Here's an interesting review of the Constantine Maroulis/ Deborah Cox Jekyll and Hyde production headed for Broadway. The rules of the game
"I'm that one in a million chance when the director says 'you', the small town boy who makes it big, the one that little children and grown men and women will adore, I'm that shot in the dark everyone talks about, you may not know my name yet, but you will, everyone will, someday."- Me
No matter how many "mixed" reviews of the same show I've seen, this is about as polar opposite as you can get. Wow, just fun to read them both and compare. I would say the two reviews are sort of Jekyll and Hyde in their points of view.
CZJ at opening night party for A Little Night Music, Dec 13, 2009.
@IndustrialSharpie: Yeah, remember during "Board of Governors" that there's a picture of each one of the governors. They're all projected on LCD screens.
That review was harsh though... in my opinion it wasn't the best show ever, but it wasn't that bad...
I don't think Mr. Broccoli was interested in honestly reviewing the show. He seems an egotist that was trying to impress people on how clever he was (NOT).
Take a drink every time Cox slips in and out of a British accent and you'll be drunk by the end of her first scene.
"You travel alone because other people are only there to remind you how much that hook hurts that we all bit down on. Wait for that one day we can bite free and get back out there in space where we belong, sail back over water, over skies, into space, the hook finally out of our mouths and we wander back out there in space spawning to other planets never to return hurrah to earth and we'll look back and can't even see these lives here anymore. Only the taste of blood to remind us we ever existed. The earth is small. We're gone. We're dead. We're safe."
-John Guare, Landscape of the Body
I was debating whether or not to spend my hard earned money to see this. This, after getting half a paycheck this month (where it matters most) after missing a week and a half from work due to pneumonia and the week off for Thanksgiving break just prior to that. Throw in these 3 weeks off for X-mas break and I am more than happy to be back at work this coming Monday. In other words, I've checked into the poorhouse.
So will I be hurling my Playbill at the Pantages stage in anger and rage after using my grocery and gas money on this show? Or will I happily hitch a ride and eat cashews this month for din din? Do tell!
Recreation of original John Cameron orchestration to "On My Own" by yours truly. Click player below to hear.
DEClarke, I hope you get a chance to see the show again. I got interested in this show and started to follow it from the beginning. Re: reviews, I have seen the good, the bad and the ugly. But their seems to be a lot more good now. (The broccoli guy doesn't have any credibility for me). Besides the review I posted above, here are others from the last two cities. Hope this helps you My Oh My.
From my homeland (Detroit) this article is about the best of 2012 in SE Michigan. “Speaking of tours: The best Broadway Tour to come through Detroit was: JEKYLL & HYDE — Broadway Bound with a spectacular Tobin Ost set, and a remarkable performance by Constantine Maroulis.” https://a2view.com/
I agree with Broccoli-the show is a mess. I'd add to the drinking game to drink everytime Constantine misses a money note and everytime Cox goes from Eliza Doolittle to Florence from the Jeffersons.
I would save your money. The show has been sung much better and Calhoun is a sloppy, sloppy director.
"The sexual energy between the mother and son really concerns me!"-random woman behind me at Next to Normal
"I want to meet him after and bang him!"-random woman who exposed her breasts at Rock of Ages, referring to James Carpinello
When I saw it you couldn't understand Constatine in the beginning of the show. He was just mumbling, probably a mic issue cause he sounded fine throughout the rest of the show. He also likes to hit high notes when it's really not necessary to also.
During Someone Like You, Deborah's "And I'd feel so alive" at the end of the song was curt. It caused controversy in the audience.
My interest in Act 1 went in and out repeatedly, but I really liked most of Act 2.
I haven't really been following it but I am assuming it is close to the Broadway version and not the pre-Broadway tour version that was closer to the concept cd. I saw both and prefer the pre-broadway tour production.
Take a drink every time Cox slips in and out of a British accent and you'll be drunk by the end of her first scene.
I just spat orange juice across the breakfast table. Can't wait to see this in LA,the year should always open with a train wreck.
Well I didn't want to get into it, but he's a Satanist.
Every full moon he sacrifices 4 puppies to the Dark Lord and smears their blood on his paino.
This should help you understand the score for Wicked a little bit more.
Tazber's: Reply to
Is Stephen Schwartz a Practicing Christian
Now I wonder if Mr. Broccoli is one of the people who sat next to me in Providence for this show. The group had to leave at intermission as one of the guys was ready to pass out - but they kept the beers flowing.
That's no joke so maybe he did not hear how Constantine sang so beautifully and that every word could be heard and understood. Deborah Cox has definitely pumped up her acting as well as her accent is fine - she's doing a cockney English accent as Lucy is uneducated ala Eliza Doolittle. I saw the show at the Kennedy Center and liked it then but had a few reservations. Those reservations were totally removed when I saw it again this past week in Providence.
Constantine's transition from Jekyll to Hyde is seamless and you can totally see two different sides of a man emerge with each character. One of the best things he is doing is having Jekyll struggle to be able to hold himself up physically towards the end of the show because Hyde has so taken him over. Only Hyde stands strong in the last few scenes. The wedding scene starts with a strong looking Jekyll until Hyde works his way through again. The guy is fantastic in this role.
Looking forward to seeing this show on Broadway. It is going to do really well there.
@RENT_is_Wicked2: I was kidding. There obviously are no LCD/LED screens in the show, I was thinking of adding my own rule for Mr. Broccoli's game: Every time a humorless hack confuses projection with LCD/LED, take a drink.
Pati b, I had read your review before I went up to Providence to see the show. You had some points I agreed with and some I disagreed with especially this one:
"However it might have been a wise choice if this talented rock star had focused a bit more on character insight and development of both personas rather than his ability and instincts to act and sing through this dual power role."
One thing is known about Constantine, he does his work on character development very meticulously and continuously as he is working on a role. I felt the character insight was evident. I looked at the way Jekyll holds back his anger at the board of governors and how he lets it be known to Emma in a very remorseful manner at the engagement party. The reasons why Hyde kills who he does comes as no surprise and it is because of the way the actor is portraying this. And honestly, to just refer to him as a talented rock star is not fair to the work he has done and continues to do as an actor.
I do agree with you that this is a totally different production and that it is aimed at a younger audience. That might be a big pill for the NY critics to swallow, but they were willing to accept it in other shows the last few years. So I think the tablet is open and ready for filling in as this show opens in NY. Hopefully some open mindedness on the part of the critics will be present.