Everyone knows that Los Angeles is the capital of the motion picture industry. But even residents are not aware that LA is also a theater town: The Theater Cooperative of Los Angeles lists over 100 theaters in L.A. County alone.
You may recall that I dragged my husband last month to a production of Shakespeare at Theatricum Botanicum. He enjoyed the novelty of seeing a live performance... but the Shakespeare left him cold. So I was a bit afraid of his reaction to the play we caught this weekend: a musical version of Jekyll and Hyde, performed by a local troupe called the DOMA Theatre Company.
"Is this going to be in English?" he asked. I sighed. Of course, Shakespeare wrote in English -- just not its modern form.
"Robert Louis Stevenson was 19th century, so it should be close enough," I told him. The house lights went down, and the show began... with a song. The program listed a LOT of songs, which might not bode well. When we saw Wicked several years ago, he fell asleep.
But that was before Glee, which has turned my husband into a show tune fan. And at intermission, he leaned over to me and whispered, "This is GREAT!"
And you know what? It WAS.
From the sets -- to the music -- the acting -- the singing -- and dancing... Jekyll and Hyde is a first-rate production that rivals any of the big shows I've seen at the Pantages and Ahmanson. The only difference is that it is being staged at the 99-seat MET Theatre, which means you don't have to bring binoculars to see the actors' faces. In fact, we were so close to the action that I could clearly see the color of the performers' eyes.
I was surprised to learn that the book and lyrics for Jekyll and Hyde were by Leslie Bricusse (who could probably retire on the royalties from such 60's Broadway and movie classics as What Kind of Fool Am I? and Goldfinger). The show premiered at the off-Broadway Alley Theater in 1990 and productions were mounted around the country over the next several years. It debuted in a lavish Broadway production in 1997 and ran for four years, receiving four Tony nominations.
Chris Kerrigan stars in the title role of Dr. Henry Jekyll, and at first, I wasn't sure he could carry it. His singing was good -- but he played Jekyll as such a dull, self-righteous prig that I found myself siding with the hospital board that voted against allowing him to engage in his experiments to cure mental illness...
...and then, he drank his own potion and transformed himself -- without makeup or tricks -- into Edward Hyde. And despite Hyde's murderous nature, he imbued the character with enough humanity to make me almost root for him. I concluded that Jekyll actually was something of a prig -- and Hyde's euphoria and passion made him likeable. (I'm not sure what this says about ME.) Kerrigan turned out to be a force as he seamlessly switched between the dual characters, dull good and exciting evil.
Of course, Kerrigan isn't carrying the show all by himself. He shares the small stage with 25 other singing-dancing-acting performers -- including a couple of women:
Amber Gildersleeve is Emma: Henry Jekyll's sweet-natured fiancee (and the daughter of his boss at the hospital). She is something of a 20th-century woman; her voice may be a delicate soprano, but there's a steeliness to her character. She knows what she wants and she goes for it. (Unfortunately, it's Dr. Henry Jekyll, whom she loves and trusts completely.)
But there is another woman: the prostitute Lucy, portrayed by Cassandra Nuss in a song and dance sequence that recalls Kander and Ebb and Bob Fosse. Jekyll meets Lucy in a pub in a shady part of town, and although he remains faithful to Emma, there's enough of a spark to make Lucy think she has a chance...
... which comes to fruition when Dr. Jekyll turns into Mr. Hyde, who harbors an unhealthy and painful obsession with her.
Of course, it all ends very badly -- which you already know. The important thing is that the show was so entertaining, it left us with a taste for more. And at ticket prices of under $40 ($10 for students with ID), this is something we can afford to do (more often than seeing something at the Pantages or the Kodak - er, Dolby Theater). Plus we get tp support Los Angeles' large population of professional actors/singers/musicians/dancers. It's a win-win-win.
Jekyll and Hyde is playing a limited engagement at the MET Theatre, 1089 N. Oxford Ave., Los Angeles CA. Friday and Saturday nights and Sunday afternoons through July 29th. Ticket information on the DOMA website here.
My husband and I were comped tickets for this review.
OOOOHHH! How fun!! I really enjoy the theatre experience and show tunes so much more than the movies. I especially love the smaller performances. We have many local theatres in Orange County and I love their creativity and talent. I wish I could see more!
I'm glad you two had a fun time!
Posted by: Elle @SeeMomWorkBlog | July 12, 2012 at 02:20 PM
I love theatre performances! I'm glad you both had a good time - the play sounds very good!
Posted by: Elle @SeeMomWorkBlog | July 12, 2012 at 02:26 PM
Thanks for sharing this, we have never heard of the MET Theatre. It is so fun to watch live actors on stage, especially in a more intimate setting. Looking forward to looking into the DOMA Theatre Company.
Posted by: Disney Sisters | July 12, 2012 at 02:33 PM
The MET apparently has a long and illustrious history: http://www.theatreinla.com/theatredetail.php?theatreID=107
Posted by: Donna | July 12, 2012 at 02:56 PM
Looks &sounds like it was an amazing night! The last musical I went to was Wicked & my husband and I both LOVED it! We need to start seeing more live plays and musicals! They are really amazing!
Posted by: Jessica New Fuselier | July 12, 2012 at 04:44 PM
This looks like a great show!! I can't wait to get tickets!!
Posted by: Shelby Barone | July 12, 2012 at 06:19 PM