Jekyll and Hyde at The Pantages Theater-Simply, a Masterpiece

Theater — By Buddy Sampson on February 14, 2013 at 6:27 pm

Cover Photo-Hyde (Constantine Maroulis) terrorizes Lucy(Deborah Cox) in Jekyll and Hyde. Inside Photo- Constantine Maroulis as Dr. Henry Jekyll. Both photos by Chris Bennion.

By Buddy Sampson

It seems that every 10 years or so, a theatrical stage performance comes along that stands above the fray. A performance like that has all the elements of excellence, terrific acting, spectacular sets and stage crafting, spot on costuming, a sensational music score and tight writing. Jekyll and Hyde, now running for a limited three week engagement from February 12, 2013 to March 3, 2013 at Pantages Theater in Hollywood has all those elements.

While it started slow, with dialogue explaining the back story, the production took off in spectacular fashion. Constantine Maroulis as Henry Jekyll and Edward Hyde was simply brilliant. His voice was in fine form, but what was even more brilliant was his transformation from Henry Jekyll to Edward Hyde. As Jekyll, he was the intelligent, but misguided scientist. As Hyde, he was monstrous, positively scary. In memory, it is very difficult to think of a theater performance that has the audience on the edge of their seats. Maroulis completely delivers in both characters and is a masterful performer. In modern day, we’ve all seen people affected by drug abuse and how radically they change, isolating themselves in their rooms and divorcing themselves from society. Maroulis, a finalist on the iconic show “American Idol,” illustrated that beautifully. Deborah Cox, who played Lucy, sang beautifully, at many times eliciting visible tears from the audience. As Lucy, she also had a character that had transition. She was magnificent. Of note, additionally, was Teal Wicks, (Emma Carew) who sang beautifully. Her scene with Deborah Cox near the end of the play, demonstrated her tremendous stage prowess. It was difficult to find a flaw in any of the performances. Everyone in the supporting cast was amazing.

Deborah Cox as Lucy. She was simply brilliant. Photo by Chris Bennion.

The book and lyrics were crafted magnificently by Leslie Bricusse and the music score, by Frank Wildhorn, colored each scene with brilliance and added tension and drama as a backdrop to the amazing performances by the cast. The play was so good, you totally forgot about the acting and the actors, the story was completely engrossing.