UPCOMING BROADWAY MUSICALS

SPRING, 2013

CINDERELLA
Preview: 1/25/2013
Opens: 3/3/2013
Theatre: Broadway
Cast: Laura Osnes, Santino Fontana, Victoria Clart, Harriet Harris, Marla Mindelle, Greg Hildreth, Peter Bartlett
Description: The classic fairy tale is making its Broadway debut! Under the direction of Mark Brokaw, this beloved Rodgers and Hammerstein musical has been re-imagined by book-writer Douglas Carter Beane. 

HANDS ON A HARDBODY
Preview: 2/23/2013
Opens: 3/21/2013
Theatre: Brooks Atkinson
Cast: Keith Carradine, Hunter Foster, Mary Gordon Murray, Jay Armstrong Johnson, David Larsen, Allison Case
Description: Based on the 1997 documentary, this show tells the story of ten Texans who are competing for a brand new hardbody truck. The contestant who keeps his or her hand on the truck the longest wins the prize and a chance at living the American Dream. 

MATILDA
Preview: 3/4/2013
Opens: 4/11/2013
Theatre: Shubert
Cast: Bailey Ryon, Milly Shapiro, Sophia Gennusa, Oona Laurence, Bertie Carvel, Lauren Ward, Gabriel Ebert, Lesli Margherita
Description: Based on the novel by Roald Dahl and winner of seven Olivier Awards, Matilda is a perceptive, but unfortunate young girl who is mistreated by her parents and the headmaster at her boarding school, but she possesses very special powers... 

KINKY BOOTS
Preview: 3/5/2013
Opens: 4/4/2013
Theatre: Al Hirschfeld
Cast: Stark Sands, Billy Porter, Annaleigh Ashford, Celina Carvajal
Description: Kinky Boots boasts music and lyrics by Cyndi Lauper, book by Harvey Fierstein, and direction/choreography by Jerry Mitchell. Based on a British film of the same name, Charlie Price saves his father’s shoe factory with the help of a drag queen named Lola and some kinky boots. 

MOTOWN
Preview: 3/11/2013
Opens: 4/14/2013
Theatre: Lunt-Fontanne
Cast: Brandon Victor Dixon, Valisia LeKae, Charl Brown, Bryan Terrell Clark
Description: Motown tells the story of music producer Berry Gordy as he discovers the talents of Diana Ross, Michael Jackson, Smokey Robinson, Marvin Gaye, and Stevie Wonder. 

PIPPIN
Preview: 3/23/2013
Opens: 4/25/2013
Theatre: The Music Box
Cast: Patina Miller, Matthew James Thomas, Andrea Martin, Charlotte d’Amboise, Terrence Mann, Rachel Bay Jones
Description: Hailing straight from the American Repertory Theatre in Cambridge, this is the very first Broadway revival of Stephen Schwartz’s musical. A young man named Pippin is on a journey to find meaning his life, and ultimately, he must choose between the ordinary life and a risky chance at greatness. This production boasts circus choreography by Gypsy Snider and is directed by Diane Paulus. 

JEKYLL AND HYDE



Preview: 4/5/2013
Opens: 4/18/2013
Theatre: Marquis
Cast: Constantine Maroulis, Deborah Cox, Teal Wicks
Description: This production will end its national tour with a limited engagement on Broadway. In an effort to cure his father’s mental illness, Dr. Henry Jekyll conducts a controversial experiment on himself, unleashing the evil alternate personality, Mr. Hyde. 

Jekyll & Hyde

National Tour

Providence Performing Arts Center

1/1/13

Last Tuesday evening, I saw the opening performance of Jekyll & Hyde at the Providence Performing Arts Center. The production is currently on a 25-city national tour that will conclude with a Broadway revival at the Richard Rodgers Theatre in April. Based on the novella, Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson, the original production ran on Broadway from 1997 to 2001. Music was written by Frank Wildhorn, lyrics by Wildhorn, Steve Cuden, and Leslie Bricusse, and book by Bricusse. 

Synopsis: Jekyll & Hyde is the story of the brilliant, but obsessive, Dr. Henry Jekyll, who longs to understand why man is both good and evil in order to help his institutionalized father. He proposes to test his theory on a human subject, but to Jekyll’s dismay, his proposal is rejected by the Board of Governors and he is called a “madman”. With the faith and support of his fiance, Emma Carew, Jekyll decides to conduct his experiment on himself. Injecting himself with a potion, he is taken over by his evil personality, a character called Edward Hyde, who goes on a malicious killing spree. And so begins the struggle between the two personalities, or rather, the struggle between good and evil. In the end, Jekyll finally realizes that there is no way to control Hyde, and the only way to prevent further harm is to kill himself. 

Comments: The role of Jekyll/Hyde was played by Constantine Maroulis. Maroulis proves that his talents go far beyond the world of “American Idol”, if he hadn’t already proven that during his Tony-nominated performance in Rock of Ages. He has a soaring tenor voice that is well-suited for this pop-rock score. He alternates from the thoughtful, reserved Jekyll to the vile, maleficent Hyde with ease and clarity. He is very well-cast in this role. 

As Lucy, Deborah Cox is given some of the best songs in Wildhorn’s score; “Bring on the Men”, “Sympathy, Tenderness”, “Someone Like You”, and “In His Eyes”, a duet with Emma, and I thought she did these songs justice. She has a strong belt and her voice has a modern sound rather than the traditional Broadway belt, but this seemed to work for the role. Her singing was one of the most enjoyable things about the show. Her acting was solid and I really enjoyed her scenes with Jekyll. 

Teal Wicks played Emma Carew, and she was outstanding. On Broadway, she was most recently seen in Wicked as Elphaba, and it was delightful to see her portray another strong, yet completely different type of character. Her singing voice is beautiful, as she alternates between belt and soprano. “In His Eyes”, a duet between Emma and Lucy, is one of the highlights of the show.  

I thought that Frank Wildhorn’s score was very good with several memorable songs. The score has an early 90’s, pop-rock feel to it, which was amplified by Deborah Cox’s modern R&B voice. Constantine sang the heck out of “This is the Moment”, which was a huge audience-pleaser! 

My only complaint is that I couldn’t understand most of Constantine’s lyrics, but I think this is related to poor acoustics at PPAC and not his performance. 

I also have to mention the awesome projections of Hyde lurking on the stage during intermission.  Very spooky. 

Finally, the show is thought-provoking, and you may find yourself thinking about good and evil in humanity just like Jekyll. Just don’t try mixing up any potions or you might end up like him! (Just kidding)