Jekyll and Hyde is a musical
horror-drama loosely based on the novella The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and
Mr Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson. It premiered on Broadway in 1997,
closing after 1,543 performances in 2001.
Act I
The audience is introduced to John Utterson and Sir Danvers Carew, both
having been associated with Doctor Henry Jekyll. Utterson was Jekyll's lawyer
and best friend while Sir Danvers was Jekyll's future father-in-law. The two
gentlemen take the audience back some time to find Jekyll in an insane asylum
singing over his comatose father ("Lost in the Darkness"). It is
Jekyll's belief that the evil in his father's soul has caused his illness.
Jekyll tells the audience about his passion to find out why man is both good
and evil and his attempts to separate the good from the evil ("I Need to
Know"*).
Some time later, the rich and poor of 19th century London describe how
people act how they want others to see them, no matter who they really are
inside ("Façade"). Afterward, Jekyll presents a research proposal to
the Board of Governors of St. Jude's Hospital. Sir Danvers, the chairman of the
board, is in attendance along with His Grace Rupert the 14th Bishop of
Basingstoke, the Right Honorable Sir Archibald "Archie" Proops, Lord
Theodore "Teddy" Savage, Lady Elizabeth "Bessie"
Beaconsfield, General Lord Glossop and Simon Stride, the secretary. All, with
the exception of Sir Danvers and Stride, are pompous, rich semi-hypocrites.
When Jekyll proposes to test his theory and his formula on a human subject
(presumably his father), they reject the proposal with cries of
"sacrilege, lunacy, blasphemy, heresy", voting five to none with Sir
Danvers' one abstention ("Jekyll's Plea"). Utterson tries to calm
Jekyll down, knowing that he is obsessed over his father's conditions. Jekyll
feels that he could "save" those who have fallen in the same
darkness. Utterson urges his friend, if he feels he is right about his theory,
that he should continue ("Pursue the Truth").
Later that night, a group of high society Londoners turns up at Sir Danvers'
residence at Regent's Park, which has a well-maintained facade. Sir Danvers
throws a showy party for his daughter, Emma's, engagement to Dr. Jekyll, to
which Jekyll is late. ("Façade (reprise #1). During the party, the guests
- which include the Governors and Stride - mention how worried they are about
Emma being engaged to a "madman," but both Sir Danvers and Emma back
up Jekyll. Stride, who has feelings for Emma, speaks to Emma in private and
tries to reason her out of her engagement, but she quickly turns him down,
saying she feels she can be who she wants to be with Jekyll ("Emma's
Reasons").
Jekyll arrives late as usual - just before the party leaves to go see the
fireworks - and shares a moment with Emma. Though he warns her he may always be
busy with his work, Emma swears she will be beside him through it all
("Take Me as I Am"). Sir Danvers returns as Jekyll leaves and
expresses to Emma that he considers Jekyll like a son to him, but finds it
difficult to tolerate his behavior at the cost of losing his daughter. Emma
assures him that he will never lose her, and they should not be afraid to let
go ("Letting Go").
Jekyll and Utterson later go to the dregs of Camden Town known as "The
Red Rat" for Jekyll's bachelor party ("Façade (reprise #2)").
Prostitute Lucy Harris arrives late and is in for some trouble with the boss,
known as 'Spider', but she dismisses it for now. Despite her position in life,
she is seen to be kind-hearted and well liked by her co-workers, but has
moments of contemplation about her life ("No One Knows Who I Am").
Guinevere, the German manageress of "The Red Rat", then breaks
Lucy's reverie and then sends her out onstage to do her number ("Bring On
the Men"**), which captivates Jekyll. After the number, Lucy begins to
circulate among the clientele. Spider approaches Lucy and after striking her
hard across the face, threatens to kill her if she is late again. Jekyll
approaches Lucy after witnessing the Spider's actions and intends to help her
as Utterson is led away by another bar girl. Jekyll and Lucy are drawn to each
other in a way that promises each of them a great friendship. Jekyll admits
Lucy's song has helped him find the answer to his experiment. Utterson
reemerges, and Jekyll tells Lucy that he must be on his way. Before he goes, he
gives Lucy his visiting card and asks her to see him should she ever need a
friend ("Here's to the Night").
As Utterson and Jekyll arrive at the latter's residence, Utterson notices
that Jekyll is in a better mood. Jekyll informs him that he has found a subject
for his experiments. Utterson recommends that Jekyll go straight to bed and
departs. Jekyll dismisses his butler, Poole, for the night and proceeds to his
laboratory, excited that the moment has come to conduct his experiment
("This Is the Moment"). Keeping tabs on the experiment in his
journal, Jekyll mixes his chemicals to create his formula, HJ7, and injects it
into the subject: himself (in some versions, he drinks the formula, as he did
in the book). After a minute of the potion's side effects, he writhes in pain,
and is taken over by an alternate, aggressive personality ("First
Transformation"). With grim humor he notes in his journal "4:00 AM -A
few slight changes" (the exact line varies, depending on the production).
He gleefully goes out and roams the streets, taking in the sights and sounds of
London while tormenting innocent bystanders, which includes an abusive
encounter with Lucy. Jekyll's alternate personality gives himself a name:
Edward Hyde ("Alive").
A week later, no one has heard anything from Jekyll. Emma, Sir Danvers and
Utterson ask Poole where he is, but Emma decides to leave and believes Jekyll
will come for her after his work is finished. After Emma and Sir Danvers leave,
Poole tells Utterson that Jekyll has been locked in his lab all this time and
that he has heard strange sounds from the lab. Jekyll, who seems distraught,
emerges and sends Poole to fetch some chemicals for him. Utterson confronts
Jekyll about his bizarre behavior, but Jekyll brushes this off. He instead
gives Utterson three letters: one for Emma, another for her father, and one for
Utterson himself should Jekyll become ill or disappear. Suspicious and
concerned, Utterson warns Jekyll to not let his work take over his life.
