By ALAN SMASON, WYES-TV Theatre Critic (“Steppin’ Out“)
Talk about hitting it out of the ballpark. With the Fall Classic being played out in arenas in Los Angeles and in New York, it’s easy to conflate a baseball metaphor with a description for a local hit show. But the Jefferson Performing Arts’ (JPA) latest production of Jekyll & Hyde is all that and more.
Anyone who misses this (unfortunately) final weekend for this spectacular show will regret having wasted time on watching baseball and with the hometown gridiron heroes – the Saints – suffering a sixth straight loss, pro football should absolutely take a back seat, too.
Ken Goode, who scored big in July with his directorial premiere in Summer Lyric Theatre at Tulane’s Anything Goes, proves his market value has shot up appreciably with his final vision for this dark musical written by Frank Wildhorn with a book and lyrics by Leslie Bricusse (“Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory” and Stop the World {I Want To Get Off}).
There is no doubt that Goode, who is a talented performer himself, has found his true calling as a director and the result of what was an initial obsession to stage this work for more than a decade has turned into a gigantic hit for JPA.
Unfortunately, the low number of tickets sold for this fantastic story first made famous in a “penny dreadful” novella by Robert Louis Stevenson is shocking. Word of mouth alone should make a ticket to this musical ever more difficult to achieve. Attention must be paid to this incredible production, the follow-up to their successful School of Rock also at the Jefferson Performing Arts Center last month.
As it is, the story is being presented during the week of Halloween, which is by no accident. But, this musical – which launched the career of legendary singer Linda Eder – is perfect to be viewed at any other time of the year. It is about the quest by Dr. Henry Jekyll to unleash the potential for ultimate goodness by keeping his baser instincts in check and the resultant terror of a man’s darker nature overtaking and ruining him.
In the reimagined book by Bricusse, Dr. Jekyll is a respected young member of London’s medical community. He calls upon the established medical society to permit him to experiment on a human being in what he believes will be a breakthrough in which he will unleash the full potential for good in man. When they reject his proposal, he becomes obsessive about his experiments and, in an ill-advised decision, he elects to use the formula on himself. What he unleashes in the process is a dangerous criminal, who can only be kept in check by using more of the formula. Eventually, though, Mr Hyde emerges without the formula and Jekyll loses his focus and eventually all that he loves in the process.
To tackle the role of Dr. Jekyll and his dangerous alter ego Mr. Hyde, Goode cast Tyler Walls, a barrel chested tenor, who makes his JPA debut with this role. Hailing from Kansas City, Walls is quite familiar with the work and considers this an opportunity for him to show off his gifted pipes and great acting chops.
Walls looms large over the stage and from the very first scene in the musical, he brings the audience into the somewhat naïve world view of man possessing an innate capacity for goodness as he tends to his dying father. If only he could separate the good from the bad, he might be able to usher in an era where man could fulfil his great potential.
His “I Need to Know” sets the tone for his journey into the inner recesses of man’s psychological nature as he begins to explore through his scientific method a way to separate the bad from the good. Of course, what he fails to understand is that inherent in the bad is the spark that brings joy in many of life’s pursuits including seduction and sexual combustion.
Dr. Jekyll seeks marriage with Emma Carew, played by the gifted Monique Abry Knoepfler, the daughter of his colleague Sir Danvers Carew (Wayne Gonsoulin), a member of the medical society that forbids the doctor from engaging in human experimentation, which leads to his decision to self-administer the serum.
Her duet with Walls in “Take Me As I Am” is quite exciting as both singers complement each other with the lush orchestrations by Kim Scharnberg and arrangements by Jason Howland. Music director Ken Leach is well served by maestro and conductor Dennis Assaf in this fantastic number that should be all that the good doctor and his intended would ever need.
But soon we see Jekyll is troubled by a life that seems somewhat predictable. He is drawn to the seamy underbelly of London and the performers he sees perform at a bawdy nightclub filled with bawdy women and harlots. It’s hardly respectable for a good doctor, but certainly understandable for someone attempting to sew his last few wild oats before assuming a mundane life as a pillar of London society.
It is here where he initially espies Lucy Harris, a beautiful and desirable women of questionable virtue, who we learn is a victim of circumstance looking for a way out. The lovely and talented Stephanie Abry portrays Lucy. She also has a magnificent voice that she uses to great effect at first in the fabulous number “Bring On the Men,” a cabaret number that is sultry and sexy, but points out her wantonness. She appeals to Jekyll’s darker side, which will turn out to be a factor once the character of Mr. Hyde is introduced.
In an unusual bit of casting, Abry and Knoepfler are sisters-in-law and enjoy a sensational duet of “In His Eyes” in which Emma and Lucy express their love and desire for both Dr. Henry Jekyll and the evil Mr. Hyde, unleashed by his formula.
Walls enjoys a solo number that foretells of his desire to take this very big chance in “‘This Is the Moment,” one of the best selections in this two act, two hour and 50-minute musical. Once Jekyll goes down the dark path, the character of Mr. Hyde emerges, eventually bringing death and destruction to most of Henry’s friends and loved ones. Ultimately, Hyde leads to the downfall of Dr. Jekyll, but not without his trusted friend and solicitor Gabriel John Utterson (Michael John Smith) becoming involved.
Smith plays a pivotal role in the musical, Dr. Jekyll’s most dedicated friend and advisor. Smith continues to impress with his rich voice, which seems to have become stronger as he has performed in ever-more demanding roles in recent productions for JPA and Rivertown Theaters.
The second act highlights include Lucy’s plaintive solo “A New Life” in which she looks to a way out and Jekyll and Hyde’s “The Confrontation,” a tour-de-force for Walls as the two alter egos clash in a final battle. These two numbers are not to be missed.
There are a number of other talented members of the cast including Paul Bello (Lord Savage), Lalanya Gunn (Lady Beaconsfield), Luke Sirinides (Simon Stride), Ty Robbins (Bissett the Apothecar) and Barry James Acosta (Sir Archibald Proops), who all turn out to be Mr. Hyde’s victims in retribution for their turning down Dr. Jekyll’s request to perform experiments on humans.
Peter Gabb plays Poole the butler, while Andrew Butler plays Spyder the Pimp, the man who brutalizes and keeps Lucy in check by abusing her.
Sasha Munchak, Danny Rubio, Virginia Borne, Nathan Parrish, Ti Zampino, Gabriells Santalla, Ryan Kelly Moore and Zane Syjansky constitute the large ensemble. All are called upon in several of the larger scenes, expected to sing or dance on a moment’s notice. Maggie Jaunet serves as choreographer in this production.
As always, the orchestra fills the auditorium with sumptuous sounds and treats the audience to the best of what a Broadway show should possess. The costumes by Antoinette de Alteris continue to impress as among the best renderings in the area. She and her assistant, Heidi Bayer, are to be congratulated for making gothic seem so very fresh with their colorful and accurate designs.
Directed by Ken Goode, Jekyll & Hyde (2 hours and 50 minutes) with music by Frank Wildhorn and book and lyrics by Leslie Bricusse finishes its run at the Jefferson Performing Arts Center, 6400 Airline Drive in Metairie, Louisiana this weekend (Fri., Nov. 1 -2 at 7:30 p.m. and Sun., Nov. 3 at 2 p.m.) For tickets, call 504-885-2000 or click here.
