Kyle Dean Massey challenges split personality in 'Jekyll and Hyde'
Kyle Dean Massey, playing the titular role in Frank Wildhorn musical “Jekyll and Hyde” in Seoul, speaks during an interview with The Korea Times at Bookpark in Blue Square on March 22. / Korea Times photo by Choi Won-suk
By Kwon Mee-yoo
Broadway actor Kyle Dean Massey wears two faces every night in Seoul, portraying the gentle doctor Jekyll and the aggressive Hyde in the musical "Jekyll and Hyde" staged at Blue Square in Seoul.
The musical, with the music of Frank Wildhorn, is enjoying unprecedented popularity in Korea and the producer Shin Chun-soo aims to re-export the Korean production to the world. As a first step, Shin revamped the Korean production with an upgraded set and costumes capturing the sophisticated yet dark atmosphere of the Victorian era.
The icing on the cake of the production is Massey, who is known for playing Fiyero in "Wicked," Gabe in "Next to Normal" and Pippin in "Pippin" on Broadway. His boyish charm suited those characters, but the 35-year-old actor wanted to challenge himself.
When approached by the production to play the titular dual role, Massey did think about the offer for a while.
"This was very different from what I did before. But that's actually what ended up making me want to do the role. Because it was so different," the actor said. "Also as I'm getting a little older, this role is a bit more mature than the roles I played before. And I'm interested in moving toward that direction, away from those boyish roles."
Massey arrived in Korea in early February and rehearsed with the current cast who were already playing in other Korean cities before its Seoul run started on March 8. "I rehearsed for a week in Gyeongju, a week in Gwangju and about a week and half here in Seoul,” he said, mentioning three and a half week is a luxurious amount.
As he went into a show that was already playing as he has done throughout his career, Massey said he has a specific method to rehearse.
"I like to learn and memorize as quickly as I can, because until you do that it is very difficult to make creative choices. And luckily when it's only you and the director in the rehearsal room, you are able to go at whatever speed you want. I think I learned the show pretty quickly and then was able to refine things from there when I joined the cast."
The musical, based on the 1886 novella by Robert Louis Stevenson, portrays the struggle between the dual personalities of Jekyll and Hyde, who is created as a result of Jekyll's medical experiments. Massey's Jekyll is devoted to his professional goal while being romantic and gentle with his fiancee Emma.
"When I approach a character, the first thing I think about is what does this character want in life. When you think about characters like Fiyero and Pippin, they have juvenile wants and are self-centered in many ways. Dr. Jekyll concerns himself about mankind, helping his father and finding a cure. He has a more mature idea of his purpose in the world, which I think is a normal thing anybody goes through in life. We all go through those phases. Initially everything is very much about you and then at a certain moment it shifts when you reach another area of your life,” Massey said.
Kyle Dean Massey as Dr. Jekyll in a scene from the musical "Jekyll and Hyde" staged at the Blue Square in Hannam-dong, Seoul / Courtesy of OD Musical Company
He also separates Jekyll from Hyde by their different desires. For Massey, Jekyll is a truly altruistic person who wants the best for his fiancee, his father and for his profession.
"Jekyll is trying to change the world for the betterment of all kind as his actual words say. Hyde, however, is not interested in those things. He is interested in himself and all he wants are pleasures and things that make him feel free and alive, including killing people for enjoyment."
Another key in acting is exploring the connection between the characters. "I always focus on the relationships in the show. Jekyll's relationship with each character is very different from that of Hyde’s. I can relate that to the relationships in my life and how I act differently toward each person, making the character real," he said.
In this show, the character has a split personality and Jekyll and Hyde also builds a relationship. While preparing for the role, Massey went through the original novella to find a clue about the relations between the characters and his interpretation of the unique relationship between the dual personalities is rather intriguing.
"Jekyll regards Hyde almost like a son. And Hyde regards Jekyll like a teenager might regard his father ― very dismissive, doesn't think about him at all. But the father always worries about his son asking where he is and what he is up to," Massey said. "The song 'Streak of Madness' touches this idea where Jekyll sings, I can't stand this evil and carnal person who I want to eradicate from this world, and yet I care about him. It is a very strange relationship."
Massey began his career as a stage actor and now appears on television shows as well, but he finds doing eight shows a week suits him and the repetition makes him even better.
"I like getting to work on the same story over and over and over again. It makes me feel that I can make it better every time. And I think I do," the actor said. "I try to improve upon every show and each of them gets a little better. That does suit me."
He said there is a moment in every single show that hits him about something he didn't realize before. "Last night, it was when Lucy was in rags and I won't be able to explain the exact moment. But when I get to that part tonight, I'll be able to do it again, and the reaction will make more sense to me."
Those small alterations are added up over weeks and weeks and make the character more layered and interesting. "I want to perfect the role as best as I can. I hope that I can tell the story in a more clear and concise way."