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Jekyll & Hyde - The Musical

Jekyll & Hyde - The Musical

List Price: $19.95
Your Price: $15.96
Product Info Reviews

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Rating: 3 stars
Summary: Good Idea - Wrong Lead Singers
Review: Since many reviews have focused on the aspects of the production, I will add only one thought in that area: did they attempt to book the name leads for the taping? I am sure that Linda Eder would have been interested in seeing her husband's most popular work shown in its best light. With that said, I applaud any producer that tapes a Broadway musical at the end of it production. I have purchased everyone produced by Sir Andrew and look forward to ones in the future. If you like the musical I hope you will support it so that producers will consider other musicals in the future. The other thing that people did not discuss in their reviews was the manner in which it was recorded - as two long tracks with no capability to select individual songs. Please do not repeat this in future releases. After watching two, or three times, I like to listen only to my favorite songs. It cannot be done easily with this DVD.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: brilliant work
Review: I was impressed by this video. David Hasselhoff acts in a real masterpiece. Brilliant work. It has been a long way from the beach to the broadway. This video proofs that David's work is good quality.
Just a tip: Listen to the music by turning off the TV speakers and using a hi-fi system.

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: Better than I expected.....
Review: Okay, I will admit this first off: Hasselhoff wasn't as bad as I expected. Of course, my expectations were so low that it's really not saying much. Amazingly, he even isn't the worst Jekyll/Hyde to appear on Broadway, that award goes to the positively AWFUL Jack Wagner (not to be confused with Chuck Wagner!) In addition, I didn't find his acting to be that bad...he tends to overact on screen, and that actually translates well to stage. In fact, most of the actors overact a bit on the DVD, but it can't really be held against them because they are actually STAGE acting.

However, it is impossible to get past the fact that Hasselhoff struggles thoughout the show, expecially with the higher notes. Sadly, his "This Is The Moment" is his weakest number. It also shows that he is out of his league when measures needed to be cut from the ends of songs because of his lack of lung capacity (this happens in Moment and "The Way Back").

Coleen Sexton is easily the best part of the show. While she doesn't have the strength of Linda Eder (who does??), she still performs very well, and her performance of "A New Life" is easily the best I've ever heard.

I can't figure out why everyone seems to like Andrea Rivette so much. Personally, I couldn't stand her! She sings though her nose the entire time, and when she hits the high notes (which she does with no problem) it becomes almost unbearable. She certainly has the range, but her technique is just awful!

Finally, I'd like to shed some light on why Hasselhoff was cast. The theatre people were out for a "big name" to draw people to see the show. They started with Jack Wagner (ugh), then went to Sebastean Bach (Skid Row, whom I didn't see, but I hear was quite good), and finally Hasselhoff. Unfortunately, more people saw the matinees with Joe Mahowald,who is the best Jekyll to play the role. Mo offense to Mr. Cuccioli, but Joe has you beat!

Rating: 2 stars
Summary: Dissapointing
Review: I see this presentation as not an attempt to write something meaningful that makes the experience both visually and emotionally pleasurable to watch, but rather as a vain attempt to faux the success of The Phantom of the Opera (Andrew Lloyd Webber), which in itself is based on spectacle rather than story. Mr. Wildhorn writes about five or so original tunes, and then, in the style of Mr. Webber, repeats them dozens of times throughout the work. I have heard the melody to "Facade" way too-many times. This practice does not accuratly use the musical themes method, in which a musical theme is used to express an emotion or theme in the piece and then repeated at times in the work when that emotion or theme is repeated, but rather repeats themes needlessly. The songs have no purpose. Characters just start singing, without an overpowering emotion to cause the song or major story factor. The few songs that don't at odd places in the work are somewhat pretty, but interrupt the piece rather than move the story along. The writers also have a difficult time telling the story of "Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde" clearly, letting it linger on with no definate movement of plot. For instance, the love triangle (or square, if you so decide to think of) gets almost no attention. For a thriller musical with much better story and character development and better use of songs, refer to "Sweeney Todd", by Stephen Sondheim and Hugh Wheeler. The difference is Sweeney compells the audience to really become involved with the story while "Jekyll and Hyde" focuses more on pretty music.
In conclusion, this is not a show. "Jekyll and Hyde" is a few pretty songs and then nifty special effects when people get stabbed with canes and then are set on fire. This seems to be what makes money, rather than an engaging plot. The performances are fine, with highlights being Coleen Sexton, portraying Lucy. As for the "Baywatch beauty" in the lead role, he never would have gotten this role had he not been who he is, but he still does a commendable job.

