Ilottelu

Dear international readers: this is a review of a new Finnish musical revue. Back to posting in English soon again! 

Näin esityksen lehdistölipulla.

Tietoni ja kokemukseni revyystä viihteen lajina ovat hatarat. En siis tiennyt, mitä Uuden Iloisen Teatterin Kivaa ja korkealta! -revyyltä oikeastaan odottaa. Lauluja, tanssia, sketsejä ja hyvää mieltä?

Kolme ensimmäistä ainakin toteutuivat.

Reija Wäreen ohjaamassa kevätrevyyssä lavalla nähdään Niina Koponen, Vanessa Kurri, Jussi Lampi, Marjatta Leppänen, Kalle Lähde, Hanna Rajantie, Mikko Rantaniva, Sari Siikander, Minttu Sinkkonen, Sonja Sorvola ja Puntti Valtonen, koko joukko Jean S.:n soittamien sävelten säestyksellä.

Esityksen alku ei ole ollenkaan huono, vaikka alkulaulun ylitsevuotava olemme palanneet Linnanmäen Peacockiin, jippii ja hurraa -henki yleisön ensikertalaista vähän hämmentääkin. Uudesta luonto-ohjelmasta kertovan ensimmäisen sketsin loppuhuipennuksessa, jossa Aku Hirviniemi heittää valkoselkätikkaa Duudsonit-Jarpin paljaaseen takapuoleen, on mielestäni hyppysellinen lupaavaa, absurdin hölmöilevää henkeä. Odotin, että suunta olisi tästä ylöspäin ja meno kävisi yhä hassummaksi – mutta lentoon ei lähdetty.

Revyyn kohtausten aiheet ovat lievän ajankohtaisia, mutta selkeää teemaa iltamalla ei ole. Joukkoon mahtuu muutamia helmiä, mutta useimmissa sketseissä lopullinen punchline jää uupumaan. Vitsit polkevat tasaista, kohtuuhauskaa tasoa pari minuuttia ja loppunousun sijaan vain loppuvat. Läpi käydään kyllä niin Cheek, Sibbe kuin Veskukin, mutta mitään suurensuuria oivalluksia ei sketseissä kuulla.

Musiikkiosuuksista en saanut kiinni sen paremmin. Parhaimmillaan svengaavaa, keskimäärin kädenlämpöistä. Miesensemblen a cappella -esitys Elämältä kaiken sain on minulle illan ainoa musiikkinumero, joka lunastaa olemassaolonsa puhtaasti musikaalisilla meriiteillään. Ei voi mitään, herrakuorojen esittämä säestyksetön laulu on heikkoja kohtiani...

Musiikki-ilotteluksi tituleeratun esityksen ensisijainen tarkoitus on varmasti viihdyttää, ei ottaa kantaa tai muutenkaan rähistä. Itse olisin kuitenkin todella viihtyäkseni kaivannut revyyltä terävämpiä hampaita – yhtenäisempää teemaa, ajankohtaisempaa otetta tai purevampia heittoja. Revyy ei missään vaiheessa uskalla vetää mitään överiksi, vaan pysyy turvallisella ja tasaisella mukavuusalueella. Ehkäpä kunnon ylikierrokset voisivat nostaa huumorinkin uusiin korkeuksiin?

Kivaa ja korkealta! -revyy ei ole suorastaan tylsä vaan ei oikein kiinnostavakaan. Mitäänsanomaton. Ehkä mukava irtiotto arjesta joillekuille, mutta itse nautin eskapismini mieluiten muissa muodoissa.

Kuvat: Mirkku Merimaa

Top 5 Frank Wildhorn Disappointments

Disclaimer: I know next to nothing about music theory and I'm sure it shows in this post. Please correct me and educate me if you see me using any wrong terms!

Over the past couple of years, I've turned into a fan of composer Frank Wildhorn.

The weird things is that I do not think any of Wildhorn's musicals are especially brilliant. Quite the contrary, actually. I dislike his dull love triangles and his flat female characters, and I'm not too fond of his tendency to reuse his own melodies either. And yet, despite that, his shows make me happy. A true love-hate relationship here.

