Jekyll & Hyde- Page 6

[LJ2]

Posted: 9/10/12 at 7:46pm

Love it,

Makes me even more excited to see this show.

[spiderdj82]

Posted: 9/10/12 at 8:12pm

Constantine sounds horrendous. I think he is confused into believing that this score is the same as "Rock of Ages." Deborah Cox, on the other hand, looks and sounds amazing.

[Wicked Fanatic]

Posted: 9/10/12 at 8:40pm

For those in SoCal La Mirada is going to have two after show Stage Talk discusssions the 1st will be this Wednesday on September 12th. The other will be during the last week of the run.

[NOB88]

Posted: 9/10/12 at 9:01pm

I love it.

I think this commercial will get a lot of people into theaters on the tour. Constantine sounds great as does Deborah.

[broadwayboy222]

Posted: 9/10/12 at 9:03pm

Did anyone stage door? Did Constantine Deborah and Teal come out?

[Jersey Girl2]

Posted: 9/10/12 at 9:39pm

spiderdj82 Which night were you there?
Did you enjoy Teal's performance?
I can not wait to see this?

[Pauly3]

Posted: 9/10/12 at 11:22pm

Saw the show Sunday, which was the 3rd preview performance. I ended the day concerned and optimistic at the same time.

In my unprofessional opinion, I am certain Constantine can be a real asset to the show. His star quality is fairly high, so that may be his biggest offering. I do think he can sing and sing well though. I would prefer he dig down and pull out an inner Anthony Warlow, which is how I describe Rob Evan's performance on the Resurrection CD. I think it is phenomenal. Constantine’s Jekyll voice is not different enough from his Hyde voice, unless he's pulling out his inner Ted Neeley at the end of Alive for example. I don't hate that choice but would much rather have the deep growl and snarl others have used.

"I Need To Know" is one of my favorite songs and have always thought it was insane to leave it out of the original Broadway production. It's made a return and is quite good, however it ends in a not so big way that I would have preferred (listen to Resurrection). Constantine’s voice appeared (only for a moment) to give out or show signs of fatigue during the prior tune, "Lost In The Darkness", but I didn't hear it again with everything that followed. It may have sounded a bit raspy at times but not fatigued (to my ears).

Overall, I liked Constantine but hope he develops both his overall singing and differences between Jekyll and Hyde. I did not find the accent bothersome and did think his overall acting was passable to good.
Deborah Cox was very good. There wasn't anything I didn't like about her and thought about earlier comments (here) that said she may have been holding back. If she was holding back, in any significant way, I would LOVE to see her play the role with it all hanging out! "A New Life" has never been a particular favorite of mine (even when Eder sings it), but I really thought Deborah nailed it and made me appreciate the song more so than ever before. My only minor criticism of her overall is there may have been a small amount of rasp in her voice, but I only detected - or thought I detected - it in very small doses.

As has been said previously, Teal Wicks is pretty awesome. I agree. Even though the role of Emma is a bit thankless, even if the 3rd (or 4th depending) biggest in the show - and gets to sing the songs I like least, Teal Wicks made a fan of me! Although also not a favorite, I REALLY wish they would add the song Emma sings in Resurrection, "If You Only Knew". The show does not have an epic running time, and Emma has so little to do. Put it in - just to get Teal Wicks some more stage time!

The rest of the cast is good to excellent. I particularly liked Jason Wooten as Stride (although the dreadlocks MUST go). As a J&H understudy, I would really like to see him perform as J&H sometime. Richard White was great, and I wish the role of Sir Danvers had more to do simply because of Mr. White's talents.

The staging was a big surprise and a plus in my book. I really held out no real hope the staging would be any good.....heck, I didn't like the Broadway staging at all (based only on videos I have seen) and had no imagination of how to do it. How would they impress me in little ol' La Mirada? From the opening curtain, I was impressed. The use of projections was not overdone, I thought, and it really added to the show.

The transformation and confrontation are highlights and much improved over previous shows (although my memory of the pre-Broadway tour says those were pretty spectacular). I sort of hope there are further refinements though. I think they can be even better. These two scenes show more of the maniac Jekyll may be and really goes into his head when he is battling Hyde. I like it.

No one has mentioned much of the orchestra - or band in this case. I was stunned to see there are so few members that make up the band. Although they do an incredible job, I really hope there is an orchestra in the future. Also, there are moments where they could dial down the volume! I love it loud, but there were times when it was just too loud. Synthesized string instruments just don't have the same impact of real ones, and turning up the volume can be too overwhelming. There are some sound effects that could be raised in volume if it were me making the decisions as well. Dialog was difficult to make out at times, both from individual singers as well as the ensemble pieces. This was likely sound engineering issues or the like more than the performer’s efforts.

I must admit that at times I felt this was a really good regional production and not something I would envision on Broadway. At other times, I thought a few small tweaks throughout the show, along with a small amount of improvement on the vocals, and this could be a really great revival and do quite well on Broadway. There are lots of performances before arriving in NYC, so I am optimistic the show will go through the changes necessary.


Updated On: 9/10/12 at 11:22 PM

[hyperbole_and_a_half]

Posted: 9/11/12 at 12:24am

That commercial is hilarious. It's not real. It can't be real. Constantine sounds like Lillias White and even throws a neck swivel and a scoop into "ddaaaammmnn all the odds." Please tell me the whole show is going to be like this.

