Frank Wildhorn/J&H 101

[PB ENT.]

Posted: 3/23/13 at 8:29pm

If I may, here’s my take on the recent Frank Wildhorn/ Jekyll and Hyde discussions.

Regarding Frank; he is a talented creative composer whose songs have been performed by some very big names at some very impressive venues and events. He once told me “I write music for the theater and well beyond the 12 blocks of Broadway”. His success abroad and ability to attract both talent and investors is part of his talent and his stronghold. His 1997 Jekyll & Pimpernel were the spring broad for such newcomers as Robert Cucciolo, Linda Eder, Christiane Noll, Rob Evan and Doug Sills. Only Chuck Wagner (B&TB) and Terry Mann (CATS) had a measure of Bd’w under their belt. All of these talents are still working in the business. The critics panned the original J/H as the crowds kept coming back to see “the gal with the chops” (Linda Eder). It was a great time to have 3 Wildhorn shows running on Bd’w as the casts hung out together and with their loyal fans who became friends and supporters to this day.

Would he like to have Broadway’s approval? You bet! Will Bd’w ever give him that chance? Who knows? But the man always has a show in every dresser to pull out and the ability, support and perhaps audacity to put them out there.

I like Frank. He’s clever, charismatic, and persuasive. Do I like his music? Much of it. Do I like his shows? A few of them. Did I love the original Jekyll? No, but I liked it. Did I like the new version of Jekyll? No, it’s not for me. But when I covered this in Sept. in Philly, Frank was as excited as his first Jekyll of the 90’s to bring this new incarnation to a whole new generation of theater fans. Jekyll is his baby and he loves to show it off.

So the critics and the crowds will come; some to crucify, others to crown him, with many discussions, comparisons and dissections of the “new” Jekyll. It’s all part of the passion people have for theater; those who create it and those who are entertained by it.

Pati b
BWW “Philly”

[philly03]

Posted: 3/23/13 at 8:44pm

Nice post... Frank gets too much criticism from this board, but this Jekyll & HYDE new production hasn't received anywhere near the scathing posts that DRACULA and WONDERLAND received.

Also.. I'd HARDLY say Frank Wildhorn helped Terrence Mann's career with The Scarlet Pimpernel - he had already received TWO Tony nominations (for Les Miserables and Beauty and the Beast)... if anything taking the role of Chauvelin probably slightly damaged his reputation a bit considering it was a Javert-esque role all over again.

But the one thing I've always liked about Frank is that, apart from this production, hes generally introduced some theatre greats (including the original ensemble of Jekyll), and especially with WONDERLAND and B&C went with true Broadway voices and not stunt casting, which I'm sure was discussed.

[Dollypop]

Posted: 3/23/13 at 8:55pm

The problem with Wildhorn is that he writes music that can be considered "bubblegum pop". there's very little substance or Broadway Sound--if any.

My biggest complaint with the original J&H was the way is massacred the original novella. Important--and intriguing--concepts, like the fact that Hyde was shorter than Jekyll because Hyde was the sum of all the evil that Hyde had in him (very little), were erased.

[elphaba.scares.me]

Posted: 3/23/13 at 9:11pm

Frank Wildhorn would do well to try and appreciate different musical theatre styles. He has no clue why people respond to Finn, LaChiusa, etc. And he doesn't try to understand.

For better and for worse, he lives in a Wildhorn bubble.

[PB ENT.]

Posted: 3/23/13 at 9:36pm

I can't disagree with any of these comments. I presume people compose what their heart tells them. Yes, DP it is "bubble gum pop" in many instances, however enough people do like to sing it, skate to it , dance to it, etc. Music is always very subjective. I just can't justify how/why some judge others so harshly for their creative endeavors.

Philly, I realize Terrance Mann was a seasoned Broadway performer prior to J/H and SP. Fact I saw and met Terry in B&TB. He was an excellent Beast as was Chuck Wagner. I was highlighting the fact that Frank also chose some credible veterans to be part of his work. The on stage chemistry between Doug Sills and Terry Mann in SP was at times show stoppingly funny and impromptu and enhanced SP greatly. They (Sills & Mann) became close friends as a result also.