But about that melody reusing. Ever since first listening to Jekyll & Hyde and thinking that hey, doesn't this sound like the Dracula song I heard a while ago... Spotting melodies familiar from other Wildhorn musicals has become something of a hobby for me. I feel a pang of both victory and disappointment every time I notice a new instance of repeated melodies. Sure, every other musical composer recycles material. But good ol' Wildhorn has some especially blatant reused moments.

Here is my top five list of the most disappointing times Frank Wildhorn has reused his own tunes in his musicals... so far. 

#5: Someone Like You (1987) / Someone Like You (1990 onwards) – Jekyll & Hyde

Listening to Jekyll & Hyde the musical, it's easy to think of Someone Like You as the defining song for Lucy. It's a soaring song that highlights not only her love towards Jekyll but also her personality and her situation in life – a song about a hopeless dreamer living a nightmare and finally seeing a way out. My heart would take wing and I'd feel so alive / If someone like you loved me...

Or so I used to think, before I found out that on the 1987 concept album, Someone Like You used to be Emma and Jekyll's duet. With almost exactly the same lyrics by Leslie Bricusse, too. This is a different sort of recycling than the rest of this list, but disappointing in its own right anyway. It just doesn't feel right. This was supposed to be Lucy's moment, not something written with Emma and Jekyll in mind!

Oh well. It's a pretty song in any case, got to give it that.

#4: Life After Life (Dracula) / Finish What You Started (Rudolf)

Also listen to this version with an orchestration reminiscent of Dracula.

In and of itself, Rudolf the musical is a huge disappointment. Most Wildhorn shows are bad in a silly, enjoyable way – but this one about Austria-Hungary's ill-fated crown prince is just terrible. Laura puts it well in her review: In short, the musical sucks. It has some nice songs and moments, but overall it sucks. From twisting history to romanticising suicide, it's awful.

To have a tune lifted from a better Wildhorn show slapped in the middle of all that sludge...

Life After Life is Dracula the musical's first act finale. It's a nice tune about Dracula wanting to suck the whole London dry. In Rudolf, a part of Life After Life makes a cameo in a scene where Crown Prince Rudolf discusses revolutionary affairs with his countrymen.

The whole melody is not lifted from one musical to another. The similarities are actually almost subtle enough for these to sounds like two completely different songs – almost. This is something Wildhorn does often, lifting bits and pieces from his previous shows and disguising them as new tunes. Shame he doesn't quite manage to fool the listener here.

#3: His Work and Nothing More (Jekyll & Hyde) / Nosferatu (Dracula)

Jekyll & Hyde the musical and Dracula the musical take place in the same universe and no one can convince me otherwise. Think about it! Gothic tales, both set in 19th century London, Mr. Hyde and Count Dracula terrorising the city together... They're such a good match they even share parts of the same melody.

This is another pair that is not quite the same but still too close for comfort. His Work and Nothing More is a quartet where Jekyll's loved ones worry about him. Nosferatu is a cautionary solo about the dangers of the undead ones. Try singing Utterson's it's like when love dies line on top of Professor van Helsing, the word dies falling on the same beat as the last syllable of the word "Nosferatu" – you'll notice the similarity right away.

This is the first Wildhorn repeat I ever noticed. Figuring out the connection in between these two was such a victorious moment the triumph almost washed away the disappointment, actually.

#2:  Only Love (The Scarlet Pimpernel) / Only Love (Rudolf)

Now we're just being lazy. This is the exact same song popping up in two different musicals.

Only Love is not included in the most recent script edition of The Scarlet Pimpernel anymore. It is, however, recorded on the musical's original Broadway cast recording. I haven't seen it in context, but I assume it's the leading lady Marguerite pining after her estranged husband Percy... So no wonder it was removed, I think there are three other songs like that in the show already. In Rudolf, it's Baroness Mary Vetsera serenading her titular royal lover.

This combo gets extra disappointment points for recycling not only the song's title, but also Nan Knighton's exact same lyrics from The Scarlet Pimpernel's OBC to Rudolf's English demo. The lyrics are so incredibly vague they fit two completely different musicals.

