Jekyll & Hyde: The Musical

Since I was christened into the beauty of Jekyll and Hyde the Musical by Anthony Warlow's sterling performance, I sat down to watch this version with exactly the right attitude. I was drawn to watch it by the pure horror that the thought of David Hasselhoff butchering my favourite musical instilled. I had to see it, because potentially I would laugh harder than I ever had in my life. So suitably, I was there with a friend, some cheap chocolate liqueur, and a projection monitor turning the lounge room wall into the stage.

Some of the casting annoyed me. I guess I'm something of a purist when it comes to period theater, but John being black seems culturally improbable, and the inevitable deepness and timbre to George Merritt's voice made him dominate over Hassellhoff, which turns the character into more of a mentor figure than a friend and equal.

Andrea Rivette's singing in what looked like the world's second tightest corset was amazing to behold, but the depth in her acting was lacking.

Small lyrical changes to a lot of the songs seemed made in an effort to dumb the plot and themes down to make it nice and sachharin, and that reeks of censorship, which I abhor in any form.

What made it for me is exactly what drew me, like a train wreck, to watch.

David Hasselhoff is not a born singer, nor is he likely to become a seasoned veteran of Broadway musical, but I was shocked silent by the intensity of his rendition of the confrontation. It wasn't mind-blowing, but it was a guy who used to drive a talking car doing it, which made it all the more impressive. The makeup and lighting effect used for the sequence was also nicely effective.

Ultimately, I feel I got a solid (if B grade) performance all round. Hasselhoff, I imagine, has fulfilled a lifelong dream, and I raise my glass to him for doing it.

Jekyll and Hyde is one of my all-time favorite musicals. I've seen it on stage many times and have every recording made (even the old Colm Wilkinson-Linda Eder concept album!). I was given this video as a gift and when I read that David Hasselhoff was starring, I had the same reaction that I'm sure many of you did: "The Baywatch guy? You've got to be kidding me."

...but I have to admit, I was pleasantly surprised. I think many people wanted so badly to hate David Hasselhoff in this that they automatically wrote him off and didn't give him a chance. Was he the best Jekyll/Hyde I've seen? Well, no. His singing voice was sort of inconsistent. There were times when it really reached out with dramatic power, and other times when it suffered from a little too much vibrato for my taste. Believe it or not, it was his *acting* (surprise, surprise!) that impressed me the most. I think that Mr. Hasselhoff's talent was perhaps wasted on screen. He does a fine job as a stage actor, and has obviously come a long way from his Baywatch days. He seems to be more at home in front of a live audience. His Hyde impressed me the most. He shows a skillful use of the eyes and body language.

Hasselhoff is surrounded by a talented supporting cast. I like Coleen Sexton's rather cute, sweet portrayal of Lucy. It offers a unique contrast to Linda Eder's sultry rendition. My only criticism of Sexton's performance is a personal preference issue: she belts too much when she sings, and extends her belting range too high. It sounds painful to me.

Andrea Rivette is a class act as Emma Carew, Jekyll's fiancee. Her voice is beautiful, and her poise perfect for the role. George Merritt and Barrie Ingham were outstanding as John Utterson and Sir Danvers Carew, respectively. I absolutely loved Merritt's voice. The rich, deep quality of it carried over to his speaking lines as well.

Overall, a good effort by all.

When I saw this on the schedule I howled with laughter and my wife prepared to barf on the floor -- Hasselhoff has always been a joke as far as we were concerned. We were absolutely floored to find that he can actually act if given a chance, and has a great voice with tremendous range and power. Who could have guessed?

I read the other comments, often negative, and noticed that most of the slams were from stage & musical afficionados, most of whom had first seen other Broadway leads in the title role. I have no doubt there are some spectacular male leads who have sung this role earlier, and perhaps one day I'll see them also; however, Hasselhoff's performance is excellent, period, and I have gone from thinking of him as a boring, no-talent dork to having a great respect for his acting and his heretofore unsuspected singing ability. His "Hyde" is very reminiscent of Jack Palance's portrayal, and on occasion the facial resemblance is rather eery. One wonders whether it was a deliberate affectation or mere chance..

His Baywatch and Knight Rider shows were pure, gag-me-with-a-spoon drivel, completely unwatchable by normal human earthlings. But this .... the man was hiding some serious talent -- probably there was little one could do with those awful TV roles.

This experience reminds me very much of the first time I saw Andy Griffith in A FACE IN THE CROWD -- and realized that behind those stupid "Andy of Mayberry" grins lay one of the finest dramatic actors in the business. Frankly, I felt cheated. I'm glad Griffith enjoyed the success and money, but I feel genuine sorrow for all the other dramatic roles he COULD have given us. Now, ditto for Hasselhoff.

With the coming Extraordinary League of Gentlemen, how could i not be hypnotized by this musical? I came accidentally on it and thought: lets learn more about this dr. Jekyll. I thought at first it was not a musical but a play: the actors were good and the atmosphere was breathtaking.. And that doctor, so convincing! To be honest, i was sure it was David Hasselhoff only at the end when it was actually written!! Even with his imposant body, his sharp face, i couldn't say he was D.H. What a wonderfull surprise! So to answer to a previous post, you'll be impressed even if you're not a D.H. fan! He is really playing it with his guts as well as Jekyll's passion for science as Hyde's lust for destruction! Utterson is also played very skillfully and one of the most funny character in the play. This one conclusion i took from this experience is of course not be rely myself only on the facade of people: Hasselhoff on baywatch on one hand can be more than convincing as Jekyll and Hyde! Go see it for yourself!

I'm a Jekyll and Hyde fan and love anything to do with this fantastic story (courtesy of Robert Louis Stevenson), and I never saw the original Broadway play so I had no comparison to make when I watched this on VHS, not DVD.

And from the comments I've read, Hasselhoff is getting a bad rap. He's not at all bad in the role, has good stage presence, can deal with the songs which are in no way memorable to begin with (in fact, the musical's biggest weakness is that all the songs sound alike and all sound very derivative), and he does the separate characters with little more than a change in hairstyle, attitude and voice.

He's getting the sort of disdain always reserved for anyone who comes in as a replacement for someone else--especially if that show is now available worldwide as this video is.

GERARD BUTLER got the same reception when he dared to take on a role that MICHAEL CRAWFORD (with his high tenor voice) seemed to "own" in PHANTOM OF THE OPERA. Butler's acting added new dimension to the part and now he has his own huge fan base based on his decision to "stretch" and assume a role originally written for a higher male voice.

David HASSELHOFF took a chance because he wanted to "stretch", rather than be remembered solely for his BAYWATCH and other TV roles. I saw him years ago in a Jack the Ripper story made for television and I recognized then that he could do very well in more serious roles.

Summing up: Let's face it, this was NEVER a great musical to begin with, but Hasselhoff does a commendable job in a tricky leading role. I was totally unimpressed by the supporting cast. I found all the other performances just adequate with nobody really standing out nor anyone with a voice worth remarking on. As for the songs, no comment.