Jekyll & Hyde is an interesting musical-- created at the height of the success of the gothic musical Phantom of the Opera it was first "crafted" in a recording studio in an attempt to find backers to put it on as a "real" play.
I don't like musicals-- in fact I find them ridiculous-- two people are in the middle of a conversation and then someone starts singing-- that just doesn't work for me, but I like a handful of musicals. Cabin in the Sky, Anything Goes, Scrooge, um.... Phantom (kinda)? I bought the CD when it first came out and I was blown away by Jekyll because of the vocal range of the lead performer-- and to date in all the other versions I've seen including Broadway with David Hasselhoff (!) no one can even come close.
The other thing about musicals that strikes me is how obsessed some people can become-- take a look at this clippet from an Amazon review:
"I've seen Jekyll & Hyde performed 14 times (between Broadway, National Tours, and a couple of local productions in various cities). I own every recording of the show, and have every song memorized. I say all of this not to brag, or to say that I'm a big fan of the show. I say these things to say that I come into this recording with certain expectations. Those expectations color my review, therefore, for better or for worse."
That kind of thought scares me more than attending the cult like happenings of a catholic mass, the threat of Easter dinner or the idea of a family reunion.
So I've got low expectations for a student production of the musical, but it's a good enough musical to warrant giving it a try.
Tickets HERE, performances tonight thru Saturday.
