Jekyll & Hyde - The Musical

Rating:
Summary: Great music, horrible cast
Review: Unfortunately, this show as well as many others chose to film with its closing cast. Keep in mind that shows uusally close for a reason: casts tend to get worse and worse as a show progresses through its run.

This show had a lot of potential it's original cast (starring Robert Cucciolli and Linda Eder) was absolutely fantastic and really brought Frank Wildhorn's excellent score to life. Although the plot takes many liberties from those described by Robert Louis Stevenson in his classic short story "The Strange Case of Doctor Jekyll and Mr. Hyde," the key elements are still there and in a way improve on the original version.

David Hasselhoff sings like a goat with an overly intense rapid vibratto and his female co-stars outshine him easily. Coleen Sexton and Andrea Rivette are very well cast and have nice voices but still cannot live up to the original cast.

To be completely honest, I did not even see the oringal cast on stage, I am judging this primarily by clips I have seen of them and the original cast album.

I disagree with people who say Wildhorn wrote a weak score, I believe that the music was very well written and there are plenty of "Jeckies" who constantly hum the tunes. I do, however, see many similarities in the score to Wildhorn's short-lived musical "The Scarlet Pimpernel" songs sound similar and there are similar vamps playing in the background of each song. However, Wildhorn, for the first time, incorporated several musical motifs that are effective for the first few times you hear them but, to some, are overused. But the orchestration is excellent and the direction is very effective. Thus, don't blame Wildhorn.

But, let's not only blame the leads, the ensemble was rarely together, it sounded either poorly rehearsed or just poor casting because it seems like the chorus cannot follow the orchestra or follow eachother.

I gave this DVD three stars because the show had potential that was demolished by its casting. Maybe in a few years it will be revived with better direction and better casting, then it will be time to replace this DVD with something more appealing.

My advice is this: If you're a fan of the music, feel free to buy this DVD to get an idea of the show and how it looked.

If you really want to appreciate the show however, buy the original cast or even the concept recording to really get an idea of the show before you touch this DVD.

Rating:
Summary: Pleasantly surprised...
Review: Though being a HUGE fan of this wonderful Frank Wildohorn/Leslie Bricusse musical, and its many CD recordings, I must admit, while I was excited that it would be available on DVD, I had my doubts when I saw who starred in it. I mean, WHY David Hasselhoff? All that kept coming into my mind was "Baywatch, Knightrider, Baywatch..." I mean, Why not Robert Cuccioli, or, better yet, Anthony Warlow? However my opinion changed greatly when I watched this DVD.

Yes, it's true that Hasselhoff can't sing as good as some of the other people who have played the role on stage, but one must remember that this was his first musical. I mean, come on and give him some credit! What really catches your attention is not his singing or his magnificent acting, but his enthusiasm. Watching it, you can really tell that he is having a rollicking good time up there. However, this sometimes leads to overacting. I DO think that he makes a better Hyde than Jekyll, because as Hyde, he makes a masterful use of body language to suggest the character's evil. And he wasn't even wearing make-up! The ensemble was excellent, and Coleen Sexton made an excellent Lucy. Her sweet, sentimental portrayal is a refreshing change to Linda Eder's more bitter and dreamy one. (Don't get me wrong, I LOVE Linda Eder, I just liked having another person in the role.) Other remarkable co-stars included George Merrit as John Utterson (a very intense actor), Barrie Ingham as Sir Danvers Carew, and Andrea Rivette as Emma Carew (I LOVE her voice!).

The special effects were excellent too, some of the best I've seen in a musical, (really remarkable is when Hyde kills the hypocritical Bishop of Basingstoke and sets his body on fire). The DVD includes a theatrical trailer, a "Show Prelude with David Hasselhoff", Scene Selection, and Cast Bios. It's shown in good 'ol widescreen, and has Dolby digital 5.1 and 2.0soundtracks. All in all, well worth the money. I will indeed watch this over again many times.

Rating:
Summary: So disappointed
Review: Living in Houston, I got to see the origins of this wonderful musical and have seen it three times during its two runs here, with Linda Eder both times.
For years I have been wanting to see a video version released and was so excited when I saw this release.....that is, until I actually watched it.
This production is incredibly disappointing when compared to some of the original productions, which had much better/stronger cast members. I understand this might have been a dream for Hasselhoff, but it was a bit of a nightmare for fans of this musical.
Perhaps if you've never seen this musical at all, you might be able to able to appreciate this version on some level, but for fans of J&H overall, I think you will be equally disappointed with this version as I was.