Though, to be honest... Wildhorn's love stories are all practically interchangeable anyway, so maybe it's not too surprising. Don't turn away, it's only love – there's a motto that suits all his romances. Wonder if this will be recycled to a third show sometimes soon.

#1: Falcon in the Dive (The Scarlet Pimpernel) / Hell to Your Doorstep (The Count of Monte Cristo)

Falcon in the Dive is a memorable showtune. The villain Chauvelin is by far the most fascinating character in The Scarlet Pimpernel, and here, he gets to rage about the titular Pimpernel to his heart's content. No wonder Falcon pops up in musical concerts all over – be it Norm Lewis or a Finnish theatre student singing the song.

So why on earth would you reuse a melody as memorable as this one as the showstopper in another show? Falcon returns as a part of The Count of Monte Cristo's first act finale Hell to Your Doorstep, where the titular character rages about his hatred towards the world in general.

Granted, it's again not the whole tune – rather, it's just the fast-paced bit at the very beginning of the songs. But even so, it's recognisable enough to feel like a slap in the face. Start singing either song's lyrics on top of the other right from the start to test it for yourself. The word "moment" even falls on the exact same place in both songs! Aaargh!

Since Falcon is easily my number one Wildhorn song, this is especially disappointing for me and therefore deserves the number one spot.

To end on a loving note, however... If you ever happen to meet him, say hello to Mr. Wildhorn for me and let him know that despite all this, I truely enjoy his musicals. The musical world would be a lot duller place without him.

Repeated tunes and all.

Internship Diaries, part 2: Continuations

Keeping this short and sweet this time.

Remember when a couple of months ago, I wrote about interning in Turun kaupunginteatteri?

My internship ended last week. But would you believe me if I told you that from now until December, I will be working in the theatre instead? That after three overwhelming, exciting months, I'm now a real part-time employee in Turun kaupunginteatteri?

It's true! The theatre's Twitter and Instagram, plus all sorts of helping around in the office!

If you know me at all, you know that for me, this is a real dream-come-true. I still cannot believe it. It's hard to understand that all the way to December, I shall be working there, learning new things about theatre as I go, and getting paid for it. It feels too good to be true. I'm a bit afraid of the day it finally really hits home that I'm really working in a theatre – I might explode out of sheer joy.

When I'm not working in theatre, I shall continue watching shows and writing about them. Blog-wise, this however means one change: as long as my employment lasts, I obviously won't be reviewing Turun kaupunginteatteri's productions.

I will probably still discuss some of them (as if I could shut up about Jekyll & Hyde for longer than two consecutive days!), but as long as I work there, there will be no reviewing or otherwise evaluating the quality of the theatre's current repertoire. If I write about the theatre, I will add a disclaimer that I also work there in each post. Please kick me if you catch me forgetting.

And please catch me when I finally understand that yes, this is real life. I've a feeling I'm going to faint when the realisation hits.

Photo originally posted in the theatre's Instagram.

From the Heart

Please note: I was invited to see this show for free.

Afrobeat from the Heart is a musical about the Nigerian musician and human rights activist Fela Kuti. The production had its premiere in Helsinki last year. This year, they have visited Tampere and now Teatteri Forum in Helsinki.

The premise sounds like Fela! the musical, but newly created by a multicultural cast and creative team, Afrobeat from the Heart is a different spin on the topic. And why not – it seems there is enough to Fela Kuti's life to inspire multiple musicals.

Though, well... Personally, I would hesitate to call Afrobeat from the Heart a musical, per se. It's more like a dance show, or a dramatised concert. The focus was largely on the dance and on the music, the storytelling really took a backseat.

There was very little plot to the show. Fela went to jail, Fela was released, life was still unfair – let's play music! The few dialogue scenes, written my writer-director Hossni Boudali, were awkward and preachy at best. I didn't get a sense of the main character as a person.

But maybe that wasn't the point. The whole Fela Kuti theme worked as a vehicle for some nice dancing and singing. The dance scenes (which there were a lot of) were a lot of fun to watch. A couple of the dancers had seriously impressive moves! I also liked the all-around pretty and colourful look of the show, from beautiful fabrics to the elaborate hairstyles the dancers had.

