No. 48. “This is the Moment”
JEKYLL & HYDE (1997). By Frank Wildhorn (music) and Leslie Bricusse (lyrics and book). From the novella THE STRANGE CASE OF DR. JEKYLL AND MR. HYDE by Robert Louis Stevenson.
Summer 1997. You’re seeing Jekyll & Hyde. A friend of yours, a self-proclaimed “Jekkie,” has been hyping up this show’s concept album for years and has traveled to see it several times during its prolonged pre-Broadway tour. So if nothing else, you’re curious. It’s set in a prog-rock version of Victorian England and could really be called Emma & Jekyll & Lucy & Hyde. Yes, there’s a scientist with a homicidal alter-ego, but the romantic attentions of two women carry just as much focus. Dr. Henry Jekyll is an upstanding ponytailed scientist developing a serum that would separate one’s good and evil natures. He implores the board of the local mental hospital to allow him to test the serum on patients, but they have the gall to think it’s a bad idea. At least Emma, Jekyll’s headstrong and pure fiancé, believes in him and spends most of the show defending “his work.” With mental patients a no go, Jekyll moves on to plan b—prostitutes. He meets Lucy at the local brothel/cabaret. (She’s played by Linda Eder, who sings like Streisand has been involved with the show—and its composer, romantically—for the past seven years.) Realizing he won’t be able to experiment on ladies of the night either, Jekyll accepts that the only option is serve as his own test subject. Before injecting himself for the first time, he sings the show’s signature (and ubiquitous) anthemic ballad, “This is the Moment.”
The dual role of Jekyll/Hyde is an acting showcase in any medium. It’s particularly daunting in a musical full of belted pop tunes that culminates in a virtuosic “duet” in which the actor switches between personas (and their respective physicalities and vocal patterns) every couple of lines. It’s traditionally been more of a star making role than one that attracts already-famous people (some late-in-the-run stunt casting aside). The role of Lucy (who does not appear in the original novella) became a star making role as well. She really doesn’t do much, other than have a lot of feelings and sing about them, but she gets most of the best songs in the show. It may not attract celebrities, but if you see a community theater production (the most likely way you’ll see it anyway), rest assured that the actors playing Jekyll and Lucy are the best in town.
Despite unflattering reviews and minimal awards recognition, Jekyll & Hyde ran for four years on Broadway, with diehard fans seeing is dozens of times. Composer Frank Wildhorn became a divisive figure in musical theater. Some felt he was the future of the form, using concept recordings to build demand for shows before they were produced and churning out radio-friendly easy-listening bops. The more cynical dismissed Wildhorn as populist drek. Forbidden Broadway quipped he wrote music “for people who think Andrew Lloyd Webber is too challenging.” (The book and lyrics by Leslie Briccuse weren’t regarded much higher. Briccuse had some big hits in the 60s and early 70s—including an Oscar for “Talk to the Animals” from Dr. Doolittle, for which he also wrote the absolutely insane screenplay—but he had a pretty poor track record after that.) I was definitely in the anti-Wildhorn camp when I was younger and have always resisted J&H…until now. While I still don’t think J&H holds up to much intellectual scrutiny, after listening to many recordings this past week or so I also appreciate that it’s a hell of a lot of fun. It’s moody, it’s camp, and everyone is doing the most all the time.
Recommended Recording: ”This is the Moment” Jekyll & Hyde: The Gothic Musical Thriller (1994 Studio Cast)
This recording effectively marked the debut of Jekyll and Hyde as a complete musical. This was the first recording to put the songs in context, cast specific actors for each role, and include all the ensemble numbers along with a good amount of dialogue. Australian baritone Anthony Warlow leads this studio recording, and his voice is gorgeous, pristine, and precise. It’s particularly well-suited for Jekyll’s material. Linda Eder plays Lucy with Carolee Carmelo as “Lisa” (who will become “Emma” by the time the show hits Broadway). The whole performance is perfectly optimized for an aural experience, and it’s a fun listen. Fans obsessed over this album for years before the show ever reached Broadway, and for many this remains the definitive version of the show. (It’s also features the most material, clocking in at over two hours.)
Alternate Performances
Jekyll & Hyde has received ~19 recordings, including Austrian, Bremen, Czech, Hungarian, Japanese, Korean, Polish, Spanish, Swedish, and Vienna casts. “This is the Moment” has been recorded by most men who release solo albums of showtunes. Many of these albums are even called This is the Moment. (Like Donny Osmond’s album that was the source for the very first Recommended Recording of this whole ding dang substack). A short-lived 2013 Broadway revival didn’t get recorded…but key cast members made a “concept album” prior to a pre-Broadway tour.
1990 Concept Cast - The first commercially released J&H album features just two performers: Colm Wilkinson and Linda Eder (who sings both female roles). It could have been just called Jekyll, because “Hyde” doesn’t appear at all. It’s very 80s, and about 1/3 of the songs don’t appear in subsequent iterations of the show. It’s an interesting glimpse into early ideas of the piece, and Wilkinson and Eder sound great as always.
1997 Broadway Cast - The road to Broadway was particularly fraught, with a couple of regional productions and lengthy tour that brought about many changes to the script, score, and production team. The process was so expensive that even after running for years on Broadway, the production still lost money. Many Jekkies wanted nothing more (or less) than seeing the full concept album onstage, and to this day you will see people on message boards bemoaning certain songs that didn’t make the final version. But I think it’s a great recording. The cuts, and some sharper arrangements (especially for the ensemble) give this recording more urgency and drive. Robert Cuccioli is a powerfull Jekyll/Hyde with a darker voice than Warlow’s. He’s particularly well-suited for the Hyde material. He became somewhat of a national ambassador for “This is the Moment,” singing it on any morning show that would have him. Christiane Noll’s soprano is like a breath of fresh air in the sea of belting. Eder gives her strongest performances yet as Lucy. A proshot was recorded late in the run with David Hasselhoff in the title roles. (There’s also an alternate “rehearsal” proshot made with matinee alternate Rob Evan that has made its way to youtube and many Jekkies prefer.) Hasselhoff is simply not on the same level, vocally, as his predecessors, but he does the work, holds his own, and innately brings the right level of ridiculous to the proceedings.
Jekyll & Hyde: Resurrection (2006) - Rob Evan, the original Broadway matinee Jekyll, sings the title roles with Kate Shindle and Brandi Burkhardt as Lucy and Emma respectively. This recording boldy suggests that previous editions of J&H were too subtle and reimagines the key songs with a lot of electric guitar and rock instrumentation. Like, hair-metal rock. The entire score is turned up to 11, and the performers rise to the occasion.
Is it Covered by The Rat Pack, Audra McDonald, or Glee?
Glee - Somewhat surprisingly, nothing from J&H ever appeared of Glee, but Matthew Morrison sang “This is the Moment” in a recent concert at 54 below.
In the Wings
While you wait for No. 49 to drop, check out this interview with Anthony Warlow on Australian television the day the concept recording came out. I can’t imagine a cast album getting this kind of attention! For a show no one had actually seen! I would also recommend reading or listening to Stevenson’s original novella. Most audio books clock in at 3 hours, and its so different than what I expected. Every adaptation essentially has to create their own narrative, because Jekyll and Hyde are very passive presences in Stevenson’s text. It’s mostly scenes where people have conversations like, “I dare say, do you think our respectable friend Dr. Henry Jekyll is okay? He seems off. Also, unrelated, have you heard about this serial killer named Mr. Hyde?”
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