Rating:
Summary: THE BEST WORST FILM EVER
Review: OK. Disclaimer - if the idea of watching David Hasselhoff "achieve his dream" (his words, not mine) of bringing the story of Jekyll & Hyde to Broadway in all it's tuneless, stomach-churningly awful glory DOESN'T sound like the sort of thing that would make you wet yourself laughing, ignore this review.

For the rest of you...behold, the worst piece of cr*p to ever be consigned to celluloid is just waiting for you to marvel at.

I'm really not kidding this is so bad, so interminably, insufferably dreadful that it's one of the funniest (and most painful) things I've ever sat through.

Within minutes me, my missus and two friends were literally bent double, howling with laughter. I don't think I've ever cried so much in my life - I get chest pains just thinking about it.

Whether it's the first time Dave turns into Hyde (check the acting, please, please check the acting!) or his encore high-kick or the fact that the whole thing was bank-rolled by real-life murdering supervillan, Nicholas Van Hoogstraaten - there's something in this that will make you scream with derision at the screen.

Not for the faint of heart, or the weak of bladder.

Rating:
Summary: Balanced cast sells this JEKYLL & HYDE
Review: Much has been made of the fact that TV star David Hasselhoff was playing the title roles in JEKYLL AND HYDE, the hit Broadway musical based on the classic horror story of the doctor who brings out his evil self through the use of chemicals. Some critics thought he was a lightweight and a stiff pretty boy, however they seem a little off the mark on this one. Aside from the occasionally odd pop-stylings in his singing and a touch of hamminess as Hyde, Hasselhoff does a fairly solid job. He holds his own quite nicely in what, despite his top billing, turns out to be a well-balanced production. Opera singer George Merritt is quite sympathetic as Jekyll's friend and lawyer, Utterson, although he doesn't get to show off his voice much in mainly a character role. Barrie Ingham provides warmth as Sir Danvers Carew, while Andrea Rivette is a winsome Emily. While not on a par as Linda Eder, who created the role, Coleen Sexton makes a sexy turn as the ill-fated Lucy. The rest of the cast is just as solid, handling their songs with skill. The 10 camera set-up does a wonderful job of bringing the production up close, as well showing off some of the fast-paced staging. Robert Louis Stevenson's classic story is not your typical plotline for musical theatre, but JEKYLL AND HYDE is a fairly successful attempt, and a top-notch DVD capture of a Broadway show. Definitely recommended for fans of the musical.

Rating:
Summary: Rent this- Don't buy!
Review: I found this rendition of "Jekyll and Hyde" very disappointing to what I was expecting. Of course everyone who has heard the original cast recording can tell you the same thing- David Hasselhoff is not the best choice to play Jekyll-Hyde. His singing was mediocre, and he overacted the entire time. He did much better with Baywatch and Knightrider than with Broadway. For someone who loves the music and the score from this show- it is just okay as well. I was expecting more I guess- I was pleased with Coleen Sexton as Lucy- her voice was not quite up to par with Linda Eder- but considering who she had to sing with she did a wonderful job. Andrea Rivette has a beautiful voice as well, and does a great job with the character Emma. I just couldn't get past Hasselhoff. When he sings, he looks like he is in pain, or constipated, or straining his vocal chords just to be able to hit some of the harder notes. He makes it look like work- and it shows in his performance. He sings on key most of the time, but it just isn't enough for the role he is playing. His acting is worse than his singing- I found it so overacted it reminded me of my high school musicals- I felt that he was just trying too hard. I think that for this type of genre, your better bet is to get "The Scarlet Pimpernel"- Wildhorn did a fantastic job with this one. It's almost the same story, and doesn't feature Hasselhoff.

Overall, I think that this is definitely a movie that you could rent just to see it once and say- "hey- I guess it was okay" but I would definitely not waste the money to buy it.

Rating:
Summary: What a pity...
Review: Being a huge man of the musical, I didn't expect much out of David Hasselhoff or anything else about the movie. There's a concert CD out there with the voice of Colm Wilkinson as the title role. After you hear Colm Wilkinson (the original Jean Valjean in Les Mis) do some of these pieces (particularly Till You Came Into My Life), and hear Linda Eder's voice, your standard is raised and this DVD does not cut it.

