Jekyll & Hyde (Broadway Previews!) — Page 10

Fair, but I wouldn't call the songs you cited (You'll Never Walk Alone, Climb Ev'ry Mountain) as examples "trunk songs"...

I didn't use them as examples of trunk songs.

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Exactly. I mean, maybe it's his fault for not standing up and saying "These lyrics are crap" or "These projections blow." He's probably just happy with the royalties.

I just feel like if you aren't going to make the show feel like a Broadway show then the blame is on the producers.

"The show would be so much improved without the Board of Governors subplot!"

I don't see how that could be done considering that it is the reason for why Jekyll takes on the task of experimenting on himself and why he turns and kills the Board members as Hyde. Hyde to me is the part of Jekyll that cannot appear in polite society. That's why he can feel so Alive when he goes through the transformation. Jekyll is the embodiment of that late 18th century society person in London. The literature of that time period played very heavily on the repression that members of that society felt and Hyde provides the relief they searched for.

That description is one of the aspects of the two characters that Constantine has really brought to this show. I saw it on Sunday night and he has two distinct characters; however, he does allow bits of what will later be Hyde come out in the Jekyll nature when he is at the Board of Governors meeting. The scenes before, during, and after "Bring out the Men" also demonstrate this. Watch him during the dance number and as Lucy sings the song and you will see how he is fine watching the ladies approach others as he is at a distance (Hyde side), but when they approach him, he displays his discomfort (Jekyll side). He also allows Jekyll to peak out when his friend and lawyer comes into the lab and finds Mr. Hyde. Listen to his voice switch to the Jekyll voice for a moment when he tries to explain to John Utterson that Jekyll may be coming back. The movement between the two characters is well done after he kills Lucy and it is sad to watch as Jekyll realizes what he has done.

The show is seamless and moves between scenes easily. It is fast paced. It has been cleaned up since I saw it in early January in Providence especially Confrontation which now has a lot of symbolic fleeting images.

The cast is excellent. Constantine sings his songs with a power and depth that fills the theater and his acting is superb. Deborah's acting has really come a long way and she sings beautifully. Teal is excellent in both acting and singing; she has developed that character to the fullest.

I found myself totally entranced with the show. People all around me were applauding like mad and allowed themselves to get into the show. And that might be the key to this is not going in looking to poke holes, but opening up to the songs, a storyline that might have more relevance today than ever before, and yes, the special effects which have their place on a Broadway stage.

"I didn't use them as examples of trunk songs."

no, but you did imply that they were interchangeable, which i don't agree with. while they're both inspirational ballads sung by the same character "type", there is still a certain amount of specificity to each one. "climb ev'ry mountain", while obviously a figure of speech, is reprised in the finale when they-- wait for it-- escape through the mountains. if anything, it's TOO on-the-nose. "you'll never walk alone", meant to comfort a woman who's just lost her husband, would make a lot less sense in its place, and vice versa.

i'm mostly unfamiliar with wildhorn's work, but just because a song can be lifted from its original context and made universal doesn't mean it also has to be bland and generic.

Roscoe~ That was bold and very descriptive and you will likely be boiled over those comments.

I just re-watched Constantine's "Moment" and "Transformation" clips to see if I really felt as unimpressed as when I covered the show in Philly in Dec. Sadly, I do. But I would like to qualify my reasons, if I may from a purely objective viewpoint.

"Moment", again in my opinion, is the BIG solo song and the focus should be on the actor in the spotlight delivering all the emotions and meaning to the number. The director chose to let Jekyll wander throughout the lab taking off his outer clothes one by one, moving about the stage which completely detracts from the climax of the number. Furthermore, in this clip Constantine is clearly in "concert" mode and actually smiles after the last note coming totally out of character. Not impressed.

"Transformation" Also too much to look at him hooking up to the Jiffy lube tubes cumbersomely (if that's a word), climbing stairs, putting on the neck collar, gesturing awkwardly while sitting in the Frankenstein chair. Just too much activity to focus on, imo. In defense of the prior staged productions, the focus was on the actor, isolated, in the spotlight, full focus on him, using his physical body to enhance the transformation. Simply injecting the drug and allowing the actor to transform before you with no distractions. Cuccioli and Evan were especially effective at this, really contrasting the two personas.