But the best part of Afrobeat from the Heart was the music, Fela Kuti covers played by an eight-member band. I've never heard afrobeat before. Based on my first experience here, I wouldn't mind hearing some more! Energetic, loud, rhytmic and catchy. Not catchy enough to make me dance during the last song, though, like they encouraged the audience to do – music catchy enough for that hasn't been invented. I have two really clumsy left feet, thank you, I'd just rather sit here and watch...

Overall, I'm happy I saw this.

Do I know more about Fela Kuti's life now? Marginally. But did I enjoy hearing music from a genre I've never heard before? You bet! What's more, Afrobeat from the Heart was performed from the heart indeed. The performance was packed with heartfelt energy. I appreciate that.

Photos from the production's Facebook page.

Jekyll, Hyde and Jack the Ripper

In my post about the history of Jekyll & Hyde the musical, I mentioned that Jack the Ripper's crimes inspired the musical's creative team. But who knew it was also rumoured to have worked the other way around! Looking further into the history of theatrical adaptations of Jekyll & Hyde, it turns out that in 1888, it was thought the fictional story inspired the real-life killer...

Let's take a look at some grizzly theatre history.

19th century actor Richard Mansfield as Jekyll and Hyde.

In 1888, London's theatreland was all about Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde.

Two Broadway productions of Jekyll & Hyde, one starring actor-producer Richard Mansfield and another written by and starring German actor Daniel Bandmann, were planning a London transfer. Allegedly Bandmann had first been inspired to create competition for Mansfield's production after Mansfield refused his request for complementary tickets to his show. So, when Mansfield announced his plans to transfer his Jekyll to London in September, Bandmann aimed for August – finally, the two productions premiered right after each other on August 4th and 5th of 1888.

It's fascinating to think how the 1888 audiences experienced Jekyll and Hyde's story.

In the past century, Jekyll and Hyde have become household names. Their story is taught at schools and has been the subject of countless adaptations and parodies. The theme of good and evil is always relevant, so it's no wonder the tale still fascinates audiences – but when we these days enter a theatre to watch Jekyll & Hyde, we know from the start what the relationship in between the titular characters is. Reading the original novel, same deal. The central mystery has been spoiled for us by common knowledge.

But imagine entering the theatre in 1888, only two years after Robert Louis Stevenson's novel was first published.

The novel was an instant success, so I'm sure many spectators knew the drill. But since it was still such a new tale, it's possible some of the audience members back then saw the play without knowing how it was going to end. For them, it must've been an especially thrilling experience!

Nowadays, you cannot have a Jekyll & Hyde adaptation where the conflict centers around solving Hyde's true identity, though that's exactly how the book works. But back in the 19th century, the onstage productions still trusted the novel's structure to have shock value and only revealed Jekyll as Hyde in the third act. A true test to the skills of the lead and the costume and makeup designers, I imagine – portraying the two characters so differently that the reveal would really surprise the audience.

A playbill for Mansfield's production. Spoilers,
Jekyll and Hyde are indeed played by the same actor!

Nowadays, London in the fall of 1888 is of course associated with something quite a bit darker than onstage productions of a Gothic thriller.

Only two days after the premiere of Bandmann's production of Jekyll & Hyde, a woman was murdered in London's Whitechapel district. Nowadays, it is suspected she might have been a victim of the unidentified serial killer known as Jack the Ripper, and she was not the last one. As the theatrical productions continued to treat their audiences to Mr. Hyde's fictional terror, the East End murders terrified Londoners for real.

Weird accusations contrasting the play and Whitechapel's serial killer soon started popping up. Some claimed Stevenson's novel was to blame, but others pointed fingers at the plays for inspiring the real-life violence. For example, on October 4th 1888, Pall Mall Gazette speculated the following:

Possibly the culprit is an army doctor suffering from sunstroke. He has seen the horrible play, lives in Bayswater or North London, in perhaps a decent square or terrace, dressed well. Goes out about 10pm straight to Whitechapel. Commits deed. Home again to breakfast. Wash, brush-up, sleep. Himself again – Dr [sic] Hyde. Meantime, everybody scouring the scene of the tragedy for the usual type of a murderer.

"He has seen the horrible play" indeed. The magic of live theatre – might cause murders! Media blaming various forms of entertainment for violent behaviour seems to have long traditions.

