for Jekyll & Hyde book and lyric (1997),”The Roar of the Grease Paint” best composer (1964) and “Stop the World I Want to Get Off” best composer and lyricist and best author of a musical (1962). Leslie was nominated for nine Grammy Awards. He won an Oscar in 1982 for “Victor/Victoria. In 1967 he was nominated for an Oscar for “Doctor Dolittle.

Frank Wildhorn did the music. He has been nominated for four Tony Awards for Bonnie Clyde (2012). “The Civil War” (best musical, best original score 1999) and “The Scarlet Pimpernel” (1998).

Jeff Culhoun is the director and choreographer. He was nominated for two Tony Awards for Best Director “Newsies”, Choreographer “Grease " (1994). Jeff won a Tony Award for excellence in theatre in 2004 for “Big River”.

Constantine Maroulis was in “Rock of Ages” for three years. He was nominated for a Tony Award and Drama Desk Award in 2009 for this role. Constantine was the sixth place finalist in the fourth season of American Idol.

Deborah Cox held the record for eight years for the longest running number one single on Billboard’s Hot R & B/Hip-Hop singles and track chart (fourteen weeks). The song was “Nobody’s Supposed to be Here”.

Dr. Jekyll (Constantine Moroulis) is touring a mental hospital. He wants to find a cure for the people there. The doctor feels he is more of a scientist than a doctor. His father is the hospital and there is no cure for him.

Jekyll thinks there is good and evil in every one. Depends on what takes control.

The board in the hospital is meeting to decide on Dr. Jekyll proposal to use a patient to experiment on a drug he has invented. He wants to see if these urges (good and bad) can be controlled. They refuse him except his soon to be father in law Sir Danvers Carew (Richard White), he abstains.

We meet his future wife, Emma (Teal Wicks) at their engagement party. She loves Jekyll despite what her father says.

After the party Jekyll and his friend John Utterson (Laird McKintosh) go into a bar that girls entertain the men in many ways. One of these girls is Lucy Harris (Deborah Cox).

Jekyll decides he has no choice but to do the experiment on himself.

His alter ego Hyde is the bad side of him. Mr. Hyde takes up more and more of his personality. Bad things start happen to the people, who refused his request. Hyde takes a fancy to Lucy.

The set is not fancy but when it changes we know where we are. Props are minimal but do the job.

There is more singing than dialogue, which is good. There are three songs that are really good,” Some One Like You” (Deborah Cox), “In His Eyes” (Deborah Cox and Teal Wicks) and “A New Life” (Deborah Cox).

Deborah Cox is touching as Lucky. When she sings the songs “Someone Like You” and “A New Life” she has such depth and finest, they sound so beautiful. Deborah has a great voice.

Constantine Maroulis has a powerful voice. It takes your breath away. He captures both Jekyll and Hyde differently but with great force you love and hate him.

Teal Wicks does an outstanding job.

The rest of the cast is stellar.

I won’t say what happens. If you have forgotten, have not read the book or not seen the movie. You will have to find out yourself.

It is a different kind musical, in the style of Les Miserables. You won’t be let down. This is a splendid show. Don’t miss a chance to see it.

Review by Rozanna Radakovich

Photos by Annazor.

To read an interview with the cast, scroll down to the left for recent photos. Click on recent photos for this and other shows.