Jekyll & Hyde: The Musical

OK, so David Hasselhof was not the best choice for the role, but they have to make money right? There was someone who once played the Jekyll/Hyde role perfect his name was Anthony Warlow and he is an Australian musical theatre actor. I don't know if he actually ever played it on stage but he recorded the first double cd of jekyll & hyde and he was amazing! He makes Hasselhof look like a community theatre actor. Anyway, this show is worth listening through his goat vibrato and awkward stage presence if only to hear Coleen Sexton. She plays Lucy and she is incredible! Her voice is the best musical theatre has heard in years, she is a convincing actress and she is amazingly beautiful. So, check this show out for her not some beach bum.

When I saw this on the schedule I howled with laughter and my wife prepared to barf on the floor -- Hasselhoff has always been a joke as far as we were concerned. We were absolutely floored to find that he can actually act if given a chance, and has a great voice with tremendous range and power. Who could have guessed?

I read the other comments, often negative, and noticed that most of the slams were from stage & musical afficionados, most of whom had first seen other Broadway leads in the title role. I have no doubt there are some spectacular male leads who have sung this role earlier, and perhaps one day I'll see them also; however, Hasselhoff's performance is excellent, period, and I have gone from thinking of him as a boring, no-talent dork to having a great respect for his acting and his heretofore unsuspected singing ability. His "Hyde" is very reminiscent of Jack Palance's portrayal, and on occasion the facial resemblance is rather eery. One wonders whether it was a deliberate affectation or mere chance..

His Baywatch and Knight Rider shows were pure, gag-me-with-a-spoon drivel, completely unwatchable by normal human earthlings. But this .... the man was hiding some serious talent -- probably there was little one could do with those awful TV roles.

This experience reminds me very much of the first time I saw Andy Griffith in A FACE IN THE CROWD -- and realized that behind those stupid "Andy of Mayberry" grins lay one of the finest dramatic actors in the business. Frankly, I felt cheated. I'm glad Griffith enjoyed the success and money, but I feel genuine sorrow for all the other dramatic roles he COULD have given us. Now, ditto for Hasselhoff.

I am not a fan of Bay Watch, but David Hasselhoff did an outstanding job. I believe theater is Hasselhoff's calling. If you can watch this musical with an open mind, and get over the fact that the star has done crappy TV you will realize that he has talent for theater. His performance left me shocked and wanting more. I have watched the musical many times and the performance still amazes me. I first saw the musical in a College English class, Horror Fiction and Film, at Chapman University. I thought the professor was crazy for making us watch this film, but I was wrong. Anyone who is a fan of musical theater will enjoy this. I only wish I heard about this when it was still live. I would have enjoyed seeing it. I hope that Hasselhoff does more theater in the future. There is room for him to improve, but I believe over time he could be an outstanding theater performer.

When I first found this movie in the 2/$5 bin at my local Wal-Mart I thought it looked cheesy enough to pay 2.50 for... then I saw David Hasslehoff and had to buy it. I fully expected a terrible film that I would struggle through the first 30 minutes of and then shut it off, but at least I could say I tried. In truth I did find the first of it kind of hokey, but that's because the acting is performed in the style of the theatre. Everything is meant to be projected to the back rows. Even with this in mind Hasslehoff's facial expressions as Hyde were a bit cheese at some point, but his overall performance was good. Coleen Sexton's performance was amazing all around as she is not only stunning, but has an amazing voice. In general I found some of the song lyrics in the play came across as rather forced (on account of the writers, not the singers) but the entire experience remains quite enjoyable. I highly recommend the 2.50. :D (or maybe even a bit more)

I'm a Jekyll and Hyde fan and love anything to do with this fantastic story (courtesy of Robert Louis Stevenson), and I never saw the original Broadway play so I had no comparison to make when I watched this on VHS, not DVD.

And from the comments I've read, Hasselhoff is getting a bad rap. He's not at all bad in the role, has good stage presence, can deal with the songs which are in no way memorable to begin with (in fact, the musical's biggest weakness is that all the songs sound alike and all sound very derivative), and he does the separate characters with little more than a change in hairstyle, attitude and voice.

He's getting the sort of disdain always reserved for anyone who comes in as a replacement for someone else--especially if that show is now available worldwide as this video is.

GERARD BUTLER got the same reception when he dared to take on a role that MICHAEL CRAWFORD (with his high tenor voice) seemed to "own" in PHANTOM OF THE OPERA. Butler's acting added new dimension to the part and now he has his own huge fan base based on his decision to "stretch" and assume a role originally written for a higher male voice.

David HASSELHOFF took a chance because he wanted to "stretch", rather than be remembered solely for his BAYWATCH and other TV roles. I saw him years ago in a Jack the Ripper story made for television and I recognized then that he could do very well in more serious roles.

Summing up: Let's face it, this was NEVER a great musical to begin with, but Hasselhoff does a commendable job in a tricky leading role. I was totally unimpressed by the supporting cast. I found all the other performances just adequate with nobody really standing out nor anyone with a voice worth remarking on. As for the songs, no comment.