Were You There?
June 25, 2004
Jekyll & Hyde in Concert at the Lenape Performing Arts Center

Well, it is the morning after the night before, and I am not yet recovered from being blown away, along with about 1,000 others in the Lenape Performing Arts Center. The premiere performance of Jekyll and Hyde the Concert was last night, and the feeling of euphoria is well and firmly in place.

This is not exactly the same B'way Jekyll and Hyde, and as far as I can see and say, the concept works and works and works. It will leave an indelible mark on you. Many of the original creative team worked on this 'new-old' Jekyll and Hyde. Some songs were refreshed a bit, and some songs that were missing from the Broadway mix were put back into place. Jason Howland was great with the musicians. The orchestrations by Kim Scharnberg, the direction by Greg Boyd, the music by Frank Wildhorn were gloriously still the same, and yet different!

OK, "this is the moment" in this narrative to mention the performers. Lauren Kennedy, Kate Shindle... beauty, presence, personality, and talent! Well, I have a few more shillings on the Kinko's card...anything left to say? Oh, I forgot ROB (like sure, I did)!

Rob was mind-bendingly magnificent! His Jekyll has become more compelling, more needy. Henry Jekyll is full, rich, passionate, bespeaking his feelings, his pain. I cried, some of you will as well. Edward Hyde is raw, rough, naked, bespeaking his evil incarnate. The look, the sound. How to convey it? Rob can! Those of us who saw any of the previous Jekyll versions will not have any trouble with this one except, perhaps, to wonder why it took so long to happen!

Ladies and gentlemen... this is a Concert, not a show. It has some staging that adds to the impact of the performance on your ears, your heart, your psyche! You must see it to believe it, so why don't you? There will be more venues, and they will be posted for you to get there.

The years that have passed since we first heard the music and saw Jekyll and Hyde come to life in the voice of Rob Evan have been incredible in many ways to many of us. Go see him become "them." An evening of Victorian Gothic can't hurt!

Oh, yes, I LOVED it.

Linda Russak