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Deviousness `anmari has been spreading her infectious positivity throughout our community for over 6 years. Throughout this time Ana has been at the core of all things devious, passionately developing an eclectic gallery, helping organise devmeets, participating in chat events and also recently completed dedicating her time as a Community Volunteer. We are absolutely delighted to bestow the Deviousness Award for May 2013 to `anmari, congratulations! Read More
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Sta.sh
I think the show has some *awesome* moments and songs. Yet I am actually also not so surprised that despite its fame it never quite made it into the "big league" of musicals.
Why? Imho because a) there are too many characters with their own little motivations and stories and background in too little time. Shakespeare's "As you like it" balances its many characters perfectly (imho), "Jekyll & Hyde" kinda fails here. And b) - the first act and the beginning of the second one promise great things to come, but the rest of the second act is an overload mopeing, sighing and emo-ing. Perhaps there is also a c): what also kinda bothered me is that the musical raises for musical standards many interesting philosophical questions but hardly gives any answers. I know, the viewer shall think for himself and all that, but in this case I kinda dislike the "open" feeling all those questions give.
You probably already heard that in January it became officiall that the show shall become a movie within the next two years? Ok, despite my criticsm ... I am very excited for it! Seeing how many different versions exist nowadays it will be already quite interesting which songs they will include and which one they will prefer to leave away.
Will Lucy sing "Good and evil" or "Bring on the men"? I go for the latter because if gives simply more opportunity for, erm, fanservice...
And will the other girl be called Lisa or Emma? (I presume Lisa) And will she sing her "If you only knew" or will it be cut? Questions, questions...
The fanart is of course lovely lovely lovely again!
Honestly I'm not even sure what questions the musical is supposed to be raising anymore....?
ANYWAY I had not heard that it might be getting a movie adaptation! That's crazy! I'm afraid it does concern me because I'm not sure the musical has much recognition outside of its fanbase, which I imagine is limited to fairly nerdy theater fans? And I have yet to see a convincing actor actually get to play Jekyll on stage D: I wonder who they would get to play him.... Will he still have that damn ponytail??
YOurs is definitely the main question. You can imho look at it from so many angles which makes it almost (?) like more than one bis question.
Other philosophical questions, uhm ... p.e. as someone with a soft spot for the Jekyll & Lucy relationship I wonder - does Jekyll actually really feel something deeper (or simply lust) for her but he can only live this out through Hyde? Or is the deeper attraction to Lucy something exclusively Hyde (/the Hyde in Jekyll) feels? Imho both interpretations are possible.
Other example - are we supposed to react more with sympathy or more with disgust or with both when Hyde murders? How much are we supposed to like Hyde anyway? What would the musical makers say? Some parts of the show give me a "He is simply EVILEVILEVIL" vibe, others a "Yeeeet he is also our "dirty hero"!" Maybe an aspect of your main question.
Or another example - this goes maybe a little on top of the fourth wall: Why do we get to know the two sides of Jekyll,and of his victims plus Lucy, but not the two sides of Lisa/Emma? Is this implying there are perfect humans, and Lisa/Emma is one of them? ... Though I am afraid here is the answer simply "The story is complex enough, no more time, we can't deepen the character of the other female as well."
"I'm afraid it does concern me because I'm not sure the musical has much recognition outside of its fanbase, which I imagine is limited to fairly nerdy theater fans?"
Imho the musical is actually not thaaat popular but still pretty well-known! I think it's on tvtropes mentioned that it became kinda "the poor man's Phantom of the Opera"? Many national and international theatres offered adaptions because the rights are not sooo expensive?
If I remember correctly, the press text about the upcoming Jekyll&Hyde movie said the success of the last musical movie adaptions (Phantom, Hairspray, Les Mis...) was so encouraging that now Dr Jekyll shall get his chance.
Musical is trendy, Victorian setting is trendy, if they get some trendy (or at least hot) actors I think the film might become somewhat of a success. Or even really big?
"And I have yet to see a convincing actor actually get to play Jekyll on stage D: I wonder who they would get to play him.... Will he still have that damn ponytail??"
Probably, otherwise he can't swing around a wild lion mane as Hyde later on?
Oh well, we will see. If the film is really supposed to be on the big screen around the beginning of 2015 then the casting should probably start within the next months? Maybe ... Hugh Jackman is in the mood for more musicals?
Lucy's character is an odd one--she's a character taken from the old Hollywood adaptations of the story. Usually, in this version of the story Jekyll really is an innocent young man who is first introduced to lustful desires when he meets the Lucy character. Feeling duplicitous emotions for the first time, he is compelled to find a way to separate his deeper desires from his socially accepted manners. In the musical, however, he's already had the idea for some time, and meets Lucy.....after.... and sort of has a moment with her? TBH the initial Lucy/Jekyll scene always felt vaguely uncomfortable to me because he just spent so much time declaring his love for Emma but barely hesitates at the idea of going to a STRIP CLUB essentially. I'm not sure if the scene is supposed to be funny or touching or . . . or what. It just makes me feel confused. XD (And not like "wow, think of all the layers of meaning this has!" confused but "I am not sure the writers can write romance scenes" confused.)
As for the lack of two sides of Emma, I never really figured out what her point was in the story. :\ As mentioned previously, she makes the interaction between Jekyll and Lucy really awkward (is this a romance plot line or a straight-up CHEATING plotline?) and doesn't really.... do anything except provide a vague support character. I'm not saying she couldn't be made INTO a stronger character, but you'd really have to make shit up at that point. And probably get rid of some other crap. I might take out the revenge plotline altogether. Screw the entire Board of Governors--they're really fun and derpy but if you're choosing between a small cast of fleshed-out characters and a large cast of shallow ones (in a story that requires deep characters) I will always go for the small cast.
sorry I have lots of feels about story structure >>;;
Hugh Jackman WOULD make one smokin' Hyde, no doubt about that, lol XD
I -totally- understand that viewpoint.
"TBH the initial Lucy/Jekyll scene always felt vaguely uncomfortable to me because he just spent so much time declaring his love for Emma but barely hesitates at the idea of going to a STRIP CLUB essentially."
In the stage version I saw his friend drags him to a total "surprise" for his "stag night" and the "Red Rat" was more a "normal" slightly edgy pub with the little "extra" of prostitutes - but I presume each version does this a little differently. And its not like "my" Henry ran shocked away after seeing the first dubious things, he stayed fascinated.
"And probably get rid of some other crap. I might take out the revenge plotline altogether. Screw the entire Board of Governors--they're really fun and derpy but if you're choosing between a small cast of fleshed-out characters and a large cast of shallow ones (in a story that requires deep characters) I will always go for the small cast.
sorry I have lots of feels about story structure >>;;"
No offence taken, I actually agree with most of your criticsm! I even thought of the hereeeetical leaving the board of govenors out as well, but I would be more than surprised if this ever happens - they are just too good and handy for exhibition first, comic relief later and "cool" gruesome murder at the end.
If you are perhaps on imdb too, they also started to discuss the upcoming movie at the "Les Miserables" board, you might like what ttrek-1/Flynn 24 wrote there: [link]