To me, this is the most effective method to hone in on the actor and the emotions. Forget the vocals. They all can sing it. Tell the story. Let the song and the actor get the most of the emotions. Something Constantine is sorely lacking throughout his performance. Not since Jack Wagner have I seen a more "duck out of water" portray this role. I blame the direction for this and many other simply laughable choices. I really wanted to like this, but unfortuantely that didn't happen. More of a carnival of horrors and camp than any of the prior mountings.

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The improvements to Moment in this version are evident in the manner that Constantine acts and delivers the song. Jekyll's mind is reveling in the fact that he has made the decision to use himself as the subject and his joy is evident as he prepares. That is what the smile is about at the end. The excitement of having made that decision is seen in the movement and preparation and moving forward.

In the old version that part of preparation was a sleeper. Much improved this way. I also think Constantine does a good job as a storyteller in the manner that he delivers his songs.

"Jekyll is just as motivated in the original novel...which does not feature a ridiculously one-dimensional board of governors"

True but theater needs to lend a bit to see than just what a reader would see in print.

Updated On: 4/16/13 at 01:06 PM

Other adaptations have not included such a device. Jekyll is already shown to be driven and devoted to his cause before the governors dismiss him. And they're in the show fairly briefly- not enough to really develop them. We see that they're upper class hypocrites, then they go away, then they all get killed off in about 5 minutes. They're superfluous and are the centerpieces of two rather pointless and weak ensemble numbers.

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Well, with all due respect to you, PB ENT, you said:

"AND co-incidentally the "smile" appears after the applause begins. I'm sure that was NOT part of the production. I've never seen another actor smile anytime in the production during Moment, even after extended applause, they stood seriously commited and then walked off stage. "

You've been at every show to confirm that timing? I doubt it. He is doing it different from the way it has been done. He has that right as an artist.

As you said, your opinion, well this is mine. And I think it was good that he did not see it before because he allowed his own interpretation to come in.

We all view theater from the various ways in which we come in with our own tastes, interpretations, etc. Yours appears to be leaning more to the traditional take on this show. For me, I like the more updated version.

Updated On: 4/16/13 at 03:54 PM

>>I would love to hear from others who aren't emotionally attached to the show.
Check Twitter.
There are many people raving about how wonderful it is. Ramdom people- every night.

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The "jumper cables" just seemed like a bid to change the usual drink/syringe dynamic, and that's not necessarily a bad thing, it just didn't work terribly well. Those little glow-stick colorchanging test tubes and all. I heard someone in the lobby say that it was like they were adding some Frankenstein to the mix, what with the electric static noises and all.

Silly, really.

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It seems there is a group of posters that will go into threads (not just this one) and pile on dislikes as well.

Oh, the anti-Wildhorn trolls are just as bad as the rabid Jekkies. They get off on being nasty any time the Wildhorn name is mentioned, regardless the subject.

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Here is an interesting article that talks about the design of the show.

I found this idea kind of intriguing...
"One of their first concepts was spending the evening in an operating room that was segmented into pieces. As the story became more and more insane, those pieces would have turned on themselves like a Ferris wheel."
Designing “Jekyll & Hyde”

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I saw the show again tonight, not expecting to see any changes from the last time I saw it, only 3 weeks ago, on its last tour stop. They have made some additional tweaks, and for the better, IMO. For example, The Confrontation scene no longer has the eyeball projections, nor Hyde's maniacal, demonic cackle. Some staging changes.....some lighting changes. The center, left, and right orchestra seats were completely full. There were definitely some audience members who were vocal Constantine and/or Deborah Cox fans,
but many of those sitting in the seats and rows around me ( I was in row B) were middle-aged and older, who seemed to be enjoying themselves. Very enthusiastic applause at curtain. And, while this is totally off-topic, I enjoyed the extra room the seats at the Marquis seem to have......some theatre seats almost cut off your circulation (and I'm a small person).