Jekyll & Hyde

Jekyll and Hyde has a score by Frank Wildhorn and book and lyrics by the two-time Academy Award-winning lyricist Leslie Bricusse, opened on Broadway on April 28, 1997.

It is a rousing gothic musical based on the classic tale of good and evil.

Murder and chaos run rampant and evil lurks around every corner, but love and virtue put up a strong fight in this engaging thriller.  Dr. Henry Jekyll, pursuing his life-long quest, endeavors to separate the two natures of man. Refused help by his peers and superiors, he begins experiments on himself with his formula. He meets with success, and shocking results.  The evil nature of Dr. Jekyll surfaces as a separate identity: Edward Hyde. Hyde begins murdering the members of the Board of Governors who previously refused assistance to Jekyll’s cause. Meanwhile Jekyll fights in vain to keep his darker half under control.  Caught in the cross-fire of this epic internal struggle are Jekyll’s fiancée, Emma Carew; her father, Sir Danvers; Jekyll’s best friend, John Utterson; and a prostitute named Lucy, who becomes entangled with Hyde.

This show mixes together characters from both ends of the social spectrum, songs and scenes that provide ample chills and thrills, and a main character split between the extremes of morality.

Jekyll & Hyde was originally produced in 1990 at the Houston’s Tony Award-winning Alley Theatre. An instantaneous success with audiences and critics alike, it went on to break box office records, and its original run was extended four times during that first summer. In 1995, the show was remounted by Houston’s Theater Under the Stars and Seattle’s 5th Avenue Theater. A recording of highlights from the first production, which included the hit songs “Someone Like You” and “This Is the Moment” sold more than 150,000 copies to date. In 1994, the complete score was released on a two-CD set which doubled the sales of the earlier “Highlights” CD.  Adding to the show’s momentum, stars such as Liza Minnelli and The Moody Blues soon began to record songs from the show. Finally, on April 28, 1997, Jekyll & Hyde made its Broadway debut at the Plymouth Theatre. Another resounding success, this production was nominated for 4 Tony Awards. Robert Cuccioli (Jekyll/Hyde) won the Drama Desk award for Best Actor in a Musical. And Linda Eder (Lucy) won a 1997 Theater World Award for Outstanding Debut Performer in New York City.