THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Friday, March 8, 1996 TAG: 9603080064
SECTION: DAILY BREAK PAGE: E9 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: Theater review
SOURCE: BY MAL VINCENT, MOVIE CRITIC
LENGTH: Medium: 95 lines
A TORTURED creature of the night, ostracized by society, sings soaring, romantic songs that shake the rafters - if only Chrysler Hall had rafters. In the end, he sacrifices all in the name of love.
Say, wasn't that the show two months ago at Chrysler Hall? The one that took in more than $6 million at the box office and proved that Hampton Roads is, after all, a sockeroo theater market?
``Jekyll and Hyde: The Musical Thriller'' is a ``Phantom'' wannabe, in both the worst and best of ways.
Like Gaston Leroux's ``Phantom of the Opera,'' Robert Louis Stevenson's ``The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde'' is a Gothic thriller. The two lend themselves to grandiose musical themes - and they get them.
``Jekyll and Hyde,'' complete with songs that are already familiar, makes a stop at Chrysler Hall, through Sunday, on the way to its projected November opening on Broadway. The best thing about it is its musical score, a highly dramatic and melodic group of ballads composed by Frank Wildhorn with lyrics by two-time Oscar winner Leslie Bricusse.
By all means, buy the two-disc album that contains all the music (with remarkable leading lady Linda Eder, but not the stage leading man). The music, including ``This is the Moment'' and ``A New Life'' is one of the best scores for a musical drama in years.
If you want to see just how all these glorious songs fit into ``Jekyll and Hyde,'' you'll get a better idea by coming along to see the show. It won't be a completely clear idea, though, because, actually, several of the songs simply don't fit. This hummable score doesn't effectively dramatize the plot, but then, it is no more far-fetched than a singing Jean Valjean in ``Les Miserables'' or happy little singing orphans in a musical adaptation of Dickens' ``Oliver Twist.''
``Jekyll and Hyde'' is staged on a largely bare stage, framed by a metallic grid walkway that suggests the coming machine age rather than Stevenson's Victorian setting. The lighting, which is somewhat predictable, is provided by a huge amount of equipment hanging from the ceiling, giving the proceedings a rock concert look. This, as it turns out, isn't far from reality. The score is relentlessly contemporary.
Even with all the other ultra-simple opera-like hits already around, there is still something vaguely ridiculous about Dr. Jekyll (the good guy) singing ``This is the Moment'' as he's about to gulp down the kickapoo joy juice that will turn him into an evil devil. The song is more appropriate for the Super Bowl, or for Olympic ice skaters, which is where most of us have heard it.
The two lead performers add a wonderful reason to see this show now, before they become major stars. Robert Cuccioli is an athletic and darkly handsome force as both the scientist Dr. Jekyll and his terrifying alter-ego, Mr. Hyde. He leaps over his laboratory equipment as he hits a high note - a feat to be envied. He has a fine baritone voice and he handles the score with seeming ease.
He is required, on stage and with no makeup aids, to make the transformation. Uncannily, he pulls it off. He merely lets down his hair (from the pony tail worn in his ``nice'' moments) and takes on a scowl. Surprisingly, it works.
The much-publicized voice of Linda Eder, who has the role of Lucy, a prostitute eventually coveted by both alter-egos, is not disappointing. She articulates her phrasing with a bell-like clarity and then soars to beautiful heights. She never strains her range beyond its capability, which, after all, is quite enough. Often identified as ``the new Streisand,'' one can see how the lamentable identification came to be. Her phrasing is much the same (and her voice is, in all truth, just as good).
Eder, though, is not yet an actress. Even in the rather unsubtle part, she is always too contemporary and too self-conscious. She's better at suggesting strength than she is vulnerability, which makes Lucy a rather urbane being.
Her costumes, too, are a detriment. The endless parade of multi-shaded bustiers keep reminding us that she's a prostitute. Did she go shopping with Madonna and splurge?
The throw-away third lead is Christiane Noll as the aristocratic fiancee, the nice girl. She has a nice-enough soprano voice but is in a role that is never developed.
The show will close down after the present tour and go into new rehearsals prior to its Boston try-out, leading to the Broadway opening in November. It is clear that certain adjustments need to be done. The costuming needs to be rethought. (Grotesque is not really the same thing as Victorian). The sets need to be completely redesigned. (A more realistic approach to the Victorian era would offset the rock-show look and help us to accept the contemporary songs.) Dance needs to be added. (The one dance number is a rather needlessly vulgar lead-in to the ``Bring in the Men'' number).
With these changes, Broadway success is within its grasp. Definitely the amazing Eder and the intense Cuccioli should be kept.
They must also keep this bombastic, lovely score - music with so many mountaintops that we sometimes yearn for a valley.
If you want just the power of the plot, get thee to a library. But if you want to hear a glorious new score, and see it staged in its early development, this one should be caught.
All the basic ingredients of a Broadway hit are here. They merely need to be honed. by CNB