Reviewed by Tony Annicone
Bill Hanney’s North Shore Music Theatre’s latest show is the blockbuster musical “Jekyll and Hyde which is adapted from the 1886 novella “The Strange Case of “Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde” by Robert Louis Stevenson. The original stage conception was by Steve Cuden and Frank Wildhorn with music by Wildhorn and lyrics by Leslie Bricusse. The musical ran on Broadway for 1,543 performances from April 28, 1997 to January 7, 2001. It tells the story of Dr. Henry Jekyll, a brilliant young doctor who is distraught over his father’s mental illness. He tries to find a cure by using himself as a test subject but the experiment backfires and gives life to his evil alter ego, Edward Hyde, a vile murderer who brings a killing spree to the city of London in the late nineteenth century. This epic musical’s not done very often but NSMT brings the original star of the musical Robert Cuccioli in to direct this phenomenal production with a multitalented 22 member cast. This production also boosts expert musical direction by Milton Granger and stunning, energetic choreography by Kelli Barclay to induce the 1500 seat theatre to erupt into a spontaneous standing ovation at the curtain call. Their combined expertise makes “Jekyll and Hyde” the must see musical of this autumn season.
Robert casts each role perfectly and moves the cast around the stage and the whole theatre excellently. Having played the leading role on Broadway, he knows the show inside and out and makes the first entrance of Mr. Hyde not only remarkable but extremely impressive and frightening. Robert elicits the pathos needed for this epic tale to show man’s inner struggle between good and evil, leaving the audience on the edge of their seats especially during the murder scenes. Milton plays lead keyboards and conducts an fourteen piece orchestra beautifully and does a superb job teaching the ensemble the solos, duets and quartet numbers. The chorus numbers include the three “Facade” songs and the spine tingling, “Murder, Murder” which are gems. Kelli’s choreography really shines in the show especially in the dance hall scene “Bring on the Men” where the girls try to entice the patrons with their charms and in “Murder, Murder” with the ensemble. Another impressive part of the show is the multitude of gorgeous 1880 Victorian costumes by Kelly Baker. It gives the show the authenticity it needs with the high society and street people garb. The fantastic scenic and lighting design is by Jack Mehler. The pyrotechnics are fabulously executed especially when the Bishop is dispatched to hell by Mr. Hyde. Another scene is when Jekyll destroys his laboratory with fire erupting in it.
The cast is lead by multitalented Constantine Maroulis whom I reviewed as Che in “Evita” last year at NSMT. His voice ranges from a guttural bass as the evil Hyde to a high baritone as Jekyll. His acting in this dual role is incredible and his voice soars to perfection in “This Is The Moment” when he finally decides to use the drugs on himself. Constantine uses facial expressions and writhing on the floor during “The Transformation” sequence. He becomes more scary as Hyde in “Alive” when he attacks Lucy for the first time. Constantine’s most impressive number is “Confrontation” when he changes back and forth from each character with only vocal and lighting changes to clue the audience in on who he is. Red light and messy hair as Hyde and white light as Jekyll. His portrayal blends the tragic qualities of a Dickens character as Jekyll and a Bill Sykes persona as Hyde. His phenomenal rendition of this complex role mesmerizes you and keep you captivated all night long. “Confrontation” is like Jesus and Judas arguing with each other in “Superstar” but in this song it’s Constantine doing both as Jekyll and Hyde.
Diana DeGarmo is stunning and perfect as Lucy. She is a terrific actress and vocalist who plays the tragic prostitute, Lucy who is similar to Nancy in “Oliver Twist.” Lucy loves the wrong man and ends up paying for it in the end. Diana is a fabulous belter who leads the girls in “Bring on the Men” but later shows a mellower voice in her ballads. The lovely ballads are “Sympathy”, Someone Like You” where she soars off the charts and stops the show as she also does in “A New Life” which is an emotional yearning to escape her past. Diana gives Lucy the sympathetic portrayal so the audience can empathize with her plight. Her vocal quality is reminiscent of Frances Ruffelle, the original Eponine in “Les Miserables” on Broadway.
The other woman in Jekyll’s life is his fiancee, Emma, played excellently by Tess Primack. She uses her topnotch lyrical soprano voice in her duets, “Letting Go”, a pretty ballad with her father, “Take Me as I Am” with Jekyll and “In His Eyes”, a gorgeous song with Lucy. My favorite number is Tess’s poignant solo “Once Upon a Dream” where she tries to remind Henry Jekyll what they meant to each other. Her impressive delivery will bring tears to your eyes. The character of Emma is a wonderful counterpoint to the dark underworld people in Hyde’s life. Tess carries it off with the finesse it needs with her acting skills.
The other performers live up to the high standards set forth by the leading players with their acting and singing. Tom Gallantich plays the sympathetic lawyer, Utterson, who tries to convince Jekyll that his dangerous experiments will end tragically while Jim Brochu portrays Sir Danvers Carew, Emma’s kindly father who tries to warn her that Jekyll might not be the right man for her. Tom and Jim’s voices soar in the quartet number “His Work and Nothing More” with Constantine and Tess. The obnoxious board members who become Hyde’s victims because of the way they treat him as Jekyll are marvelously played. Michael Padgett is the cowardly, Lord Savage, William Mulligan as the disgustingly lascivious, Bishop of Basingstoke who procures young prostitutes to satisfy himself, Jeff Williiams as the pompous, windbag General Glossup, Alison England as the rich bitchy, Lady Beaconsfield, Andy Tighe as the snobbish, foppish Sir Archibald Proops and Raymond Jaramilo McLeod as the nasty Simon Stride. Three other performers with strong voices include Michael Padgett doing double duty as Spider, the whoremaster, who is very brutal and menacing, Alison England doing double duty as Nellie, the madam and Jesse Michels as Newsboy who sings the lead in the “Facade” numbers with his strong tenor voice as well as in “Murder, Murder” group song. Kudos to one and all who worked on this epic musical especially impressive is the vocal power and prowess of the musical numbers. So for a magnificent musical masterpiece, be sure to catch “Jekyll and Hyde” at North Shore Music Theatre before the run is completely sold out. Tell them Tony sent you.
JEKYLL AND HYDE (25 September to 7 October)
North Shore Music Theatre, 62 Dunham Road, Beverly, MA
1(978)232-7200 or www.nsmt.org