Some people went beyond merely accusing the fictional story of giving the murderer ideas. Lead actor Richard Mansfield was briefly under suspicion for the murders. Some theatregoers couldn't believe an actor could portray the monstrous Mr. Hyde without having an evil side to his own personality. In a sense, Mansfield was accused of being too good an actor!

According to some sources, one theatregoer went as far as to actually tell the police about their suspicions regarding Mansfield. Rumours also had it that Scotland Yard questioned the actor.

Of course, Mansfield was never arrested. He nevertheless felt a need to clean his reputation. In wake of the accusations, he produced a charity performance to raise money for reformed prostitutes.

Mansfield went on to perform the role of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde in various productions, all the way until his death in 1907 – so it doesn't seem the rumours hurt his reputation too deeply. Even so, his name is still mentioned on lists of possible Jack the Rippers to this day. He was even portrayed in the 1988 TV series "Jack the Ripper" as a suspected killer.

A page from Cole Haddon and M. S. Corley's comic
"The Strange Case of Mr. Hyde". See the rest of
the preview here.

After the initial rumours that connected the story, the actor and the killer, Jack the Ripper's crimes have every now and then popped up in various adaptations of Jekyll & Hyde.

A 1971 Hammer Horror film "Dr. Jekyll and Sister Hyde" has a male Jekyll transform into a woman – and also portrays Ms. Hyde as Jack the Ripper. The 1989 film "Edge of Sanity" mixes the character of Hyde and the crimes of the Ripper, with Anthony Perkins in the dual role.

A 2011 comic called "The Strange Case Of Mr. Hyde" by Dark Horse Comics features Dr. Jekyll hunting down Jack the Ripper. A movie adaptation of the comic was announced in 2011, but it doesn't seem the film is in the works anymore. There is also a 1997 computer game called "Mystery in London: On the Trail of Jack the Ripper" that connects the Ripper with Stevenson's novel.

And of course, there is the musical. As I mentioned in my earlier post, some versions of the script set the story in autumn 1888 as a memento of the Jack the Ripper references otherwise cut from the show.

I want to close all this talk of serial killers on a lighter note. In 1888, London wasn't the only place to see Jekyll & Hyde onstage. There was also a production that toured the United States. It was seen by a theatrical critic who summarised their feelings in Mitchell Daily Republican on October 23rd 1888:

We have got the craze and for the next few days will be Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde on the brain.

No matter the grave rumours that connected the story with murders, it's amazing to think that theatrical adaptations of Jekyll & Hyde got fans excited in 1888 just like they do in 2015! 

This article and its related pages were a fantastic source for this text. If you wish to learn more about the 1888 productions of Jekyll & Hyde and their connection to Jack the Ripper, go check it out!

Straight Play Spring

You may have noticed I haven't written a single musical review this year so far.

That's because I haven't seen a single live musical in three months soon.

I think that's the longest time in the past three years I've gone without seeing one.

Pictured: an accurate description of my feelings regarding the fact.

I'm not trying to break a habit here... It's just that in Finland, it's not a very good season for musicals right now. Most big productions premiered in the autumn, and I saw them in the autumn, too. While I'd maybe like to see some again, there is nothing running at the moment I'm really enthusiastic about.

Musicals are my preferred genre, but if there are none available, I'm certainly not going to stop going to theatre altogether. Instead, it's time for straight plays.

I enjoy plays, but they don't elevate me above the ground quite in the same way musicals do. I know people who say they love straight plays but don't really get musicals, and think they should see musical theatre more often to properly understand it. I guess that works both ways – consider this spring my crash course in straight plays..?

I wrote about Tampereen Työväen Teatteri's new play Hevosten keinu already (Finnish only). In this post, I'm going to introduce you to four other plays I've seen this spring.

Meganin tarina & Kaikki on kohta hyvin

I briefly mentioned Turun kaupunginteatteri's production of Meganin tarina in a previous post. Megan's Story is a Finnish play by Tuomas Timonen based on the real story of Megan Meier. A teenaged girl is bullied online and pushed all the way to the breaking point by her anonymous tormentors. She sees no other way out than the most extreme one.

