Jekyll & Hyde- Page 2

[JRybka]

Posted: 3/22/07 at 2:08pm

I remember back in the day when it first was with the mirrior. It was almost like a Hologram. It was aweseome. And they really went gruesome when they needed to do it. The whole murdering of Lucy was very effective. And the finale was a lot more powerful.. You really did not expect it -- There was no "Kill Me" (like in the movie the FLY)---

It is a shame as it really was an amazing show. The whole doctor's lab coming down from the stage and when he distroyed it with the fires and the explotions were phenominal. It was a total pyrotechnical feat.

[bwayfan4life]

Posted: 3/22/07 at 2:17pm

Wow, JRybka, you really have a great way of describing the elements from the touring production. I will never forget when I first saw it. It took me totally by surprise. It was original and the suspense built with each song and each scene. It was so well staged and even though it was a tour, it really took over the theatre with big sets and as your have described really great effects. The one with the death scene was a great concept and the pay off was breathtaking, I often wondered how they got everything white agian, becausue that seemed like an awfull lot of blood. I was shocked that these effects were gone when I saw it on Broadway. You often here of a tour being scaled down, but this was the other way around. Thanks, for bringing back some great memories.

Updated On: 3/22/07 at 02:17 PM

[Justin D]

Posted: 3/22/07 at 2:27pm

I am totally facinated by this post, ive alwyas loved the music but hated the broadway designs and have re-deaigned the show (for my own personal amusement- i have too much freetime sometimes) so hearing of these effects in the tous is totally interesting, espicially the mirror since i was planning of doing the confrontation scene in a similar way (but with store front windows at night)

[uncageg]

Posted: 3/22/07 at 2:29pm

I didn't get to see Cuccioli. He missed a number of performances in Denver. Rumor had it that he did not pay attention to the packet sent to the production in the city before it came to Denver and was having issues with the altitude. (We send packets to shows before they get here to let them know what to do to deal with the altitude. There are times that oxygen tanks are backstage at shows.) I did see Lindfa though. She actually came back to Denver to do a special concert performance after the tour and before the Broadway Opening. She said it was a thank you for being the highest grossing city on the tour. Needless to say, she was fantastic.

[HumATune]

Posted: 3/22/07 at 5:03pm

If you DO see a regional production, hopefully it won’t be one that takes such liberties as:

Setting the show in new Orleans
Turning “In His Eyes” into a trio between Lucy, Emma…and Jekyll
Turing one of the “façade” reprises into some kind of weird beat-poetry interpretive dance

But I’ll give them credit…at least they used a body double for “Confrontation”. I saw it done the other way, where the leads just switches voices…and flips his hair.

[Mister Matt]

Posted: 3/22/07 at 5:27pm

Actually, there were three pre-Broadway productions: Alley Theatre in Houston and then two tours. The first tour was my favorite. The second tour was similar, but the cheesiness started sinking in (Bring on the Men looked more like New Orleans Mardi Gras).

I do agree that the use of the mirror for Confrontation was spectacular. Jekyll stood in front of the giant mirror as a huge video of a demonic-looking Hyde's face appeared in the reflection which was timed with the orchestra so they could sing the duet. At the end, Jekyll picks up a chair and hurls it at the mirror as lights and pyrotechnics flash and a broken mirror is revealed in the end. It was electrifying.

The lab set was much bigger as well. There were all sorts of bubbling beakers, bolts of electricity passing between metal rods and such flew in above the laboratory workspace and pretty much filled the entire stage.

And Lucy's death was incredibly creepy. She sings A New Life in white nightgown in a white bed in a white room. The song ends and she goes to bed in total darkness. Thunder cracks and lightning flashes. Around the third flash, you see Hyde standing in her room. Just suddenly there. You never see or hear him enter the stage. The lights come up dimly to reveal the action as he stabs her in the back and she lightly gasps and reaches for the end of the bed. He turns her to face him and blood is revealed all over the back of her nightgown. The gasps and squirms from the audience during this whole sequence were not to be believed. People were all but leaping from their seats from the tension. It was absolutely thrilling.

