Yikes.
by Snoswanger on 3/15/13Cadillac Palace - ChicagoI had read that the reviews for this when it originally ran on Broadway in the late 90's as well as the reviews for this production's run in L.A. before I bought tickets. These reviews were not good but I decided, given how cheap the tickets were, it would be worth a gamble. I should have listened to the reviews. The book and music for this show are a mess. While it's called "Jekyll & Hyde", the story never really goes into Dr. Jekyll (and ultimately Hyde's) side of things. It's all about how his actions affect others. In doing this, the character development for all the players is lacking and leaves you not really caring about anything that is happening on the stage. The songs, outside of often being hard to understand, were trite and unmemorable. As for the leads (Constantine Maroulis and Deborah Cox), they left much to be desired. Deborah Cox, who sounded amazing, was a victim of poor scripting and songs. I think had the material been better, she would have been a shining star. Maroulis though, was awkward to watch. The transitions from Jekyll to Hyde were silly at best. Every time he opened his mouth to sing he moved like a hen pecking at the ground and sounded very breathy. All in all, I would say, run as fast as you can from Jekyll and Hyde. Theater is too expensive to waste your time on this show when there are so many gems out there.