The Grand Rapids Press
Thousands of "Jekkies" have made it their obsession to watch the lavish stage
spectacle of "Jekyll & Hyde" unfold dozens of times or more in all of its
histrionic glory. On Tuesday night, a packed audience at DeVos Hall saw the
cult hit for the first time, and people seemed duly impressed, though perhaps
not as overwhelmed as the musical's ferociously devoted fan base.
Chuck Wagner (Jekyll/Hyde) didn't portray the good and evil character on Broadway, yet it seems unimaginable that anyone else could ever fill the complex character's broad-shouldered costumes. Indeed, Wagner originated the role some 20 years ago and has played it off and on since to wide acclaim. His long running stint as the Beast in "Beauty and the Beast" on Broadway prevented him from resuming the Jekyll/Hyde role earlier.
From the moment he took the stage as the intense Dr. Jekyll, pacing around his mad father, desperate for answers, Wagner is a forceful, magnetic presence. His rich baritone is near perfect as he wraps it around Frank Wildhorn's involved music. As Jekyll, Wagner's pipes deliver a resonant, full-bodied sound, while as the deranged Hyde his voice is purposely strained, gravelly, hysterical.
Wildhorn's music is the subject of intense debate: critics pan it for its over-the-top, swelling peaks while fans warm to its pop sensibility (Wildhorn has penned numerous pop hits, including Whitney Houston's "Where Do Broken Hearts Go?"). Is the music too much? At times, tunes do veer a bit close to becoming Big Huge Pop Songs, and no song is more grandiose that "This is the Moment," a favorite of Miss America contestants. But the emotion in the storyline mostly matches the feelings evoked by the music, which makes it seem more genuine.
As a Broadway touring production, "Jekyll & Hyde" is tricked out with all the bells and whistles of astonishing sets (Jekyll's laboratory is a wonder to behold), sumptuous costumes and a seamless orchestra. But without a great story to back it up, all of the frills would still fall flat. Thankfully, Jekyll and Hyde's story is timeless: The good Dr. Jekyll, a man of integrity and compassion, wants to find a cure for madness, which claimed the mind of his beloved father. When his medical experiment goes awry, Jekyll transforms into Edward Hyde, a creepy, psychopathic serial killer. The kind Jekyll wins the love of two women, his innocent fiancee, Emma Carew (Andrea Rivette), and a victimized prostitute, Lucy (Sharon Brown), but both relationships are jeopardized by his erratic transformations.
Wagner is astonishing in his dual role. As the high-minded visionary doctor, he is a swoon-worthy leading man, but as Jekyll's horrible alter ego, the actor is effectively sick and twisted. The violence picks up steam when Hyde goes on a killing spree of Jack the Ripper proportions, but the horror is offset by great campy touches such as B-movie sound effects (a neck breaking, a throat being slit) and glow-in-the-dark syringes.
Is "Jekyll & Hyde" a sweeping romance, a gothic horror story or a cautionary
tale of the evil that resides even in the hearts of "good" people? Some of
each, actually, blended in a visual and aural feast for the senses. The key
is to see the humor in some of the overinflated moments, to enjoy the music
for what it is and especially to get caught up early in the high emotional
stakes of this classic tale of good vs. evil.
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