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The * ideal * Jekyll & Hyde: A discussion

The * ideal * Jekyll & Hyde: A discussion

DigificWriter
#1The * ideal * Jekyll & Hyde: A discussion
Posted: 10/26/14 at 3:39am

Jekyll & Hyde remains my favorite musical, but I was thinking about it recently and realized that, as good as the music and story is, I've never had the chance to see a version of it that maximizes its potential to the fullest degree, so I decided to sit down and think about what my * ideal * version of the show would be like musically.

- Act One -
Prologue
I Need to Know
Lost in the Darkness
Facade
Jekyll's Plea
Pursue the Truth
Facade (Reprise)
Emma's Reasons
Take Me as I Am
Letting Go
Facade (Reprise #2)
No One Knows Who I Am
Good 'N Evil
Here's to the Night
Now There is No Choice
This is the Moment
First Transformation
Alive
His Work and Nothing More
Sympathy, Tenderness
Someone Like You
Alive (Reprise)

- Act Two -
Murder, Murder
Once Upon a Dream
Streak of Madness (Obsession)
In His Eyes
Facade (Reprise #3)
Bring On the Men
The Girls of the Night
Dangerous Game
The Way Back
A New Life
Sympathy, Tenderness (Reprise)
Confrontation
Facade (Reprise #4)
Finale

What would your guys' ideal version of Jekyll & Hyde look like?

carlodowd Profile Photo
carlodowd
#2The * ideal * Jekyll & Hyde: A discussion
Posted: 10/26/14 at 8:23am

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! :)

DigificWriter
#2The * ideal * Jekyll & Hyde: A discussion
Posted: 10/26/14 at 11:54am

I don't personally think that song adds much to the show narrativly, but if it were to be included, it's lyrical content demands that it bridge the first Reprise of Facade with Emma's Reasons.

I was looking back over my song list and realized that there were two other songs - Reflections (Jekyll's Soliloquy) and If You Only Knew - that would fit well and enhance the narrative, but including them would mean rearranging the show's structure as follows:
- Act One -
Prologue
I Need to Know
Lost in the Darkness
Facade
Jekyll's Plea
Pursue the Truth
Facade (Reprise)
Bitch! Bitch! Bitch!
Emma's Reasons
Take Me as I Am
Letting Go
Facade (Reprise #2)
No One Knows Who I Am
Good 'N Evil
Here's to the Night
Now There is No Choice
This is the Moment
First Transformation
Alive

- Act Two -
His Work and Nothing More
If You Only Knew
Sympathy, Tenderness
Someone Like You
Alive (Reprise)
Murder, Murder
Streak of Madness (Obsession)
In His Eyes
Facade (Reprise #3)
Bring On the Men
The Girls of the Night
Dangerous Game
Once Upon a Dream
Reflections (Jekyll's Soliloquy)
A New Life
Sympathy, Tenderness (Reprise)
The Way Back
Confrontation
Finale

I dumped the fourth Reprise of Facade mainly because it seemed superfluous, and to create some symmetry between Acts One and Two in terms of the number of songs.


Updated On: 10/26/14 at 11:54 AM

philly03 Profile Photo
philly03
#3The * ideal * Jekyll & Hyde: A discussion
Posted: 10/26/14 at 12:36pm

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.

TheatreDiva90016 Profile Photo
TheatreDiva90016
#4The * ideal * Jekyll & Hyde: A discussion
Posted: 10/26/14 at 1:04pm

If you can make it to the Candlelight Pavilion in Claremeont, Ca, they have a kick ass version of the show running now.


Their info.

http://www.candlelightpavilion.com/Our-Season/Current-Season.asp?season=2014


"TheatreDiva90016 - another good reason to frequent these boards less."<<>> “I hesitate to give this line of discussion the validation it so desperately craves by perpetuating it, but the light from logic is getting further and further away with your every successive post.” <<>> -whatever2
Updated On: 10/26/14 at 01:04 PM

DigificWriter
#5The * ideal * Jekyll & Hyde: A discussion
Posted: 10/26/14 at 2:02pm

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

mjohnson2 Profile Photo
mjohnson2
#6The * ideal * Jekyll & Hyde: A discussion
Posted: 10/26/14 at 2:17pm

The show being canceled and instead we get to watch a good musical.


Anything regarding shows stated by this account is an attempt to convey opinion and not fact.

Mr Roxy Profile Photo
Mr Roxy
#7The * ideal * Jekyll & Hyde: A discussion
Posted: 10/26/14 at 2:23pm

A difference of opinion here


Poster Emeritus

DigificWriter
#8The * ideal * Jekyll & Hyde: A discussion
Posted: 10/26/14 at 3:22pm

"The show being canceled and instead we get to watch a good musical."

Leave, please.

dramamama611 Profile Photo
dramamama611
#9The * ideal * Jekyll & Hyde: A discussion
Posted: 10/26/14 at 3:23pm

My ideal would also be to never see it again.


If we're not having fun, then why are we doing it? These are DISCUSSION boards, not mutual admiration boards. Discussion only occurs when we are willing to hear what others are thinking, regardless of whether it is alignment to our own thoughts.

