Jekyll & Hyde - The Musical (Widescreen Edition) Review

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(More customer reviews)I'm suspecting that there are two types of people who are approaching this DVD, a filmed version of the stage production of "Jekyll & Hyde". One, someone familiar with the show--perhaps saw it and liked it or has the soundtrack--and wants to check out this variation. Or two, someone discovering it anew. It tempts me to write two reviews because while I love "Jekyll & Hyde", it's slightly unfortunate that this is the production most people will get a chance to judge.
So let me preface this by saying that I really am a fan of this show. Some people consider "Jekyll" sort of a "Phantom-lite". I, myself, have never been the biggest supporter of "Phantom of the Opera". It's fine, full of bombast, but hardly the revolutionary experience that people give it credit for. "Jekyll" does play to similar themes, but has a stronger overall soundtrack. Instead of a couple of showstoppers like "Phantom", "Jekyll" is filled with memorable power ballads. Not the most complicated show musically, it is very accessible. And when you have great singers, these simpler and emotionally charged songs become pop opera and quite moving.
So, without hesitation, I recommend the original Broadway Cast recording!!! Robert Cuccioli, Linda Eder and Christiane Noll are superb. You couldn't hope for better.
But here's the problem with this DVD, it's not this great cast--NO, the star is David Hasselhoff. So you see my problem, don't you? Look, I'm not going to be unkind--it's an easy target. Let's just say this. If you're a fan of the show, he doesn't completely ruin it. And it's not like there are any other versions to add to your collections. If you are new to the show, I'm still recommending it provisionally. I wish there were another option. If you like the show, though--and I think you will--please rush over and buy the 1997 Cast recording. Treat yourself to how "Jekyll & Hyde" should really sound.KGHarris, 10/06.

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Rent: Filmed Live on Broadway (2009) Review

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(More customer reviews)I saw both the show on stage and the highly stylized film version and having now experienced this performance, filmed live on Broadway at the end of the show's run, I now truly realize just how short the film version comes to really capturing the essence of what Jonathan Larson created. This high octane, musically innovative and striking show is also a beautiful and heartfelt exploration of youth, both lost and reclaimed; a very poignant portrait of the search for love and compassion, of hope and beauty in a world that everyday recedes deeper into the empty comforts of materialism and social acceptability. An updated version of Puccini's masterpiece La Boheme, Rent is obviously not as shy about not only examining the wounds of its characters but of exhibiting them; its blatant honesty and unapologetic credo of life are a million miles away from the subtle, innocent and elegant sentiments of late 19th century Parisian artists, starving in their garrets while courting muses. Rent is the "black sheep" of the Boheme lineage. It's a piece of theatre that bristles with tenacity in the face of hardship and rejection: No one here is willing to take anything lying down. It's really little wonder it was as critically acclaimed as it was and won the many prestigious awards that it did and reason for that is that it manages to be what few musicals have ever managed to be: Authentic, relevant but, ultimately, profoundly human; a rebellious celebration of life even in the face of addiction, illness and death . Add to that mixture some really first rate music, stellar performances and stage direction (an ingenious arc that fluidly shifts its characters around Manhattan yet all within the confines of a stage that's, for the most part, barren) and you've got one heck of a winning recipe. Rent is the musical for people who think they don't like musicals. It's as far removed from traditional American musical theatre as it possibly can be. It is the heir apparent to the socially relevant, politically conscience and in your face musical experience that was ushered in 40 years ago by the groundbreaking rock musical "Hair." But, of course, the most tragic element about Rent was the premature death of its creator, Jonathan Larson, who, sadly and ironically, died the day before opening night, a few days shy of his 36th birthday. But what a legacy he left us all.


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Set in New York City's gritty East Village, the revolutionary rock opera RENT tells the story of a group of bohemians struggling to live and pay their rent. "Measuring their lives in love," these starving artists strive for success and acceptance while enduring the obstacles of poverty, illness and the AIDS epidemic. RENT is Jonathan Larson's Pulitzer and Tony Award winning musical, one of the longest running shows on Broadway.

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