THEATRE REVIEW: "Jekyll & Hyde" at the Cadillac Palace Theatre (Chicago, IL)

      While the 2013 pre-Broadway engagement of the Frank Wildhorn / Leslie Bricusse was performing in Chicago at the Cadillac Palace Theatre, Theo and I saw one of the Wednesday matinee performances of the production.  Constantine Maroulis and Deborah Cox starred in the production, but when I went to see the show, Deborah Cox's understudy or alternate was performing her role.  Also starring in the production was Teal Wicks.






     This musical had made a pre-Broadway tour once before.  In January of 1996, that production played at the Shubert Theatre in Chicago (now called the CIBC Theatre) and starred Robert Cuccoli a few Linda Eder.  The production featured a song called "Bring on the Men" which was removed from the show by the time the musical premiered on Broadway on April 28th, 1997.  In place of the song "Bring on the Men" was a song called "Good and Evil."  The song "I Need to Know" was also cut from the score during the Broadway transfer.  But in the 2013 pre-Broadway production, both songs had been added back to the score.  







     It was in senior year of high school when I read Robert Louis Stevenson's novella "The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde."  As far as the movies based on the novela, I had seen the remake starring Spencer Tracy and Ingrid Bergman first.  I would gradually see the 1932 remake, then the 1920 original starring John Barrymore, in the years to come.  The musical was the last incarnation of the twisted tale that I saw (or read).  I thought Constantine Maroulis did a great job, as did Teal Wicks and the understudy (or alternate?) for Deborah Cox.  Apparently the strong performances from the cast couldn't save the show.  After this production transferred to Broadway and started previews, it closed after about five weeks.




"The Board of Governors" (photo by Chris Bennion)




      Also in the cast was Laird Mackintosh, Richard White, David Benoit, Jerry Christakos, Dana Costello, Wendy Fox, Brian Gallagher, Sean Jenness, Mel Johnson, Jr., James Judy, Ashley Loren, Courtney Markowitz, Aaron Ramey, Emmy Raver-Lampman, Blair Ross, Doug Storm, and Jason Wooten.  I am almost positive it was Emmy Raver-Lampman that Theo and I saw play the part of Lucy instead of Deborah Cox. 






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