The * ideal * Jekyll & Hyde: A discussion

Thats a great version! the only thing i would change is add in "Bitch, Bitch, Bitch" after Facade! The song makes me laugh every time i hear it! :)

I think Calhoun make some good steps in the right direction (ie cutting a huge portion of the Engagement party sung dialogue), but ultimately his version of the show was trashy.

They need to find a way to make Emma more interesting - adding "If You Only Knew" gives her more to do than devoted fiance. And cut some more of the melodrama.

The show also gets its best once Hyde and Lucy come along, so I am always in favor of bringing those two out earlier.

I'm interested in seeing what your guys' ideal takes on Jekyll & Hyde would be. Anybody care to share?

A difference of opinion here

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My ideal would also be to never see it again.

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I'm interested in seeing what your guys' ideal takes on Jekyll & Hyde would be. Anybody care to share?

Ah, what the hell, why not... I'm a casual enthusiast at best, but -- call me crazy -- I like it. And, in my opinion, only one revision came close to getting the show right. Fullerton Civic Light Opera mounted a version that involved the writing team of Jan Duncan and Paul Hadobas. Under the authorization of Music Theatre International, the licensing library, they were given the green light to compile and adapt the script for review, with the possibility of offering an alternate version for theater companies to choose. This revision would more closely follow the original work that Frank Wildhorn and Steve Cuden had created before Leslie Bricusse came along. MTI approved the adaptation, Steve Cuden remarked that if it had been used on Broadway the show would still be running today, and FCLO has rented its version to over 50 theater companies in the United States alone.

However, I tweaked their version just slightly. The 2012 tour (and resulting Broadway revival) of J&H was the real catalyst. I looked forward to it, hoping that we were getting something new and fascinating, a fresh approach to the show not unlike the 2006 Resurrection recording, which would cause the broad public to reevaluate the show following its original Broadway reception. We got a lightly revised rendition of the non-FCLO version that MTI licenses, with some tweaks and touches of the Broadway script. They didn't look at who they were casting (Constantine Maroulis is primarily known for rock rather than pop/theatrical sounds), or at the most recent iteration in the public eye (Resurrection), and create a show focusing on that. So, using the FCLO version as a base, I decided to do what the creatives on that tour had failed to do.

Act One
Prologue / I Need To Know.........Jekyll
Façade.........The Company
Jekyll's Plea.........Jekyll & the Board of Governors
Stride's Apology.........Stride
Pursue The Truth / Façade (Reprise).........Jekyll, Utterson, Company
Emma's Reasons.........Emma & Stride
I Must Go On.........Jekyll & Emma
Take Me As I Am.........Jekyll & Emma
Stride's Confession.........Stride
Bring On The Men.........Lucy & Girls
Lucy Meets Jekyll.........Lucy & Jekyll
The Girls Of The Night.........Nellie, Lucy & Girls
Now There Is No Choice.........Jekyll
This Is The Moment.........Jekyll
Transformation.........Jekyll & Hyde
Alive.........Hyde
If You Only Knew.........Emma
Sympathy, Tenderness.........Lucy
Someone Like You.........Lucy
Alive (Reprise).........Hyde

Act Two
Murder, Murder.........The Company
Once Upon A Dream.........Emma
No One Knows Who I Am.........Lucy
It's A Dangerous Game.........Lucy & Hyde
Reflections (Jekyll's Soliloquy).........Jekyll
In His Eyes.........Emma & Lucy
The Way Back.........Jekyll
A New Life.........Lucy
Sympathy, Tenderness (Reprise).........Hyde
The World Has Gone Insane.........Jekyll
Confrontation.........Jekyll & Hyde
Façade (Reprise).........Stride & Company
Letting Go.........Danvers & Emma
The Wedding.........Jekyll, Emma & Company
Once Upon A Dream (Reprise).........Emma, Jekyll & Lucy

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Updated On: 10/26/14 at 03:27 PM

@dramamama611: Comments like "My ideal would also be to never see it again." and "The show being canceled and instead we get to watch a good musical." aren't discussion; they're trolling, and I don't want them in my thread, so, yes, I do get to ask that people stay out unless they have something worthwhile to contribute.

@g.d.e.l.g.i.: Nice arrangement.

Updated On: 10/26/14 at 03:35 PM

My ideal would be if the show was like The Wild Party - and LaChiusa could write a breathtaking score that takes the characters through a journey. That would make me interested in seeing a musicalization of Jekyll and Hyde again.

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We get you do not like him. Many others do. I guess those in Europe are a bunch of illiterate morons as they love his music

Even though he has flopped on Broadway, he is laughing all the way to the bank due to his popularity elsewhere. Many Broadway classics had their detractors as well. The critics are biased against him as are many on the board.

You do not like his music so do not listen to it. No one is holding a gun to your head. Let others who do enjoy his work listen to his music.

I would take any of his shows over the absolute drivel The Book Of Mormon was.

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Updated On: 10/26/14 at 06:51 PM

I have nothing against Wildhorn - in fact his melodies are often quite good. My problem is that his songs never build up character (with the exception of some songs in Bonnie and Clyde). They are all generic pop songs that change keys and end on a long belted note. I think his songs woud do much better as straight pop songs. When combining musical theatre and pop, the songs have to explore the character - look at Promises, Promises. But "Half As Big As Life", "She Likes Basketball", "Knowing When To Leave", "Whoever You Are, I Love You" and the title song tell us so much more about the characters than "This Is The Moment", "No One Knows Who I Am", or The Way Back" do. His songs sound as if they could be covered by anyone in a variety of situations - which is not always a great thing for musical theatre. Sometimes, but not always.

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Updated On: 10/26/14 at 07:25 PM

In musical theatre, yes they should. Even if the purpose of the song is not to define the character to the audience, it should still be the character singing the song. If the song is generic and vague, it's probably not a very good song for the theatre.

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It would be cool to see a new interpretation of the source material by a different creative team. I feel like this one is the most over-hashed piece of theater in existence.

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