Kaikki on kohta hyvin (or Ömheten, as the original Swedish title goes) is a play by Jonas Gardell that ran in Tampereen Työväen Teatteri last autumn and this spring. Set in the 80s, it's a story about Rasmus and Benjamin, a young couple deeply in love with each other. It's just that Rasmus has AIDS and so their time together is running out.

I'm lumping these two together because I feel they're actually about the same thing.

Obviously, both are about death. From different perspectives, sure, but still about a young person dying before their time.

Both are also based on real-life events. Meganin tarina is strongly inspired by the real story of the Meiers family, right down to details. Kaikki on kohta hyvin, then, is a fictional story set during the real AIDS hysteria of 1980s. In interviews, playwright Gardell has stated it's based on his own experiences and people he knew who lost their battle with AIDS.

But most strikingly, both plays are about parents losing a child.

In Meganin tarina, the titular character dies before intermission. The second act is about Megan's parents trying to make sense of what happened, attempting to bring the bullies to justice, and breaking up in the process.

In Kaikki on kohta hyvin, the central conflict involves Rasmus's parents. Rasmus hasn't dared to tell them of his illness. The first act shows what happens when he finally does, and the second act shows what happens when Rasmus dies. It doesn't turn out too pretty – while the parents are hurting, they are also homophobic, and that makes for a volatile mix.

Since I'm interning in Turun kaupunginteatteri, I got the chance to watch Meganin tarina twice during the premiere week. I was terrified during the first time, but the second time didn't move me much anymore. While a 13-year-old committing suicide is always tragic beyond words, the shock value only worked once for me. But the first time was powerful, to the point of feeling actual physical pain.

Kaikki on kohta hyvin made me feel pretty awful both times (I saw it twice because, yes, Severi Saarinen played Benjamin). While Rasmus dying was sad, I found it especially horrifying to watch how his parents treated Benjamin after their son's death. They left the broken young man completely alone. It's awful how cruel people can be towards each other for the unfairest of reasons.

Both plays were chilling. They weren't completely humorless, but they obviously left me feeling pretty heavy. So, next, I wanted to see something a bit lighter...

Amadeus

Peter Shaffer's play Amadeus also features heavy themes. Envy, hatred and revenge, all served with a side of death. But, unlike the previous two plays, it's also funny – while it ends on a dark note, there are lighter scenes and humor sprinkled throughout the story.

A period drama set in the 18th century featuring beautiful costumes and wigs, it's also easier to think of Amadeus as just a story. While the play is based on the real lives of W. A. Mozart and Antionio Salieri, it's really a story about what could've happened, not about what actually did. The play has made the rivalry in between Salieri and Mozart famous, but many historians think the two were actually on good terms.

So, all in all, Seinäjoen kaupunginteatteri's Amadeus served as a little escape from the real world after two rather realistic and upsetting plays.

It was nice going back to Seinäjoki. I visited the theatre often when their production of Tanz der Vampire was running. I've been looking for a reason to go back and feel nostalgic for a bit ever since, and since Amadeus is a play I've been wanting to see for a while, it was finally time to return.

Seinäjoki did not disappoint.

While I found the show a bit too long and my mind started wandering by the end of the second act, watching Salieri's downward spiral deeper into obsession, bitterness, and borderline insanity was mostly fascinating. Esa Ahonen did a great job in the leading role. You couldn't help feeling for Salieri, even when you watched him do his best to destroy Mozart's career. As a whole, I had a good time.

And the Seinäjoki nostalgia – ah! The town was just as gray and gloomy as I remembered, the streets just as empty and creepy when leaving the theatre after the performance.

I don't think the town is one of Finland's hidden jewels, quite the contrary... But in my mind, Seinäjoki is connected to so many great performances and fun experiences, I can't help feeling happy whenever I visit. And Amadeus is one more good performance I can add on the list!

Yöllisen koiran merkillinen tapaus
(The Curious Incident of a Dog in the Night-Time)

I've seen The Curious Incident of a Dog in the Night-Time in London before. And, to be honest, I didn't much enjoy it.

