Revamped 'Jekyll & Hyde' eyes world stage
Bradley Dean as Jekyll in the new production of musical “Jekyll and Hyde” / Courtesy of OD Musical Company
By Kwon Mee-yoo
DAEGU
Korean's favorite musical “Jekyll & Hyde” returns once again, studded with a Broadway cast this time.
Currently on stage at the Keimyung Art Center in the southern city of Daegu, the new production is being well-received by Korean audiences.
The musical, with music and lyrics by Frank Wildhorn and book by Leslie Bricusse, made its Broadway debut in 1997 and landed in Korea in 2004. Since then, the show has been staged over 1,000 times here, attracting over 1.1 million ticket sales, despite lukewarm reviews from Broadway.
Set in 19th century London, the show revolves around Dr. Jekyll, who believes the good and evil in a person can be separated. In this production jointly produced by Korea's OD Musical Company and Work Light Productions of the U.S., Bradley Dean plays Jekyll and Hyde, Diana DeGarmo as Lucy Harris, a prostitute, and Lindsey Bliven as Emma Carew, Jekyll's fiancee.
Dean effectively contrasts the gentle Jekyll and brutal Hyde and how the character is torn between his split personalities.
He also gets to sing "This is the Moment," probably the most famous musical theater song in Korea. He nearly blew the roof off Keimyung Art Center with his rich and powerful voice. A lengthy and hearty applause from the audience reverberated through the theater after the song and Dean seemed out of character for a moment, enjoying the frenzied applause. Or his Jekyll might have become too excited for his experiment to come, which changed his fate for good.
Still, his first transformation to Hyde after the experiment was impressive, backed by Dean's low, growling voice and slouched posture.
Dean said Jekyll and Hyde is the role he has wanted to play throughout his career, but never had a chance to audition for the dual role.
"When I got the chance, I brought a lot of the desperateness to the room. I'm learning more about each character in every show. It's like having two gardens in my soul, both growing and each character becoming more specific. I don't know how each role continues to evolve in my spirit and I look forward to experiencing something new every night, feeling from the audience what they respond to in creating this beautiful and tortured show," Dean said.
DeGarmo, playing Lucy, said she watched many productions of "Jekyll & Hyde" online and the current production offers a slightly modern take on the show.
"While respecting the time background set in 1885, we know what current audiences want to see," DeGarmo said.
Except for director David Swan, most of the creative team is Korean. The set, designed by Oh Pil-young, beautifully portrays the Victorian streets of London with a diamond-shaped two-story structure. It changes into a stately mansion of Sir Danvers Carew and Emma, then the Red Rat club. The highlight is Jekyll's laboratory, complete with some 1,800 individually lit bottles. The second story represents the upper class of Emma, while the first story symbolizes the riffraff of the lower class.
Lighting designer Lee Woo-hyung did a superb job using light to illuminate the mood and characters. When Jekyll and Hyde fight for control in the song "Confrontation," the light changes color in a twinkle, portraying the fierce battle between the personalities.
Costume design by Cho Moon-soo is basically similar to the previous Korean production, but materials and details have been upgraded, adding more glamour to the Victorian atmosphere of the show.
While the set and costumes were all revamped with many more details, Swan's direction and choreography remain almost the same as the previous Korean production. Swan led the Korean production for over 10 years and has a knack for piling on and relieving the tension of the thriller musical.
However, while straightforward in telling Jekyll and Hyde's agony torn between his two personalities as well as the two female characters Emma and Lucy, Swan's direction is old-fashioned. Most of the scenes change by fading out and then fading in, leaving the audience listening to Wildhorn's score in darkness. If the production really aims to go international, smoother and more natural ideas to transform from scene to scene are required to suit the trend.
"Jekyll and Hyde" will tour Sohyang Theater in Busan from Dec. 31 to Jan. 8, Daejeon Arts Center from Jan. 13 to 15, Cheonan Art Center in South Chungcheong Province from Jan. 20 to 22, Gimhae Arts and Sports Center in South Gyeongsang Province from Feb. 3 to 5, Gyeonggi Arts Center in Suwon, Gyeonggi Province, from Feb. 10 to 12, and Gwangju Culture & Art Center from Feb. 24 to 26.
After local tryouts, the show will arrive in Soul's Blue Square from March 10 to May 21. Broadway heartthrob Kyle Dean Massey will alternate Jekyll and Hyde with Bradley Dean in Seoul. Tickets cost 40,000 won to 150,000 won. For more information, visit interpark.com or call 1588-5212.