Constantine Maroulis, American Idol star and Tony Award nominee, has joined with Deborah Cox, a multi-platinum recording artist and Grammy nominee, in the Broadway musical, Jekyll & Hyde.
The story of the good-hearted Dr. Jekyll against the evil-spirited Mr. Hyde was first told in Robert Louis Stevenson’s novella, The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. In 1990, Frank Wildhorn, Steve Cuden and Leslie Bricusse reworked the classic into a musical, Jekyll & Hyde.
The musical premiered at the Alley Theatre in Houston, Texas, and in 1997, the musical first ran on Broadway. The run continued until 2001, with a revival beginning in October 2012 for a 25-week tour.
The story follows Dr. Henry Jekyll (Maroulis), a brilliant man who is obsessed with the idea of separating the good from evil in people’s souls. He desperately wants to conduct an experiment where he successfully takes the “evil” out of people to make them only “good.”
Jekyll performs the experiment on himself, which turns him into an alternate personality, Mr. Hyde, who holds on to the evil part of Jekyll’s soul. Dr. Jekyll tries to sort out this mess while trying to hold his life together, but Hyde makes this a difficult proposition.
The play’s opening is an unfortunate weak spot. The production shows Jekyll horribly upset over the death of his father, but it was hard to understand what was happening and what the relevance was.
However, I was quickly won over at the sound of Maroulis’ voice. I thought he was a fabulous singer in his American Idol days, but it seems he’s found his true calling in musicals.
One of my favorite parts of the musical was how Maroulis shifted identities. Not only did his hair, name and behavior alter once he changed roles, but somehow his gifted voice managed to change as well.
The musical version mostly follows the novella’s plotline, which was a smart choice. Although there were no major changes in the story, I thought it was just as entertaining to experience it through lyrics and music instead of Stevenson’s old-fashioned words, giving the source material a creative spin.
Besides the shaky beginning, I found the rest of the performance to be very enjoyable. The transitions between scenes, songs and sets were all smooth and fast. This flow made it easy to follow the storyline, even though Maroulis shifted between Jekyll and Hyde throughout the entire musical.
Two more impressive elements of the production were the set designs and lighting. The sets were detailed and the lighting was purposeful, setting the mood effectively for each scene.
I think the orchestra nailed each song perfectly with its eerie, beautiful and suspenseful music. The live music added a lot to the songs, many of which were full of impressive, catchy lyrics.
Not only did the orchestra help better the songs, the performers’ breathtaking voices did as well. Jekyll & Hyde is truly supported by a cast of exceptionally-talented performers. Every time Maroulis, Deborah Cox (Lucy) or Teal Wicks (Emma Carew) hit a major note, I was left speechless by what their voices could do.
The lead roles stood out, but some of the minor roles, like Poole (Jekyll’s butler), Mr. Utterson (Jekyll’s lawyer), and Sir Danvers Carew (Emma’s father) were harder to distinguish. I could see how it could have temporarily made the audience lose interest, but with the suspense and mystery of the plot, these lesser moments are easy to forgive.
All in all, I found the musical version of Jekyll & Hyde to be a success, as well as a pleasure worth seeing. The musical presents a fascinating battle between good and evil through the places the characters go. With the acting, singing, music and design all coming together seamlessly, this suspenseful musical is certainly a memorable experience.