Meanwhile, Emma and Sir Danvers argue about the prudence of Emma's marriage to
a man who seems to be falling into an ever-deepening abyss. Emma again tells
her father that she understands that Jekyll's work is important ("His Work
and Nothing More").
After Utterson departs, Lucy arrives at Jekyll's residence with a nasty
bruise on her back. As Jekyll treats her wound, she tells him a man named Hyde
inflicted it. Jekyll is stunned by this revelation but hides it. Feeling
compassion for Jekyll for being kind to her, Lucy kisses him ("Sympathy,
Tenderness"). Disturbed by his own actions, Jekyll leaves Lucy, who
wonders about her love for him ("Someone Like You").
Later, the Bishop of Basingstoke is seen with Guinevere after having a
"meeting" with one of her underage attendants. He pays Guinevere and
arranges to see the attendant next Wednesday. When Guinevere and the attendant
leave, Hyde appears holding a swordstick with a heavy pewter knob. After
insulting the Bishop, Hyde proceeds to beat and stab him to death with the
swordstick before gleefully setting the body aflame ("Alive
(reprise)").
Act II
Utterson and Sir Danvers speak to the audience once again of past events
with Jekyll: Utterson begins to feel he was not able to help his poor client
and friend, while Danvers senses that something was horribly wrong with his
work, as he had not been seen or heard from for weeks.
The citizens of London gossip about the Bishop's murder as Hyde hunts down
and kills General Glossop, Sir Proops, Lady Beaconsfield, and Lord Savage. By
now, all five Governors who rejected Jekyll's proposal are dead ("Murder,
Murder"). Later one night, Emma lets herself into Jekyll's laboratory. She
finds his journal open and reads one of his entries. Jekyll enters and
immediately closes the journal, preventing her from learning what he has
become. Emma can see he is distraught. She professes her love for him and begs
him to confide in her ("Once Upon a Dream"). He tells her nothing of
his work, but says he still loves her. After Emma leaves, Jekyll writes in his
journal that Hyde has taken a heavy toll on him and those around him, and that
the transformations are occurring of their own accord. His entry is interrupted
when Utterson arrives at the lab, seeking to find out who Jekyll's sole heir
is, Edward Hyde, as referred to in Jekyll's letter. Jekyll only tells him that
Hyde is a "colleague" involved in the experiment. Utterson can see
that his friend is desperately ill and agrees to obtain the rest of the
chemicals Jekyll requires. Jekyll, once again alone, begins to face the fact
that Hyde is a part of him ("Obsession"). At the same time, both Lucy
and Emma wonder about their love for the same man ("In His Eyes").
At "The Red Rat", Nellie and Lucy consider their profession and
why they keep doing it. Lucy is then visited by Hyde, who tells her that he is
going away for a while. He then warns her to never leave him. Lucy is
terrified, but seems to be held under a sexual, animalistic control by Hyde
("Dangerous Game"). As they leave together, Spider addresses the
"Red Rat" attendants, warning them to always be aware of what dangers
lie ahead in the East End ("Façade (reprise #3)").
Utterson comes to Jekyll's lab with the rest of the chemicals and discovers
Hyde, who informs him that the doctor is "not available" tonight.
Utterson refuses to leave the package with anyone but his friend and demands to
know where he is. Hyde replies that even if he told him, Utterson would not
believe him. When Utterson threatens him with his swordstick, Hyde injects the
formula into himself, roaring with laughter as he reverts to Jekyll in front of
an appalled Utterson. Jekyll tells Utterson that Hyde must be destroyed,
whatever the cost. He then begs Utterson to deliver money for Lucy so she can
escape to safety. As Utterson leaves, Jekyll mixes in chemicals and injects the
new formula, fearing that he might lose his mind forever, and praying that he
can restore his former life ("The Way Back").
Utterson visits Lucy at "The Red Rat" with the money, along with
a letter from Jekyll that entreats her to leave town and start a new life
elsewhere. After Utterson leaves, Lucy wonders of the possibilities ahead
("A New Life"). Just then, Hyde returns. Seeing the letter from
Jekyll, he tells Lucy that he and the doctor are "very close" and
that they "share everything". In some versions it's then made clear
that, Hyde reveals that he feels that Lucy has betrayed him by being in love
with Jekyll and by going to see him every day while in others it is not. He
then calls Lucy over to him and holds her very close. As he holds Lucy softly
so that she does not suspect it, he slowly, angrily and savagely stabs her
multiple times before slitting her throat ("Sympathy, Tenderness
(reprise)"). The vile murderer runs off laughing, just as the "Red
Rat" attendants find Lucy's body and carry her out on a stretcher. Covered
in Lucy's blood, Jekyll returns to his laboratory and faces off with Hyde in a
final battle for control ("Confrontation").
Later, Utterson tells the audience that Jekyll had given up his task of
"finding the truth," condemning his father to the darkness. Yet, as
Sir Danvers would put it, the doctor had returned at "the sound of wedding
bells" ("Façade (reprise #4)"). Several weeks later, Jekyll
seems to have regained control as he and Emma stand before the priest at their
wedding in St. Anne's Church. As the Minister begins the ceremony, Jekyll
doubles over in pain and transforms into Hyde. Hyde then kills Stride, a guest
at the wedding, before taking Emma hostage. At the sound of Emma's pleading
voice, Jekyll is able to regain momentary control. He begs Utterson to kill
him, but Utterson cannot bring himself to harm his friend. Desperate, Jekyll
impales himself on Utterson's swordstick. Emma weeps softly as Jekyll dies,
finally free of Hyde's evil control ("Finale").
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