Broadway Gems, pt. 5: Jekyll & Hyde

Many people may have already heard a particularly famous number from this musical without ever knowing where it came from. The show's composer, Frank Wildhorn, is the first American composer to have three shows running on Broadway at the same time (following in the footsteps of England's Andrew Lloyd Webber.) With a minimal set design and large ensemble, Jekyll & Hyde proved that the dark, gothic-themed musical was no longer solely the purveyance of British composers.

The show opened at the Plymouth Theatre on April 28, 1997, running almost four years. Despite its popularity and growing fan base, it was unable to make a profit by the time it closed on January 7, 2001. It earned four Tony nominations, and won the 1997 Drama Desk Awards for Outstanding Actor in a Musical (Robert Cuccioli) and Outstanding Set Design in a Musical.

Based on the classic horror novel by Robert Louis Stevenson, Jekyll & Hyde follows the efforts of scientist and humanitarian Henry Jekyll as he struggles to find a "cure" for man's darker nature, accidentally freeing his own instead. Taking certain liberties with Stevenson's tale, new characters are added to give the story more depth: Emma Carew, the daughter of Sir Danvers Carew and Jekyll's fiancee, embodying the very essence of the "proper" high-class Victorian era lady; Lucy Harris, a young prostitute who meets an embarrassed Jekyll when his friends drag him out for a night of "entertainment" and becomes Hyde's obsession; and Jekyll's father, a mental patient whom the scientist is determined to cure through his studies.

This show isn't as obscure as some of the other musicals I've covered, mainly because when David Hasselhoff briefly played the main role, one of the live performances was taped and preserved on DVD for consumer purchase. Unfortunately, while Hasselhoff can (sort of) act and (sort of) sing, he cannot act and sing at the same time. Thankfully, there's quite a bit of footage of another performer in the role (Rob Evan) who is not only a good actor and singer, but an all-around good person in general. Some of the footage comes from BarrieIngham.net (the website of the actor who portrayed Sir Danvers Carew), who doesn't want the YouTube videos actually embedded into other websites, so I'll simply place links to the videos for your perusal instead.

I normally try to keep musical numbers in the order they appear onstage; however, the footage from BarrieIngham.net makes that difficult, since more than one song is included in each clip. With that in mind, I'll do my best to lay it all out.

BarrieIngham.net clip #1: Includes "Introduction", "Facade" (lyrics), and the first half of "Governs Board Meeting"--all of which are self-explanatory. ("Lost In the Darkness" is supposed to come after the Introduction, but I couldn't find a quality sample.)

BarrieIngham.net clip #2: The second half of "Governs Board Meeting" (quick explanation--Mr. Stride was a former rival of Jekyll for Emma Carew's affections, which explains the animosity). Also features "The Engagement Party" with a slight glitch in the video, and "Letting Go", where Emma tries to ease her father's fear of her growing up.

This Is the Moment (lyrics): Jekyll decides to go ahead with his experiments regardless of the Board's decision, using himself as the subject. This is the song that everyone in the country has heard somewhere, even if they didn't know its origins. For a period of time it became the only song played at concerts, sporting events and any other occasion that required inspiring lyrics.

The Transformation (lyrics): Having made his decision Jekyll proceeds with the test, resulting in an "unexpected development".


Alive (lyrics): Freed of all conscience, Hyde revels in his power--and immediately seeks out Lucy Harris.


Someone Like You (lyrics): An injured Lucy visits Jekyll, who patches up her wounds inflicted by one "Edward Hyde". As he leaves, she ponders "what if". This clip features Linda Eder, the original Lucy Harris.


BarrieIngham.net clip #3: Features "Your Work and Nothing More" (also known as THE GREATEST QUARTET IN ANY MUSICAL EVER CREATED) and the first half of "Murder, Murder" (lyrics), where the citizens of London react at first to the Bishop of Basingstoke's murder, then a succession of others.

BarrieIngham.net clip #4: The second half of "Murder, Murder" and "The Wedding/Finale". You may want to pause the clip at the finale until you see the other clips; as I said, the layout is a little mixed up because these clips feature more than one song.

In His Eyes (lyrics): In opposite ends of the city, Emma and Lucy reflect on the man they each know as Jekyll.


Dangerous Game (lyrics): Hyde visits Lucy again, but she can't decide if she's repulsed by or attracted to his advances. (WARNING: a dark song for a dark show. Not for kids.)


Confrontation (lyrics): In the climax of the show, a nearly broken Jekyll faces his alter ego for a final showdown. (How this man was able to perform the song six times a week, I will never know.) You'll hear a brief reprisal of "Lost In the Darkness" beforehand as Jekyll speaks to the painting of his father.