Rating: 1 stars
Summary: Why oh why did they choose this one to film?
Review: I saw this show on Broadway with Robert Cuccioli. I saw the pay-per-view version with David Hasselhoff. Two totally different shows. Hasselhoff is not equipped to carry off this role, although it seems that his bankroll is what brought him this far. Anyone who has seen this show with Cuccioli in the starring role knows that there is no comparison. Please tell me someone filmed the version with Robert Cuccioli and Linda Eder in the leading roles. It's perfection.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: A show with 2 distinct personalities, one good, one bad
Review: Frank Wildhorn's musical JEKYLL & HYDE had a very dark history. It started many years ago as a concept album that was to accompany a televised special starring Colm Wilkinson. Well, that special never happened. The show was then granted a second life in another concept album starring Austrailia's wonderful Anthony Warlowe. Then the show was changed again for a pre-Broadway tour where the show was pretty much ravaged by the critics, but the pop-like songs and dark romance caught the interest of many. The show went under even more drastic changes by the time it hit the Plymouth Theatre and Broadway and the show still was brutally ravaged by critics, yet it had as dedicated a following as any show of recent memory. These followers (calling themselves 'Jekyes' kept the show running for an impressive time.) During that run, several interesting peopl were cast into the show, the most notorious - and difficult to swallow - was Baywatch/KnightRider star David Hasselhoff. Which brings us to the recoding we are talking about. You don't have to be a "Jekyie" to get excited about a Broadway Show becoming available in your living room. This is as well done a documentation of a stage performance as has been seen in awhile. Recorded in a widescreen format, the width and scope of the stage are prerserved. As for the show, with all its changes, it is still a 'penny dreadful', more fun then brilliant. This is seen again in Wildhorn's latest DRACULA. Some clever lyrics are mixed in with some cool 'tech' and some nice songs. However, the glue that holds it all together cracks pretty easily. In the actual performance recorded, Hasselhoff, who has a great look for the role, is too inexperienced to handle the depth of the dual personality and much of the music is too difficult for his thin voice to carry, especially the shows anthem THIS IS THE MOMENT gives everyone a bit of grief. He handles the Mr Hyde darkness with a bit more luck. All of that does not matter when the wonderful Coleen Sexton takes the stage as the ill-fated Lucy. With an incredible set of pipes and the physicality to support them, she is not only gorgeous, but able to balance the duality. So, all in all, this is a fun evening and well done. Hopefully this will inspire more producers to make their creations available after their show closings.

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: good and evil
Review: well the cast is wonderful minus david hasselhof. this just goes to show that hasselhoff should never be alot to act again. his portrail is the worst i have ever seen in any musical before. The only good song he had was the reprise of sympathy, tenderness in close to the end of act 2. The rest of the cast shines, Lucy was the best, then emma, and the rest of the ensemble. If only the found a better lead, i'm watching it again now as i write this review and David hasselhoff .....

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: A few big flaws, but still good
Review: Let me start by stating the two big flaws with this video. #1 David Hasselhoff. As Jekyll he's terrible. His acting is pathetic and he tends to worbble while holding notes. #2 This is the inferior Broadway production. Why they chose to film this production I'll never know. It's a badly butchard version of J&H. They should have filmed the US Tour. If you've never seen the tour though, you won't miss anything with this video

Now here's the good. Hasselhoff's Hyde is actually very good. He looks truely insane and sings certain parts in really different, really cool ways. The rest of the cast is brilliant. I don't think they could have casted them better if they tried. The camera work is also very good.

All in all this is a good video with a few problems that can be tolerated.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: best performence
Review: This is the best performence of Hasselhoff i have ever seen. He plays his part better than in every movie i`ve seen here in Germany. But, for all critic: David is marked by his roles in Baywatch and Knight Rider so it`s hard to imagine him in another part.

Rating: 1 stars
Summary: He should have stuck with baywatch
Review: David Hasselhoff has had no formal voice training and it shows in this production. He has no control, especially when it comes to virbratto. And to add to his lack of talent was a weak story with undeveloped characters. When some of these characters are killed, you feel nothing for them, because there seems to be no reason for them to exist in the first place. The film version seems chopped up. The music does not match the music on the soundtrack. If you were to buy this film for one song imparticular, "Bring On The Men," you will be disappointed. It is not in this feature, and has been replaced by a rather horrible song, one which changes the personality of the character.


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