Bursting forth from the Chopin Theatre to stake its bloody claim to Broadway in Chicago’s Broadway Playhouse stage, Jekyll & Hyde delivers an incredibly well-sung, high-octane show that suggests scrappy stalwart Kokandy Productions is ready for the big time under the direction of Derek Van Barham.
The run time is billed at two hours and 45 minutes (with a 15-minute intermission), but extra minutes were tacked on during Wednesday’s opening night when multiple songs received raucous ovations from the crowd, many of whom were dressed in their choicest steampunk finery.
David Moreland, a local carpenter and actor (a combo that worked out well for Harrison Ford), brings great energy, emotional depth and singing chops to the split role of Dr. Henry Jekyll and Edward Hyde. No makeup trickery required: Moreland convincingly portrays both roles via changes in vocalization and the way he holds himself.
Moreland and female leads Ava Lane Stovall (Lucy Harris, a sex worker with a complicated relationship to both Jekyll and his evil counterpart) and Emily McCormick (Emma Carew, Jekyll’s fiancée) put the “power” in power ballads, going all-out with each song, including big, bold finishes that required applause holds time after time. Moreland and Stovall also share crackling chemistry.
Standout songs include Stovall and McCormick’s soaring “In His Eyes”; Moreland’s battle cry “This Is the Moment,” ominous “Alive” and impressive one-man duet, “Confrontation”; McCormick’s poignant “Once Upon a Dream”; as well as Stovall’s powerful “Someone Like You,” “A New Life” and brassy “Bring on the Men.” The list goes on.
It’s an exhilarating night at the theater, with a fine supporting cast (in particular Quinn Kelch and Jon Parker Jackson), music direction by Nick Sula that rises to meet the ferocious moment, and outstanding choreography by Brenda Didier that makes the most of the larger stage.
Hyde may do lot of strangling in this deliciously macabre show, but it’s the full production that will take your breath away.
Jekyll & Hyde runs through Nov. 8 at Broadway Playhouse
For a full roundup of reviews of this show, visit Theatre in Chicago.
Photo by Amy Boyle
