Notable songs for Coleen Sexton and Andrea Rivette (as good girl Lucy and bad girl Emma, respectively) include "Someone Like You," "Once Upon a Dream," and the duet "In His Eyes." Hasselhoff cuts an imposing figure but is somewhat unsteady in such anthems as "This Is the Moment," which are tailor-made for big voices (for example, Linda Eder, Wildhorn's wife and the creator of the Lucy role). --David Horiuchi

Product Description
The longest-running show in the history of Broadway's Plymouth Theatre Jekyll & Hyde: The Musical brings new life to Robert Louis Stevenson's classic story of romance and the epic battle between good and evil. A whirlwind odyssey pitting man against himself is set in motion when the brilliant Dr. Jekyll's medical experiment backfires giving life to his evil alter ego Edward Hyde. The show won a legion of repeat visitors (dubbed by the press as "Jekkies") and spawned hit songs on the pop charts with "Someone Like You" and "This Is the Moment."System Requirements:Running Time: 134 minutesFormat: DVD MOVIE Genre: MUSICALS/MUSICALS Rating: NR UPC: 014381362626 Manufacturer No: ID3626WRDVD

Although critics admired several of the performers, they did not admire the show itself, and audience reaction was very mixed. Canny marketing and hardcore fans kept the doors open, but by 2001 the situation became acute, and television star and pop singer David Hasselhoff was cast in a last ditch effort to stem the tide.

Many of the show's fans complain that Hasselhoff killed the play, which closed not long after this 2001 cable-television version captured his performance. At the time, Hasselhoff had little stage experience, and his weakness shows. But for all Hasselhoff's awkwardness (which is now and then unintentionally hilarious), the real problem with the show was the show itself.

JEKYLL & HYDE is certainly one of the most derivative shows in recent memory, and Wildhorn borrows so liberally from other musicals that it's a wonder he wasn't sued. The show's opening sounds remarkably like the opening of LES MISERABLES; "Facade" might have been lifted directly from PHANTOM OF THE OPERA; "In His Eyes" is akin to a watered down "I Know Him So Well" from CHESS.

In each case, Wildhorn also waters down the musical ideas he has borrowed, and the result is light pop pure and simple. Indeed, the show's centerpiece, "This Is The Moment," sounds exactly like the sort of thing Debbie Boone might have recorded twenty years ago. Nor is there any salvation in the lyrics, which range from tepid to flatly misguided, or the script, which is remarkably unimaginative.

Not only do the musical, lyrical, and script ideas argue with each other, they argue with the visual style of the show itself. It seems very strange to hear something that sounds very much like 1980s American pop music and contemporary slang emerge from men in frocktail coats and women wearing bustles. The show looks quite a bit like an up-side SWEENY TODD, but it sounds very much like something your local high school might do. It's all very awkward.

The supporting cast is quite good here, but they're fighting an uphill battle against both Hasselhoff and the show itself, and the only surprising thing about JEKYLL & HYDE is that it lasted on the stage for as long as it did. Unless you're a diehard fan of either Hasselhoff or the show itself, you'd really do better to purchase a cast recording from one of the many shows it mimics than bother with this DVD. Two stars for the production values and the supporting cast, but that's all.

GFT, Amazon Reviewer


Please Forgive Me--I've Got To Recommend This, Even With Hoff   October 8, 2006
 18 out of 22 found this review helpful

I'm suspecting that there are two types of people who are approaching this DVD, a filmed version of the stage production of "Jekyll & Hyde". One, someone familiar with the show--perhaps saw it and liked it or has the soundtrack--and wants to check out this variation. Or two, someone discovering it anew. It tempts me to write two reviews because while I love "Jekyll & Hyde", it's slightly unfortunate that this is the production most people will get a chance to judge.

So let me preface this by saying that I really am a fan of this show. Some people consider "Jekyll" sort of a "Phantom-lite". I, myself, have never been the biggest supporter of "Phantom of the Opera". It's fine, full of bombast, but hardly the revolutionary experience that people give it credit for. "Jekyll" does play to similar themes, but has a stronger overall soundtrack. Instead of a couple of showstoppers like "Phantom", "Jekyll" is filled with memorable power ballads. Not the most complicated show musically, it is very accessible. And when you have great singers, these simpler and emotionally charged songs become pop opera and quite moving.

So, without hesitation, I recommend the original Broadway Cast recording!!! Robert Cuccioli, Linda Eder and Christiane Noll are superb. You couldn't hope for better.

But here's the problem with this DVD, it's not this great cast--NO, the star is David Hasselhoff. So you see my problem, don't you? Look, I'm not going to be unkind--it's an easy target. Let's just say this. If you're a fan of the show, he doesn't completely ruin it. And it's not like there are any other versions to add to your collections. If you are new to the show, I'm still recommending it provisionally. I wish there were another option. If you like the show, though--and I think you will--please rush over and buy the 1997 Cast recording. Treat yourself to how "Jekyll & Hyde" should really sound. KGHarris, 10/06.


