JEKYLL & HYDE

Act I

London, 1888. HENRY JEKYLL, a brilliant young doctor and research scientist, analyses the dual nature of Man- the good and evil (I NEED TO KNOW). He tears himself away from his work to attend a glittering if superficial social event. (FACADE/BITCH, BITCH, BITCH) celebrating his engagement to LISA CAREW, the eligible and lovely daughter of SIR DANVERS CAREW, an eminent and revered figure of London society, and Chairman of the Board of Governors of the great London hospital to whom Jekyll is about to present the findings of his research. Jekyll expresses his fears and doubts to LISA. She reassures him that they will see it through together. (TAKE ME AS I AM).

Jekyll's fears, however, are well-founded. His radical proposals are totally rejected the following day by the St. Jude's Hospital Committee, chaired by Sir Danvers. (BOARD OF GOVERNORS). Jekyll insists he has found the key to separating the good and evil elements in man's nature, but needs to conduct a human experiment to prove his theories conclusively. His ideas are greeted with outrage and scorn by the high-minded but hypocritical governors. Their unanimous negativity crushes Jekyll's immediate plans, but not his determination to continue, with or without their support.

Consumed with anger and frustration, Jekyll walks the dark streets of London, consoled by his close friend and lawyer, JOHN UTTERSON. Jekyll recklessly decides to drown his sorrows in a bawdy London pub, "The Dregs," where he encounters and is drawn to LUCY, a sweet-and-spicy, seductive and sympathetic young lady of the night. (BRING ON THE MEN). They share a drink and a confidence or two, and an unlikely friendship is born.

Returning home with renewed confidence and determination, Jekyll convinces himself that the logical and only candidate for his revolutionary experiment is himself (THIS IS THE MOMENT).

Recording his every move in a journal, Jekyll prepares and consumes his formula HJ7. Within minutes it takes effect - disastrously - transforming the gentle, quiet, civilised Henry Jekyll into the vain, uninhibited, violent, libidinous monster Edward Hyde (TRANSFORMATION).

The many remarkable qualities we have come to admire in Jekyll now gradually give way to his basest animal instincts. In the persona of Hyde, Jekyll starts to display all the hidden and repressed evil characteristics of his nature, with even more devastating consequences.

An impulse guides Hyde back to "The Dregs." Lucy senses she knows him, but isn't sure (LUCY MEETS HYDE). She is cautious, but she likes him. Hyde buys her for the night, but quickly becomes violent. Lucy runs away, and a ferocious fight ensues between Hyde and the other men in the pub. Victorious, Hyde glories in the power and strength he feels running through him (ALIVE), and pursues Lucy into the night.

Back in Harley Street, Jekyll becomes reclusive. Lisa, Utterson and Sir Danvers are increasingly concerned about him (HIS WORK AND NOTHING MORE). Lucy, unaware that Jekyll and Hyde are the same man, visits Jekyll to show him the injuries she has received from a violent customer at "The Dregs." Jekyll treats her wounds. Lucy's feelings for the good doctor grow stronger (SOMEONE LIKE YOU). Little is she aware of the terror the good doctor's alter ego is about to inflict on London.

End of Act I

Act II

The terrifying other half of Jekyll now emerges in its full horror to wreak a terrible vengeance on society for its neglect and injustice towards Henry Jekyll. In swift succession, Hyde dispatches five members of the Board of Governors from this world in the most gory fashion imaginable (MASS/MURDER, MURDER!). Jekyll's frustrations are finally being resolved by his avenging devil, Hyde.

Elsewhere in London, Sir Danvers cautions his beloved daughter about Jekyll's recent unreliability, though he is motivated by his own reluctance to lose her (LETTING GO), while Lisa and Lucy pine for the man they both love (IN HIS EYES), unaware of the monster he has become.

The horrendous pendulum swings back and forth between Jekyll and Hyde, gathering momentum as Jekyll continues to gamble with death, risking everything in his desperate struggle to achieve his ultimate purpose, the isolation of good from evil in man. But it is driving him slowly but inevitably towards madness (THE WORLD HAS GONE INSANE).

At "The Dregs," (THE GIRLS OF THE NIGHT), LUCY also sees her dreams fading. (NO ONE KNOWS WHO I AM). The return of Hyde, and their irresistible attraction to one another, make her increasingly aware of the consequences of such a relationship (IT'S A DANGEROUS GAME).

Lisa visits Jekyll, incurring his wrath when he finds her reading the journal in his laboratory. She leaves, aware that their romance is disintegrating (ONCE UPON A DREAM-LISA).

Jekyll is in torment (NO ONE MUST EVER KNOW); the drama spirals relentlessly upwards, and he strives desperately within himself to reverse the implacable fates that threaten to engulf those nearest and dearest to him - Lisa, Lucy and himself! He persuades Utterson to revise his will in favour of Edward Hyde, in case he fails in his last efforts to regain control of the situation.

But fail is what he is doomed to do. He returns as Hyde to "The Dregs," where a disillusioned Lucy allows herself one last glimmer of hope (A NEW LIFE). She is reading a letter from Jekyll as Hyde enters. Jealous now even of himself, his other and better persona, Hyde stabs her to death and slits her throat in a fit of murderous passion.

Realising what he has done, Jekyll is in total despair (ONCE UPON A DREAM - Jekyll). He destroys his laboratory by fire. Utterson arrives, and meets Hyde. He demands to know where Jekyll is. Jekyll reveals himself and his terrible secret, tells Utterson of the death of Lucy, and sends him to "The Dregs" to retrieve his incriminating letter.

Jekyll resolves to make one final supreme effort to overcome Hyde. He drinks the last of the for- mula HJ7, looks at himself in the mirror and sees... Hyde. They engage in a final desperate battle (CONFRONTATION). Who has won?

A month passes (THE WEDDING RECEPTION). Jekyll marries Lisa. All seems well, but at the wedding reception, the indestructible Hyde emerges yet again, and in a final scene of utter mayhem, when Lisa's life is threatened, Utterson shoots and kills him. The goodness of Henry Jekyll finally drowns in the ocean of evil of his own creation - Edward Hyde.

I love for The World Has Gone insane so much, and I will forever be mad that most productions choose just to remove it (what I wouldn’t give to see Coccioli perform this). Luckily some productions do keep it.

These productions are only from European productions. I’m not sure if this is a coincidence or if it's only ever been included in European shows, since it was cut Pre-Broadway.

Either way, I find it interesting to see how differently the scene is made.

The Vienna and Copenhagen productions really focus on the hallucinatory/nightmare aspect. Whereas Sweden is focusing more on Jekyll losing it. And tbh I think they’re all great in their own way.

I think it’s worth noticing that in the Copenhagen show the “old friends” are on stage and that it’s Utterson in the straitjacket, and Emma is wearing the bloodstained dress and her hair has been cut off.

I also really love Anders Ekborg singing in the Swedish show; it sounds like he is on the verge of crying.