Speaking of J/H ensembles, Kelli O'Hara cut her teeth on Jekyll, Kate Schindle made her Bd'w debut and Brad Oscar went on to play the lead in The Producers. Not to shabby, either.

Updated On: 3/24/13 at 09:36 PM

[Dollypop]

Posted: 3/23/13 at 10:07pm

I guess the true mettle of Broadway music is that people can skate to it.

[GatorNY]

Posted: 3/23/13 at 10:41pm

I'm sorry that I have to ask, but what is B & TB? I googled it but it only brings up articles on tuberculosis.

[CATSNYrevival]

Posted: 3/23/13 at 10:44pm

^Beauty and the Beast.

[CATSNYrevival]

Posted: 3/23/13 at 10:46pm

I always laugh when I see Kelli O'Hara in the ensemble on the Jekyll & Hyde DVD. She sings a little solo bit in "Facade" and, for whatever reason, it always makes me laugh.

[jnb9872]

Posted: 3/24/13 at 12:14am

Thanks for writing this up, PB. I appreciate the perspective; while I personally have never encountered a Wildhorn-involved show I enjoy, I always hold out hope that any show can receive its ideal-possible production. The man clearly has passion and passionate followers; I'm glad to have taken a moment to appreciate that.

[philly03]

Posted: 3/24/13 at 4:40am

Jekyll & HYDE's ensemble (over the years) included greats such as Kelli O'Hara (B'way debut), Coleen Sexton (eventually the DVD), Kate Shindle (B'way debut), Emily Skinner (B'way debut.. eventual Tony nominee), Leah Hocking, Raymond Jaramillo, John Tracey Egan (B'way debut), Brad Oscar (eventual Tony nominee), among others.

Frank, unlike many composers/creative teams actually does play an important part in the casting process!

PB Ent... I love your posts, but you have to know that Chuck and Terry are the two WORST examples to post. Terry did workshops of Jekyll in the early '90s, Chuck was the original and was replaced... TWICE (the first national tour and Broadway) and never got a chance to appear on Broadway, ever in a Wildhorn show until DRACULA (with that terrible memo posted online post-closing). Christine Andreas was terrific in SP (with what she was given in the first round), as a literal two-time Tony nominee with good reviews to-boot.

Wildhorn may "live in a bubble"... and yet this generation and the future generation still seem to fancy having that "Wildhorn ballad" to sing, when you ask any of his stars. Apart from DRACULA (starring Tom Hewitt & Melissa Errico) or the first version of The Scarlet Pimpernel, his shows have always starred the best voices over any sort of popularity measure.



Also, most people on this board seem to forget about the highly successful THE CIVIL WAR album/tour that included in some regard pop/country performers, but also Broadway stars including (amongst other runs too) the late Carl Anderson, Betty Buckley, Beth Leveal, Linda Eder, Jarrod Emmick, Bebe Winans, Capathia Jenkins, etc.

[dramamama611]

Posted: 3/24/13 at 6:54am

I never understand the "give him a chance" plea. He's had plenty of chances on b'way. His stuff (for the large part) doesn't work.

Yes, he has fans. Yes, he seems to be able to continue to find investors. Yes, his work seems to succeed elsewhere far better than it does here.

I'm sure the man makes a great living and lives his life in joy -- how many artists are lucky enough to do that.

While critical acclaim and public awards are the 'dream' result for many as the pinnacle of one's work, don't most artists REALLY just want to earn their way doing what they want? Regardless of what most American theater goers may think -- he does just that.

[yankeefan7]

Posted: 3/24/13 at 8:04am

I will add that Robert Cuccioil got Tony nomination for the role in J&H and IMO he was robbed when award went to James Naughton for Chicago.

[ghostlight2]

Posted: 3/24/13 at 8:18am

"with that terrible memo posted online post-closing"

Which one, Philly? Wagner's, where he posted the truth about FW's underhanded dealing with the cast regarding the "concept" album as opposed to the OBCR? That memo?