[bwayphreak234]

Posted: 9/11/12 at 12:26am

It's a 30 second TV spot of a brand new production. I would hardly call it an accurate representation of the show in its entirety.

[philly03]

Posted: 9/11/12 at 3:48am

The commercial works well - Cox's "A New Life" is cut short (obviously), but otherwise, she sounds fantastic. Have yet to see Constantine in the FULL show, but he sounds great here as well. The acting/commercial for him is a bit much, but as said above.. its a 30 second commercial!!

[latitudex1]

Posted: 9/11/12 at 4:56am

“Constantine sounds like Lillias White and even throws a neck swivel and a scoop into "ddaaaammmnn all the odds."”

I didn't catch that the first time I watched the clip, but YAAAAAS! You half-expect someone off screen to shout, “Girl, you betta SANG!” right after he hits the note. I would mow down my own mother to go see that SNL skit live.

But, alas, it's probably not meant to be, as mentioned upthread already.

[jekyllforever]

Posted: 9/11/12 at 7:26am

Saw it again and still don't understand why people think the leads aren't good. I think Constantine's stage presence is his greatest asset and I heard it was supposed to be with a rock flavor, so isn't that what he's doing? Agree he needs a greater contrast between Jekyll and Hyde, but I think he's getting it. It's better than the first time I saw it. I think it has a ways to go but I think it's great already.

[nealb1]

Posted: 9/11/12 at 11:28am

I'm seeing the closing performance on Sept 30th. Really, really looking forward to seeing it again. Saw it back in August of 1995 at OCPAC on the pre-Broadway Tour, as well as in Palm Springs in Jan of 1996. Then saw it in NYC in July of 1997. I much preferred the pre-Broadway Tour. Then saw it again at The Pantages in the Fall of 1999 here in LA.

[bwayphreak234]

Posted: 9/11/12 at 11:50am

My tickets came in the mail yesterday, and I am so excited to see this! It is one of my favorite scores of all time.

[elphaba.scares.me]

Posted: 9/11/12 at 11:55am

The musical recordings sound good. Whatever effects they have on Deborah's voice make her sound a LOT like Linda at the end; interested to hear how she sounds live.

May need to see this just to find out if Constantine has more than one facial expression...cause in this, he makes Jack Wagner look like Laurence Olivier.

That ridiculous pretending-to-be-a-rock-star mugging is just not as sexy as he obviously thinks it is.

[THDavis]

Posted: 9/11/12 at 12:22pm

Is there another recording of Deborah Cox singing this show I haven't heard? Because that commercial has her singing three words. As for Constantine... I'm sort of embarrassed for him in this commercial. Regardless, I'm still excited to catch this production.

[philly03]

Posted: 9/11/12 at 1:28pm

For what its worth, Cox just did an interview and said this about the Broadway arrival:

"Our idea is that we tour 25 cities, to reintroduce it to fans and lovers of the show. Then we will arrive on Broadway with a completely revived show, it will be reintroduced with a whole new twist. The sentiment and foundation of the story and music will remain intact, but the costumes and direction will be completely different—we want to set a new standard for the show.

We are keeping the classic, iconic songs and we’ve added a couple of new songs that weren’t in it before, “Bring on the Men” and “I need to Know.” There have been a few changes in the script as well, it will be good to get the show’s legs up. That is what is really valuable about this tour, learning from audiences and getting a strong footing."
DEBORAH COX – BRINGING HER RHYTHM AND BLUES TO ‘JEKYLL AND HYDE’

[dreaming]

Posted: 9/11/12 at 2:39pm

I just want "Bring On the Men" to stay in there.

[klearsongs]

Posted: 9/11/12 at 5:43pm

CONSTANTINE AND DEBORAH ARE STARS!! Nuance, vocal texture, phrasing, feeling... I saw the Saturday night preview in La Mirada and was blown away. I remember seeing the original B'way production, and this captures the beauty and strength of the original, but has a modern edge that really impressed me. A must see.

[NOB88]

Posted: 9/11/12 at 6:39pm

Nice post klearsongs. I know at least 5 people that have now seen it (some twice) and their comments line up with what you are saying.

[timesboylive]

Posted: 9/11/12 at 8:24pm

Can anyone tell me if this is the "bring on the men" or "good and evil" version of the show.. Thanks

[philly03]

Posted: 9/11/12 at 9:44pm

^Its "Bring on the Men," which has been included in 99% of the productions around the globe, minus the Broadway version.

[ReidSays]

Posted: 9/12/12 at 12:54am

Second what you wrote, NOB88. Simply fantastic! I got to see the very first preview on Friday night. Cannot WAIT until it comes to LA in Jan. Deborah is fierce... in every way. And let me tell you, Constantine's got a great thing going - charisma, huge voice, and a unique Jekyll/Hyde. Perfect cast to bring a classic into the new millennium. Kudos to all involved!

[elphaba.scares.me]

Posted: 9/12/12 at 9:08am

I have never, ever seen so many vocal and positive fans on one thread who joined within the past 72 hours.

Lordy.

[jacobsnchz14]

Posted: 9/12/12 at 9:14am

Cover for Jekyll & Hyde recording:



I love what Broadway Records has been doing, I really do... but this cover... :P