Jekyll & Hyde set for Australian debut in Rockdale

[Talissa]

From www.broadwayaustralia.com

Rockdale Musical Society in Sydney has been awarded the rights to produce the Australian premiere production of the Broadway musical Jekyll & Hyde.

The decision to award the first rights to a musical society means that chances of a professional version of the show heading to Australia are slim.

Traditionally, rights to Broadway shows are not released if there are plans to bring it to Australia in a large-scale format.

Rockdale Musical Society are planning to produce the show in September.

A true musical theatre phenomenon, Jekyll & Hyde attracted legions of loyal fans even before the show began its smash-hit Broadway run. Australia's own Anthony Warlow made his indelible mark in the title role of Jekyll/Hyde in the 1994 Concept Cast Recording, in particular with the show-stopping number 'This Is The Moment.'

An evocative tale of the epic battle between good and evil, Jekyll & Hyde is based on Robert Louis Stevenson's classic story about a brilliant doctor whose experiments with human personality create a
murderous counterpart. Convinced the cure for his father's mental illness lies in the separation of Man's evil nature from his good, Dr Henry Jekyll unwittingly unleashes his own dark side, wreaking havoc in the streets of late 19th century London as the savage, maniacal Edward Hyde.

[ronald]

yay! we're finally opening in exactly a week - am very excited to be part of the musical ;D

check out:
www.rockdalemusicalsociety.com/present.htm

for more information.

cheers,
Ronald

[Talissa]

Chookahs for the show, then! I look forward to hearing about it!

And I was rather wondering how long it would be before one of the Rockdale people turned up here

~Julia

[ronald]

thanks Julia for the support!

i'm surprised no Rockdale members are here..
am nevertheless glad to be the first, in addition to this being my first musical and involvement with Rockdale ;D

[Hannah]

Good luck with the show!

I'm hoping to come and see it, though I'm not sure if I can make it with my insane schedule in the next few weeks

I love this musical so hopefully you'll all do it justice! hehe

(On a slightly different note, it was a nice shock to see some Sydney news here as opposed to Melbourne ;D )

[Janem]

Hi Ronald and all,
I am sitting at uni while my undergrad students are sitting a test and did a bit of surfing and came across this site.
I am the director of "Jekyll and Hyde" opening tonight in Rockdale and am really excited to see our wonderful cast up there on stage. I hope we get lots of audience support because the cast and crew really deserve it - they have worked so hard and created a really beautiful show.
If anyone gets to see it would be really interested in comments, both supportive and critical, as we have taken a few creative leaps with the show and it will be interesting to see how they are interpreted.
Looking forward to seeing you at the theatre tonight Ronald!
Jane x

[ronald]

hey Jane!

yes it is a great cast to work with and the crew has been working so tirelessly in the background as well.

i have to admit that it was a little intimidating when i first arrived to the rehearsals and hearing such great voices around ;D

a very big kudos to you, Mark and Craig for bringing in all the artistic, creative and musical direction together - no mean feat!

..and i think we can outdo the version that i saw on dvd recently that starred David Hasselhoff

seeya tonight Jane!

[Buff]

Janem & Ronald,

Chookas to you both for the show. Sorry I can't get there but I'd love to hear how it goes.

All the best!

Buff

[Lyndal]

Big hello and best wishes to Jane and the J&H cast!
I can't wait to see the show, just know it will be amazing. I wish I could have stayed but do not doubt I will very much enjoy being a part of the audience!

xx Lyndal.

[Talissa]

ronald said:

..and i think we can outdo the version that i saw on dvd recently that starred David Hasselhoff

I haven't seen that DVD, but from what I've heard, that wouldn't be hard

However, going by Rockdale's reputation and the evident enthusiasm, it definitely sounds worth seeing. Almost making me wish I could get up to Sydney for it.

Lyndal, if you see it, I expect a full report

And Jane, welcome to the board. Nice to have another Sydney-sider!

~Julia

[nadine]

I'm kicking myself I missed getting tickets for this... wonder if I can sneak a single one next weekend

[Janem]

Hi all,
"Jekyll and Hyde" opened at Rockdale last night and it is just running beautifully. I have just come from the third show (via the pub) and I am very proud of everyone involved. Audiences have been extremely positive, and I think we have done a good job all round.
Show is on next Weds, Fri-Sun, and tickets are still available but selling fast, so please come along.
Jane
Director

[Hannah]

Talissa said:

I haven't seen that DVD, but from what I've heard, that wouldn't be hard

I've seen it and god... if you had a bare stage with house lights on, you'd beat Hasselhoff.

No seriously, I hope you're all doing really well with it!