To this day, I have never understood why it was so drastically changed. Jekyll and Hyde had some of the biggest and most positive pre-Broadway buzz for a musical. Then it opened on Broadway and very little resembled the wonderful show it once was. I was literally laughing during many of the scenes in the Broadway production, it was so bad. The one major improvement they did make was in the orchestrations and vocal arrangements. Everything else was for the worse.

Updated On: 3/22/07 at 05:27 PM

[WildhornFanatic]

Posted: 3/22/07 at 6:08pm

This is a fascinating post to me. I had no idea what the show used to be, other than the recordings. I would have loved to have seen everything you guys have described.

Jeremy Roberts occasionally posts on this website. Perhaps he can fill us in about the changes?

[dramaqueen2]

Posted: 3/22/07 at 8:52pm

we're singing this is the moment in chorus. it's so pretty in 4 part harmony. loooove it.

i would love to see this show!

[Mr Roxy]

Posted: 3/22/07 at 9:44pm

As much as I like J/H on Broadway with Cuccioli, I would love to have seen the earlier version

[firescape]

Posted: 3/22/07 at 11:02pm

I am sure I speak for many when I ask if there are any pics or vids out there of this earlier version. I would really like to see this.

[musicman_17082]

Posted: 3/23/07 at 1:21am

Awesome discussion! I'm so incredibly jelous of those of you who saw it in its prime.

However... don't the original question...

What are the chances of it coming back to tour?

[CATSNYrevival]

Posted: 3/23/07 at 1:30am

slim to none. the original creators and producers have moved on. maybe you should e-mail net-works, big league or troika. start a petition or something for a non-equity tour. Updated On: 3/23/07 at 01:30 AM

[fabala4077]

Posted: 3/23/07 at 1:32am

If you live in Northern California, Jekyll and Hyde is coming to the Sacramento Music Circus (a VERY professional summer season) in late August. I'm expecting a splendid show - I've seen about 8 shows there (from various seasons) and have only been disappointed once, and that was a partial disappointment.

[LizzieCurry]

Posted: 3/23/07 at 2:07am

I'm totally looking forward to SMC's!

[Neverandy]

Posted: 3/23/07 at 11:41am

If you love the score so much you should try to get your hands on the double CD with Anthony warlow as Jekyll. You will never hear it sung better.

[JRybka]

Posted: 3/23/07 at 12:20pm

I love SMC. I was born and raised there and worked for them for many years in my late teens early twenties. I was so lucky to sit in the back row of the Convention Center for the week it played there. You are right about the white stage and the blood. It was so gastly. But fabulous.

On another note.. SMC has done some amazing shows and I have been able to find stars in the making... Susan Egan in BABY was amazing! (And South Pacific) Judy McLane in CHESS...(that was a brilliantly done show-- when they did I know him so well it was just the two of them on a blank stage that was done up to look like a chess board...Florence was in white on a white square and Svetlana was in black on a black square -- the stage just slowly rotated.. and when the song was over... Florence's square had turned black and Svetlana's had turned white...) It was freaking AMAZING!

[Unknown User]

Posted: 4/11/07 at 6:20pm

"It's been said he wanted to just cut all of the music because he thought musicals were stupid. That's why there is no underscoring really. They added BEAUTIFUL underscoring on the DVD and on the David Warren tour. I love underscoring, it sets the mood so nicely throughout the show"

Well that would just be grumpy fans complaining or creating rumours IMHO. I have no defense for the Broadway direction (see my post on seeing the version on TV) but Robin Phillips who did it and co designed it was aritstic director of the Citadel Theatre in Edmonton when I was grouing up there and was myGrandma's neighbour so I got to meet him--as a star struck pre teen and teen in love with musicals, a few times. He loved theatr ein general but told me he prefered musicals--and it showed in the very strong productions of them he did (his production of Aspects of Love was wonderful and was the version that toured ultimately--fixing many of the probs with the original). I think he's at Stratford now?

E

[JustABroadwaybaby2]

Posted: 4/11/07 at 6:23pm

If you look REALLY closely, you can find Kelli O'Hara in this show as an ensemble member (this was recorded during her stint there. I got so bored with this show when I watched it, I just played find Kelli O'Hara! It was quite amusing.