I want to remember the name Benjamin J. McHugh. A native of Australia who only settled in New York City last year, he was cast to understudy the lead in Jekyll & Hyde at the Westchester Broadway dinner theater. He went on as the star the night I attended, and carried off the demanding assignment beautifully—singing with strength, clarity and—when needed—tenderness. I'm not crazy about composer Frank Wildhorn's score. Too much of the music sounds the same, but McHugh executed it with grace. The whole strong ensemble—with Michelle Dawson as Lucy and Jennifer Babiak as Emma—did a creditable job. This well-cast, smartly rehearsed production captures the spirit of the original Broadway show. And why not? It is directed by Robert Cuccioli, who was the star of that production. The dramatic lighting by Andrew Gmoser is excellent. The actors make the most of the material. (I do have one quibble with the blocking, however. Too often, at the start of the show, Jekyll is delivering his lines upstage from downstage right. Putting him upstage would make his face more visible to everybody, and make it easier for audience members to bond with him.) I don't find Jekyll & Hyde terribly rewarding as a show, overall. The book—by Leslie Bricusse, who also wrote lyrics—starts slowly and, by the end ,the two most interesting characters are both dead. It's not exactly a "feel-good" musical. I left this production, as I did when I saw the original Broadway production, feeling slightly cheated by the whole thing. I'm not a big fan of Jekyll & Hyde as a show, but there's plenty of good singing here, and the actors are giving their all.
(Pictured: Ensemble; Photo by John Vecchiola)
Chip Deffaa
Cabaret Scenes
October 16, 2010
www.cabaretscenes.org
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