Jekyll & Hyde

If you have been following my saga – the story of my attempt to see Jekyll and Hyde – then you know I got bumped from seeing it last Thursday because of the snow. I finally saw it last night; oh how it was worth the wait!

In the interest of full disclosure, I will tell you that I have a few friends in the show so I am of course biased. Yet I can tell you that I do not know the three lead actors at all; in fact, I don’t think I’ve ever seen them before. So when I gush about how amazing they are it comes as someone who loves theater and respects amazing talent. These three people – Blaine Boyd (Jekyll/Hyde), Darian Taschner (Lucy), and Alexadra Sunderhaus (Emma) – have bright futures in the world of musical theater.

At the age of these performers (early 20s, I assume) you don’t expect the kind of emotional maturity shown by all three nor do you expect the vocal maturity shown especially by the young ladies. They were as good as anyone I’ve seen at the Aronoff’s big Broadway productions.

The costuming, the staging, the props, the choreography – all as professional as you’ll see anywhere. Even when a prop didn’t cooperate (a bed broke somehow), the cast and crew worked around it and were seamless in how they recovered.

The music is big, difficult, and these young performers masterfully demonstrated how this kind of musical should be performed. The orchestra was fantastic. Just a top notch presentation in every single way. And the seats were even comfortable! And I’d be remiss not to mention the brilliance of my friends – but I would never expect anything less from them. They are superstars in the making.

Its a great show and I cannot wait to see it again on Saturday. Its sold out so you’re likely out of luck but do not miss the next Wright State performance because these people know what they are doing.