Rating:
Summary: This is my favorite musical, but....
Review: Yay!! I saw this when the national tour came around to the Weidner Center in Wisconsin a couple years ago...it was a jaw-dropping experience. It became my favorite musical, more so than Phantom, Les Miz, Aida, Rent, you get the idea. There's just something about it. I'll tell you what it is: the story, the music, the talent, the emotion, the music, the music, the music, and....the music. I love the music!! And much more so when the actors can sing it! And sing it well! And the cast for this DVD did, for the most part.

I was afraid to watch this DVD, because I knew I had to compare it to the original Broadway cast recording, and the performance I saw, but I was pleasantly surprised. David Hasselhoff is pretty good, but I would have been more excited to see Sebastian Bach. He's cuter.

I was VERY impressed by Andrea and how she flawlessly played and sang Emma. She has a great voice too. At first I was kinda annoyed with Coleen's singing voice - sooo much higher and different than Linda Eder's (who is truly talented, and whose voice is gorgeous), but when she began hitting the hard notes and showing her skill, I warmed up to her. Her acting was good too.

This is a great musical, so obviously I'd like anything to do with it. And having the musical on hand to watch whenever I want, with a perfect view, is hard to resist. So while the cast could've been better, I think this DVD is still good enough to satisfy this fan's needs.

Rating:
Summary: THE BEST WORST FILM EVER
Review: OK. Disclaimer - if the idea of watching David Hasselhoff "achieve his dream" (his words, not mine) of bringing the story of Jekyll & Hyde to Broadway in all it's tuneless, stomach-churningly awful glory DOESN'T sound like the sort of thing that would make you wet yourself laughing, ignore this review.

For the rest of you...behold, the worst piece of cr*p to ever be consigned to celluloid is just waiting for you to marvel at.

I'm really not kidding this is so bad, so interminably, insufferably dreadful that it's one of the funniest (and most painful) things I've ever sat through.

Within minutes me, my missus and two friends were literally bent double, howling with laughter. I don't think I've ever cried so much in my life - I get chest pains just thinking about it.

Whether it's the first time Dave turns into Hyde (check the acting, please, please check the acting!) or his encore high-kick or the fact that the whole thing was bank-rolled by real-life murdering supervillan, Nicholas Van Hoogstraaten - there's something in this that will make you scream with derision at the screen.

Not for the faint of heart, or the weak of bladder.

Rating:
Summary: I try to enjoy this version, but........
Review: I reviewed this DVD previously. My last line of my prior review said, I would watch this again to try to give it some "Sympathy & Tenderness"

Well, let me tell you, I still haven't raised my score to anything above 1 star.

First, those who only saw the Broadway version in NY, you haven't seen the show as it was originally staged (a much better, fuller version).

The last time I saw Jekyll & Hyde on stage (the 7th time) was in San Diego (Balboa Park's Starlight Theatre). It was a full version of the show (which included performed songs from both the double CD set and some changes made in the Broadway cast CD). In other words the show was extended to include everything.

Why they originally cut Bring on the Men for Good and Evil and cut I Need to Know from the Broadway version is beyond me.

I do like the additions of Lost In the Darkness and Letting Go - good touches - too bad they weren't performed better.

I just remembered something (petty?) that was overlooked in this DVD version. In the touring versions, Henry Jekyll drinks the potion. In this DVD version he injects it into his arm. Now if it was injected, why would he say that it was "Warm in the Gullet". (Gullet: The tube by which food and drink are carried from the pharynx to the stomach; the esophagus) LOL.
Sounds nitpicky but after seing the show on stage 7 times, I notice stuff like that.

A response to another review - yes, David Hasselhof, I'm sure, did his best and looks at his performance in J&H as a huge highlight in his career. Fine, but he could have taken on a show that would have given him less critical review and worked up to this performance. It's not one you just throw youself into because you wanted to do it. Did he audition??? Although, I did hear a rumor that he financed all or some of this production - so we do have to thank him for the only visual performance of the show we can watch at home. (I keep my hand on the mute or ff button for the parts I can't dare to watch or listen to).

To end, just watch the show and enjoy what you can of it. There are some parts that are OK to sit through. Better yet, buy and listen to the two CD set of Jekyll & Hyde - you'll be pleased.

Oh, and I will be seeing the show again (once or twice) this April or May, 2004 in Orange County, CA)