Polar opposites?   October 3, 2001
 15 out of 21 found this review helpful

Perhaps it's fitting that for the musical "Jekyll & Hyde", which concerns itself with the duality of man, that the quality of the production is at times superb, and at times atrocious.

This is, without a doubt, the most well-filmed Broadway stage musical I have ever seen. It also contains some of the poorest performance as well. Unfortunately, "10 high-definition cameras" cannot make up for the fact that David Hasselhoff is lousy in the title role. His singing is weak, his acting is weaker. This is the man who was responsible for closing the show's New York run; what more need be said?

It's too bad the producers of this DVD didn't choose to film the cast which toured the US two years ago. Not only did that cast feature the superb Chuck Wagner as the title characters, but it was far more well staged. It also included songs that had previously been cut from the Broadway incarnation; "I Need to Know", "Bring on the Men", and others.

As this DVD stands, it is all too obviously a last-ditch moneymaking scheme by the producers of the show, which closed shortly after this was filmed. Good production values, good supporting cast; but 85% of the time, the stage is occupied by Hasselhoff. Which means that 85% of the time, I'm thinking about turning the volume down and listening to either Anthony Warlow or Bob Cuccioli instead.


GREAT PRODUCTION with a horrible star   September 21, 2001
 11 out of 15 found this review helpful

Whoever cast David Hasselhoff in the lead role(s) of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde is single-handedly responsible for the death of this show on Broadway. That said, let's set about analyzing the VHS/DVD immortalization of this spectacular show.

The best thing about this production is the supporting roles. Both Coleen Sexton and Andrea Rivette (as Jekyll/Hyde's love interests Lucy and Emma, respectively) dazzle in their parts, no small feat considering that their material is in maddeningly short supply. It is therefore to Ms. Sexton's credit that within five songs and as many short scenes, she creates a fully realized character and does so with amazing aplomb (think a curious cross between Eliza Dolittle and Christina Aguileria). Ms. Rivette, too, does wonderful work with her material, which is even more scant than Ms. Sexton's, and her beautiful soprano voice is worthy of much praise.

The ensemble is simply stunning as well; the chorus members are able to fill the stage with menace and foreboding using only body language, yet they never upstage or overshadow the foreground action. George Merrit, Barry Ingham, Martin Van Treuren and Corinne Melancon, all hold-overs from the original 1997 Broadway cast, are all extraordinary, all clearly at ease with their material, but never give the impression that they are bored with it.

Hasselhoff is in way over his head here. I understand that he hasn't done musical theatre before. It shows. His voice is thin and weak; the vocal range required for this role simply escapes him. When he does sing, he whips through songs at such a blinding pace that one gets the impression that he is racing the orchestra to the end of the show. There are times when the orchestra literally skipped measures and beats just to catch up with him. That's bad singing, folks, and there is no excuse for that in this situation, with a show so totally built around a single role. Admittedly, I'm no fan of Hasselhoff otherwise, but my heart sank when, during the trailer, he smirked into the camera and said "It's no day at the beach," an obvious reference to his Baywatch fame. Is this what this wonderfully devious musical has come to?

All in all, this DVD is worth the price of admission, if only to see the wonderful performances of everyone except the lead as well as the truly amazing sets, costumes and lights, which are all very reminiscent of that OTHER creepy Gothic thriller musical-Sweeney Todd. Buy it today!


Balanced cast sells this JEKYLL & HYDE   September 24, 2001
 11 out of 13 found this review helpful

Much has been made of the fact that TV star David Hasselhoff was playing the title roles in JEKYLL AND HYDE, the hit Broadway musical based on the classic horror story of the doctor who brings out his evil self through the use of chemicals. Some critics thought he was a lightweight and a stiff pretty boy, however they seem a little off the mark on this one. Aside from the occasionally odd pop-stylings in his singing and a touch of hamminess as Hyde, Hasselhoff does a fairly solid job. He holds his own quite nicely in what, despite his top billing, turns out to be a well-balanced production. Opera singer George Merritt is quite sympathetic as Jekyll's friend and lawyer, Utterson, although he doesn't get to show off his voice much in mainly a character role. Barrie Ingham provides warmth as Sir Danvers Carew, while Andrea Rivette is a winsome Emily. While not on a par as Linda Eder, who created the role, Coleen Sexton makes a sexy turn as the ill-fated Lucy. The rest of the cast is just as solid, handling their songs with skill. The 10 camera set-up does a wonderful job of bringing the production up close, as well showing off some of the fast-paced staging. Robert Louis Stevenson's classic story is not your typical plotline for musical theatre, but JEKYLL AND HYDE is a fairly successful attempt, and a top-notch DVD capture of a Broadway show. Definitely recommended for fans of the musical.