[SporkGoddess]

Posted: 3/24/13 at 10:13am

I'm really sad that Bonnie and Clyde did so poorly--I genuinely love that show. It at least deserved Best Score, IMO.

I like Wildhorn as a guilty pleasure, but I wish he wouldn't retool his shows so much.

Updated On: 3/24/13 at 10:13 AM

[PB ENT.]

Posted: 3/24/13 at 11:19am

Thanks Philly! I'm aware of many Wildhorn things as you are... perhaps from a different prespective. I well know, it "ain't and wasn't all peaches and cream". But then general audiences never know or care about what goes on behind the curtain.

My point is that Frank was/is able to draw some incredible talent to his productions both here and abroad. So this should account for a measure of credibility and belief in his work from the actors and colaborators that team up with him.

The mere fact that he has been part of so many shows that were actually mounted should say something. Shows like Camille Claudel, Waiting For The Moon and his recording of Cyrano were just a taste of his versitility. Not to mention his long affilation with the talented Jeremy Roberts, MD and Leslie Briscusse, lyricist. To bash someone working in these circles is nonsense.

I'm not a blind Wildhorn cheerleader nor do I think anyone should feel sorry that he gets a bad rap in NY. I'm sure Frank is professional enough to put this behind him, enjoy his work and move on to the next project. That's what people do in this business, right?

[NOB88]

Posted: 3/24/13 at 12:16pm

Hear it from the man himself:
The Florida boy who made ‘Jekyll & Hyde’ sing

[Rabekriegerin]

Posted: 3/24/13 at 12:52pm

I can't avoid a Wildhorn thread (apparently) but I'll limit myself to anecdotal evidence. I come from a family that can be considered "casual theater" at best; we're close enough to Broadway that we find occasion to see a show or two every few years. We appreciate live theater, great music, and in general a good show. But it is a hobby, a side and choice piece of entertainment we save for special occasions, more or less. I personally put more of an effort in and appear two or three times a year, just to see what there is to see.

On the flip side, we are all music enthusiasts - more about *making* it than anything else, though again, as a hobby. All of us have decades of concert and symphonic experience, and have been led a whole host of community musical endeavors. (As an aside, while my brother enjoys theater, he has a lot of difficultly with musical theater because imperfect intonation drives him up the wall and he is incredibly critical of a lot of theater singing because of it! Go figure.)

The point of this introduction: I first discovered I liked Wildhorn's music - a lot - when I realized the name on my Rudolf CD was the same on my J&H CD. (Yes, I know. All possible credentials as a theater snob have just been lost.) And I have found, interestingly, that my family has wholeheartedly embraced Wildhorn's work. The musical 'sound' of certain songs in Rudolf was enough for my brother and father to learn the German phonetically just because they wanted to be able to sing them properly.

Then again - maybe their being sung in a different language helped the songs; rather than being distracted by (oft mundane) lyrics, the beauty of the music for itself, with Koen Schoots' orchestrations, was more able to come through unimpeded. It can be, as my father is wont to say, "magical", a tremendous thing in and of itself, divided from anything but the sound.

Perhaps I want too much, but I want that in theater. The moment when the sheer experience closes my throat and dims my eyes, when the stage itself is transcended by the sound. [I think of that moment following Javert's Solil. in Les Mis when the 'Stars' anthem thunders out again. A moment lost in the movie, to its great detriment!] I want more than to be lost in the stage. I want to be lifted out of it, that trembling moment of inexpressible awareness - which is the reason I love classical music so much; like the soaring fanfare in Stravinsky's Firebird.

Now, Wildhorn's shows have more than their share of flaws; for some, those flaws ruin the experience, while for others, perhaps they can be overlooked to varying degrees. But every time I hear his music itself dismissed as banal and bubble-gum I have to furrow my brow, pick out some of my favorite pieces, and listen to them again. Just to remind myself that no, I still don't understand the argument, but that I do not need to, to appreciate the sound, to luxuriate in that musical moment for what it is.