DigificWriter
#10The * ideal * Jekyll & Hyde: A discussion
Posted: 10/26/14 at 3:25pm

I'm going to ask this once and once only: If you have absolutely nothing to contribute to this discussion besides negative, snarky remarks about how much the show sucks, STAY OUT!!!!!

g.d.e.l.g.i. Profile Photo
g.d.e.l.g.i.
#11The * ideal * Jekyll & Hyde: A discussion
Posted: 10/26/14 at 3:27pm

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


Formerly gvendo2005
Broadway Legend
joined: 5/1/05

Blocked: After Eight, suestorm, david_fick, emlodik, lovebwy, Dave28282, joevitus
Updated On: 10/26/14 at 03:27 PM

dramamama611 Profile Photo
dramamama611
#12The * ideal * Jekyll & Hyde: A discussion
Posted: 10/26/14 at 3:28pm

Sorry ... you don't get to dictate that. That's kind d if how discussion boards work. You don't get to control the direction it takes.


If we're not having fun, then why are we doing it? These are DISCUSSION boards, not mutual admiration boards. Discussion only occurs when we are willing to hear what others are thinking, regardless of whether it is alignment to our own thoughts.

DigificWriter
#13The * ideal * Jekyll & Hyde: A discussion
Posted: 10/26/14 at 3:35pm

@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

dramamama611 Profile Photo
dramamama611
#14The * ideal * Jekyll & Hyde: A discussion
Posted: 10/26/14 at 4:25pm

It's still my "ideal" opinion.

This is a public forum, and no one has ownership of any thread. And if you'd just ignored us, our negative opinions wouldn't have added up to anything.


If we're not having fun, then why are we doing it? These are DISCUSSION boards, not mutual admiration boards. Discussion only occurs when we are willing to hear what others are thinking, regardless of whether it is alignment to our own thoughts.

Sally Durant Plummer Profile Photo
Sally Durant Plummer
#15The * ideal * Jekyll & Hyde: A discussion
Posted: 10/26/14 at 5:39pm

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.


"Sticks and stones, sister. Here, have a Valium." - Patti LuPone, a Memoir

mjohnson2 Profile Photo
mjohnson2
#16The * ideal * Jekyll & Hyde: A discussion
Posted: 10/26/14 at 6:45pm

Sally, that is exactly why I hate Wildhorn so much. I think that he choses such incredible projects for musical-ization (BONNIE AND CLYDE, JEKYLL AND HYDE, and DRACULA mainly) and then mucks them up with his bland music and always horrendous book writer. Can you imagine how incredible a DRACULA musical could be if the right composer took it on? Or a BONNIE AND CLYDE musical by Kander and Ebb? Same with SIDE SHOW, though that isn't Wildhorn. There's nothing I hate more than a missed opportunity.


Anything regarding shows stated by this account is an attempt to convey opinion and not fact.

Mr Roxy Profile Photo
Mr Roxy
#17The * ideal * Jekyll & Hyde: A discussion
Posted: 10/26/14 at 6:51pm

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.


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

dramamama611 Profile Photo
dramamama611
#18The * ideal * Jekyll & Hyde: A discussion
Posted: 10/26/14 at 6:56pm

Pretty sure he isn't keeping anyone else from listening, with or without a gun. He's entitled to his opinion.


If we're not having fun, then why are we doing it? These are DISCUSSION boards, not mutual admiration boards. Discussion only occurs when we are willing to hear what others are thinking, regardless of whether it is alignment to our own thoughts.

Sally Durant Plummer Profile Photo
Sally Durant Plummer
#19The * ideal * Jekyll & Hyde: A discussion
Posted: 10/26/14 at 7:25pm

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.


"Sticks and stones, sister. Here, have a Valium." - Patti LuPone, a Memoir
Updated On: 10/26/14 at 07:25 PM

Mr Roxy Profile Photo
Mr Roxy
#20The * ideal * Jekyll & Hyde: A discussion
Posted: 10/26/14 at 7:38pm

Not every song can or should build up a character .


Poster Emeritus

Sally Durant Plummer Profile Photo
Sally Durant Plummer
#21The * ideal * Jekyll & Hyde: A discussion
Posted: 10/26/14 at 7:46pm

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.


"Sticks and stones, sister. Here, have a Valium." - Patti LuPone, a Memoir

Mr Roxy Profile Photo
Mr Roxy
#22The * ideal * Jekyll & Hyde: A discussion
Posted: 10/26/14 at 7:48pm

We will have a friendly disagreement. At least you do not hate him. That is something.


Poster Emeritus

Mr. Nowack Profile Photo
Mr. Nowack
#23The * ideal * Jekyll & Hyde: A discussion
Posted: 10/26/14 at 7:53pm

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.


Keeping BroadwayWorld Illustrated

g.d.e.l.g.i. Profile Photo
g.d.e.l.g.i.
#24The * ideal * Jekyll & Hyde: A discussion
Posted: 10/26/14 at 8:27pm

Okay, let me get at what I think DigificWriter was trying to say. It's understandable that people don't like the show or think someone else should give the source material a crack; that's fine, and you're welcome to your opinion.

But... DfW was kind of looking for what fans would do in an attempt to make the existing material work. It's abundantly clear from the nature of the OP, even if someone decided to split hairs and interpret the thread's title quite literally. So while it's your right to have negative opinions, and equally your right to express them, can we please hear as well from more people than just me and DfW about what they would do to improve the existing material that doesn't involve seeing another show or calling in a new creative team?


Formerly gvendo2005
Broadway Legend
joined: 5/1/05

Blocked: After Eight, suestorm, david_fick, emlodik, lovebwy, Dave28282, joevitus
Updated On: 10/26/14 at 08:27 PM