Jekyll & Hyde: The Musical

When I first found this movie in the 2/$5 bin at my local Wal-Mart I thought it looked cheesy enough to pay 2.50 for... then I saw David Hasslehoff and had to buy it. I fully expected a terrible film that I would struggle through the first 30 minutes of and then shut it off, but at least I could say I tried. In truth I did find the first of it kind of hokey, but that's because the acting is performed in the style of the theatre. Everything is meant to be projected to the back rows. Even with this in mind Hasslehoff's facial expressions as Hyde were a bit cheese at some point, but his overall performance was good. Coleen Sexton's performance was amazing all around as she is not only stunning, but has an amazing voice. In general I found some of the song lyrics in the play came across as rather forced (on account of the writers, not the singers) but the entire experience remains quite enjoyable. I highly recommend the 2.50. :D (or maybe even a bit more)

First let me say that I absolutely love the musical. The one I saw on B'way, starring Robert Evans (he was actually the understudy to Cuccioli at the time), Linda Eder, and Christiane Noll. I've seen many a B'way show, but was unprepared for this one. Absolutely blew me away........

I own the Hasselhoff version only because I'm a sucker for anything connected with the show. But Hasselhoff is, well, just dreadful. And I like the guy. Hey, he tries, but he just can't pull it off. Like I said, no wonder the show closed while he was, for lack of a better word, 'starring' in it. Coleen Sexton and Andrea Rivette do a nice job, but they are no Eder/Noll. But again, they are fine.

This version deserves MAYBE 4 stars. One for the concept, two for Sexton and Rivette, and one because I'm in a good mood having just listened to the The Complete Work for the gazzillionth time - Carolee Carmello does a great Lisa, Eder is, well, what can I say about someone who has one of the greatest voices ever recorded, and Anthony Warlow is just astonishing - would love to see him do it live........

David should have stayed on the beach..............

OK, so David Hasselhof was not the best choice for the role, but they have to make money right? There was someone who once played the Jekyll/Hyde role perfect his name was Anthony Warlow and he is an Australian musical theatre actor. I don't know if he actually ever played it on stage but he recorded the first double cd of jekyll & hyde and he was amazing! He makes Hasselhof look like a community theatre actor. Anyway, this show is worth listening through his goat vibrato and awkward stage presence if only to hear Coleen Sexton. She plays Lucy and she is incredible! Her voice is the best musical theatre has heard in years, she is a convincing actress and she is amazingly beautiful. So, check this show out for her not some beach bum.

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.

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.