So I’m watching TV as I work out this morning, and an ad for Jekyll and Hyde comes on. I haven’t seen the show, but there was a chance that I would get on the Two-Fer line one day when Mrs. Cantrip and I could get babysitting.
Announcer: His days were spent in pursuit of medical advances well beyond the imagination of his peers. His nights were another story. A tale of romance and horror. David Hasselhoff, now starring in Jekyll and Hyde, at the Plymouth Theater.
DAVID FUCKING HASSELHOFF?!?!?!? On BROADWAY???!!!?? :eek:
That’s a tale of horror, all right. So when is Pamela Anderson joining the cast? When are they adding an AI carriage to the set as well? “Edward, I can see that you’re a little excited now. Why don’t you let me drive while you relax? Edward, what are you doing to that girl? Edward, please don’t get blood on my seats - you remember how long it took the smith to replace those struts the last time, don’t you? Edward?” “Shut up, Kit.” David Hasselhoff. AAARRRGGGHHH!! I mean, I know American theater is in trouble, but this…AAAAIIIIIEEEEEEE!!!
Remember too that he’s a best-selling singer in Europe. He’s really not bad (although I, personally, don’t care for the timbre of his voice).
I saw it with the stand-in for the guy who did it in the second season. Not bad. I rather liked the touring cast, too - it was Rapunzel’s prince from “Into The Woods.” And then, of course, there was the “Forbidden Broadway” version…
I saw that Sebastian Bach (the lead singer from Skid Row) was playing Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde on Broadway. That seemed like an unlikely casting choice, but I heard that he was actually pretty good.
I’ve heard one of Hasselhoff’s songs, and I prefer Sebastian Cabot’s version of “I Got You Babe”. Is there no stage actor who could take that part? I can certainly see him in the German touring company, but the Great White Way? And Esprix, I’m not interested in the reviews, it’s the principle of the thing. I mean, this is David Hasselhoff. I simply cannot get past that. No way.
Believe me, reaction from the Broadway community itself has been pretty negative from the get-go, but at least people are saying he’s better than Sebastian Bach.
While it’s true that J&H is on Broadway, it’s a guilty pleasure for a few and not taken seriously at all by the great majority of fans. Its author, Frank Wildhorn, is a love him or hate him kind of pop composer. I’m in the hate camp myself.
DH is an example of “stunt casting” and I wouldn’t worry about Broadway being too corrupted by the whole thing. Things are actually pretty decent right now, with new musicals like The Suessical and The Full Monty getting rave reviews from the cognoscenti and plays like Copenhagen and Proof making deep ideas popular again.
C’mon, you guys. Haven’t you ever seen Jekyll & Hyde on Broadway? It’s not like it’s the most solemn, sophisticated, avant garde play of the year we’re talking about here. It’s silly pulp with some pyrotechnics thrown in for good measure. I hardly think the casting of David Hasselhoff as the lead role in this mediocre ham-fest is going to corrupt “legitimate theatre”.
I mean, this is David Hasselhoff. I simply cannot get past that. No way.