Mark Haddon's The Curious Incident is one of my favourite books. It's a story of 15-year-old Christopher who sees the world a bit differently the than most of us. He's great at maths and remembering things, but has difficulties understanding people's expressions and feelings. When Christopher finds out his neighbour's dog has been stabbed with gardening fork, he decides to become a detective and solve the curious case – and embarks on an adventure of lifetime in the process.

My mind understood that the London production was fine, but my soul didn't feel much. I knew that the acting was good and the sets were impressive... But it was too different from how I imagined the book, and my soul wasn't able to forgive that. I guess many feel like that when watching adaptations of their favourite books. The novel has left such a big impression on me and my mental images of it are so strong that I figured I would never really appreciate any adaptation, no matter how good.

I'm happy to tell you I was wrong. In Tampereen Työväen Teatteri, my soul felt so much I could hardly stop crying.

I was especially impressed by the lead. Jyrki Mänttäri played Christopher to perfection and matched my mental image of the character just right. Though Mänttäri is 30 years older than his character, I didn't doubt for a second I was watching Christopher from the original novel. I'm still amazed.

The Curious Incident was such a moving experience that I haven't even dared to read any reviews yet. I want to see the play again (which I'm going to do this Friday) before letting others' thoughts influence my own.


All in all, it's been an intense ride. Plenty of heavy subjects.

A musical about death can be uplifting. Think about Les Misérables – while two thirds of the characters die and the rest suffer horribly, the second act still ends on the notion that they died for a better tomorrow. There is a bright future waiting just around the corner and we can all fight for it. Not to mention a cheerful medley of catchy showtunes to accompany the audience out.

Heavy plays, in my experience, cannot be used as escapes from one's real-life problems quite as easily. As The Curious Incident showed me, they can be cathartic experiences too – but for me, that doesn't happen as often as with musicals. A straight play can give me plenty to think about, but a good musical recharges my batteries like nothing else.

But in any case, interesting theatrical spring so far!

Photos: Turun kaupunginteatteri, Tampereen Työväen Teatteri, Seinäjoen kaupunginteatteri. As always, hover over the images for more information.

Hyde and History

I've been a terrifyingly enthusiastic Jekyll & Hyde fan for a whole year soon. (I first saw the musical two years ago, but it took a year for my enthusiasm to take flight.)

Being terrifyingly enthusiastic about something for a year, you're bound to learn something about it.

I've learned that writing Jekyll & Hyde was a long process. All composer Frank Wildhorn's musicals have a history of concept recordings and revisions, but the development of Jekyll & Hyde is especially full of cuts and edits. I've mentioned that for Jekyll & Hyde, Wildhorn has written twice the amount of songs needed. It's not an exaggeration.

In this post, I'm going to share four things about the history of Jekyll & Hyde the musical I find especially interesting.

1) The Ballad of Jekyll & Hyde

Jekyll & Hyde the musical officially first premiered in Houston in 1990. Seven years later, a revised version was staged on Broadway. But even before the Houston premiere, the creative team – composer Wildhorn and lyricists Steve Cuden and Leslie Bricusse – had written and produced two concept albums of the show.

Only two of the songs featured on the original 1986 demo made it to the eventual Broadway production: Alive and Murder, Murder. Facade, the number that has 2–4 reprises in current productions of the musical, was curiously absent... But in its place, the demo CD begun with a song called The Ballad of Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde.

Doctor Jekyll so good and kind

A gentleman always so refined

But lying in wait was another side

All that's evil personified

Subtle.

The 1986 concept album only featured ten songs, but next year, Wildhorn and Cuden produced another demo. On the 1987 album, The Ballad was used exactly like its obvious inspiration, Stephen Sondheim's The Ballad of Sweeney Todd. It opened the first act, was reprised after intense plot twists, and finally finished the show with lyrics that recapped the morale of the story.

The Ballad ends with the melody from Alive that defines Hyde in the current edition of the show. It's the same tune Hyde sings at the end of Jekyll and Hyde's duet Confrontation – a song that wasn't present on either the 86 or the 87 concept album!

In the current edition of the show, Facade has replaced The Ballad. Interestingly enough, the 87 demo featured both The Ballad and Facade.

2) Scheisse Stride

Let's talk about Simon Stride.