And from time to time, the disparity between the adjectives applied and my personal experience stirs me enough to pull up a reply and defend them on those grounds alone. Whatever else may be said, when it comes to music, the man can write. And that I will happily continue to defend.

[chinto1984]

Posted: 3/24/13 at 9:19pm

Oh, Frank Wildhorn. The poor man's ALW. I really love listening to his music. I think he has great ideas for shows, but the storytelling and writing is so bad sometimes.

I saw Wonderland on Bway. That tried so hard to be the next Wicked. If you listen to the concept album of the show vs. the OBC, it was obviously a different show. He needs to get better partners that will actually challenge him or even limit him to just composing.

[songanddanceman2]

Posted: 3/24/13 at 9:29pm

The only show of his I liked was Bonnie and Clyde Whig I thought had a very good score.

[yankeefan7]

Posted: 3/25/13 at 10:31pm

I think Wildhorn should write a new musical with a alias. - lol. Seriously, anything he does is DOA with critics so I wonder if they did not know it was Wildhorn would it be given a better chance. I know it is not realistic to do this but it does make me wonder.

[EricMontreal22]

Posted: 3/25/13 at 10:40pm

"Important--and intriguing--concepts, like the fact that Hyde was shorter than Jekyll because Hyde was the sum of all the evil that Hyde had in him (very little), were erased."

I've never heard that interpretation. I thought it had more to do with the fact that there was a genuine fear and horror about Darwinism and the fact that people were descended from, essentially, apes--that they had that primal persona in him.

TO be fair to Wildhorn, the novella is rarely adapted faithfully--a love interest (which obscures the original's subtextual fear of homosexuality and its homosocial aspect) or two is almost always added, for one (I believe this dates back to the original Victorian stage version.)

[SeanMartin]

Posted: 3/25/13 at 10:43pm

Wildhorn is no fool. He sees Broadway not as an end point, but rather a leaping off point for taking his stuff overseas — that's where his big money comes from. He can pick up the remnants of whatever show just closed and repackage it in Berlin or Tokyo and make a fortune off the "Direct from Broadway!" marketing that ensues.

[ghostlight2]

Posted: 3/25/13 at 11:33pm

^^^^^

THIS! Frank is always first and foremost looking out for himself, even if it means his dealings with others are less than admirable.

"Not to mention his long affilation with the talented Jeremy Roberts, MD and Leslie Briscusse, lyricist. To bash someone working in these circles is nonsense.

I'm not a blind Wildhorn cheerleader nor do I think anyone should feel sorry that he gets a bad rap in NY. I'm sure Frank is professional enough to put this behind him, enjoy his work and move on to the next project. That's what people do in this business, right?"

I'm really not sure why this thread was started. I wouldn't have entered this thread at all had philly not opened the door by mentioning that "terrible memo" of Wagner's. FW was not honest nor professional with the cast of Dracula when it came to discussing the OBCR (that never happened because FW was focussing on the "concept" album). He actually told the cast he was still working on that even as he was working on the "concept" album.

I've personally never "bashed" FW, only told the truth about him, and I believe the only reasons that Wagner and O'Hara backed down from what they've said publicly about the OBCR debacle is that they were "persuaded" to. Hell, search here and you'll find the talented Mr Roberts threatening to sue me for telling the truth.

I think what "most people in this business" do is warn others who they need to protect themselves from. I wish Wildhorn all the success in the world. I just wish he would be honest with others in the process.

[CATSNYrevival]

Posted: 3/26/13 at 12:09am

^I don't remember a memo. I do remember the Dracula cast being upset, especially Kelli O'Hara who I seem to remember having some pretty vicious things to say about Frank, but in the end I don't really understand why the cast felt so slighted. Maybe I'm forgetting all the details, but this is show business and in the end no one was willing to put up the money for an OBC recording. It all comes down to money and there was none. No sense crying over it.

I would have loved an OBC recording, and even with the concept album finally being released, I still feel like they should get a cast together in a studio to record the licensed version since the concept album, and even an OBC recording had there been one, don't represent the final licensed version. There's no reference recording. (Well, there is, but it's in German.)

Updated On: 3/26/13 at 12:09 AM