In most productions of the musical, Stride doesn't have much to do. He's a secretary at the hospital. In the engagement party we find out he's Emma (or in some script editions, Lisa)'s ex-boyfriend. Then he disappears for two hours and resurfaces only to meet his end in Mr. Hyde's hands during the last scene. Looking at the show as a whole, it seems his only function is to get killed.

That wasn't the case with Dr. William Scheisse, Simon Stride's first incarnation.

Yes, Dr. William Scheisse. Yes, I think we've all heard German profanities before – that means exactly what you think it does.

On the 1987 concept recording, Stride sings Good 'N' Evil, the song Lucy performs in The Red Rat in some of the newer productions.

Evil's the one which is nothing but fun

Good is the one which is not

You must decide which is which

And what is what

Very subtle.

It's just right Stride should sing a song fit for The Red Rat. He used to own the place. In the first editions of the script, Dr. Scheisse was a busy man: he was a respectable doctor by day, sabotaged Jekyll's experiments on the side, and worked as a pimp by night.

When the Houston premiere approached, someone snapped to their senses and decided to get rid of the absurd Dr. Scheisse subplot. This didn't please actor Bill Nolte, who was supposed to play the character in 1990. As the villainous William Scheisse transformed into the meek Simon Stride, Nolte left the production.

Knowing this, Stride's character in the current musical productions seems kind of like a human tail bone – a remnant of something that used to be there ages ago but has since faded away.

3) Mr. Ripper

In Robert Louis Stevenson's novel Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde, the year of events is written as "18—".

Many scripts of the musical state the story takes place in the year 1888. It's a nice-looking number, so why not... But in fact, it seems the year originates from the early concepts.

The second act opening song Murder, Murder was first recorded on the 1986 demo. There, instead of taking Jekyll's revenge on the Board of Governors, Mr. Hyde arbitrarily murders working girls walking the streets of London.

Sounds familiar? Jack the Ripper murdered East End-based prostitutes in the fall of 1888.

That's two in the last five nights.
That's two who've paid the price.
First Nettie, now Marie!
Could the next be you or me!

Still subtler than "Look at this, another murder / Just like that other murder".

In Dacre Stoker's hideous Dracula sequel Dracula the Un-Dead, it turned out Jack the Ripper was actually a vampire. Here, he used to be Mr. Hyde. It seems people who write adaptations based on gothic novels simply cannot resist mixing the real-life murder mystery with whichever monster their adaptation features...

Well, at least the team behind Jekyll & Hyde the musical had the sense to scrap the idea.

4) Mr. Uttersons

Dr. Jekyll is famous for his split personality. But who knew his friend Mr. Utterson had two different natures as well!

In Stevenson's original novel, the narration focuses on Utterson. We follow Jekyll's lawyer friend when he solves the titular strange case. His investigations are more important than his personality. In the musical, Utterson serves as someone for Jekyll to talk to. The character is important because he helps to move the plot forward, but in most scripts, he doesn't have much of a personality.

So it's a bit odd that the few characteristics he has differ wildly from production to production. This is evident in the scene where Jekyll and Utterson visit The Red Rat.

Sometimes, Utterson is a party animal. It's he who suggests that Jekyll should relax and take a detour to The Red Rat. There, the madame recognises her loyal customer and yells for the girls to serve champagne for "Mr. Utterson's party".

Other times, Utterson doesn't feel like celebrating. Really doesn't. He tries his best to stop Jekyll from going to the brothel, helpfully reminding him that it's not safe, and for goodness' sake if we really must go, I will absolutely refuse to have a good time. In these cases, it's Jekyll who insists it'll be fun and drags his friend along.

The original Broadway production took the party animal path, but in newer productions, it seems the moralist version prevails. Wonder if Utterson will ever find his groove again?

Bonus round: Bad Production Choices Bingo

The script of Jekyll & Hyde the musical has been through a lot. Today, with Dr. William Scheisse and Jack the Ripper safely removed from the plot, it seems many productions feature reoccurring directional quirks instead... Keep this bingo sheet at hand the next time you watch any Jekyll & Hyde video on Youtube, or even better, see the show live.

Someone usually shouts bingo! before the first act is over.