'Jekyll & Hyde' gets a maximalist makeover in Kokandy's powerhouse Chicago revival

By Lauren Emily Whalen

Since 2010, Chicago’s Kokandy Productions has become the little company that could—and now they’re literally moving up. Rather than The Chopin Theatre’s intimate downstairs space (where its extended Amélie just closed last weekend), Jekyll & Hyde takes over the mainstage. Producing artistic director Derek von Barham’s vividly scary staging features powerhouse vocals and a dazzling lead performance.

For the musical’s first Chicago production in 15 years, Kokandy goes big, embracing the profound themes contained in the story of Dr. Henry Jekyll and his murderous alter ego, Mr. Edward Hyde, and leaning into the piece’s inherent maximalism.

David Moreland in Kokandy Productions' "Jekyll & Hyde." — David Moreland in Kokandy Productions’ “Jekyll & Hyde.” Photo by Evan Hanover.

Music director/conductor Nick Sula deftly leads a gifted ensemble and full 15-piece orchestra with an emphasis on Frank Wildhorn’s dramatic chords and vocal runs. G. “Max” Maxin IV’s lighting design features brilliant cues, such as touches of toxic green as Hyde’s body count increases and those who care for Jekyll slowly realize the transformation. Both Brenda Didier’s choreography and Rachel Sypniewski’s costumes deliver pure gothic sexuality, with fluid, rippling arm movements and catlike struts. The crimson red and black color palette features BDSM embellishments for all, including Jekyll/Hyde’s full brocade suit with a corset that laces up the back.

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As Jekyll’s loyal, long-suffering fiancée Emma Carew, Emily McCormick delivers operatic trills with a sweet-faced countenance. Ava Lane Stovall’s long-suffering sex worker Lucy Harris is vocally revelatory, both in boisterous raunch like “Bring on the Men” and ballads like “Someone Like You,” resulting in extended ovations from the opening night audience. And in the title role(s), David Moreland shines as an actor and vocalist, especially in Act I’s transformation “This is the Moment.” Moreland’s nuanced performance brings forth Jekyll’s idealism and Hyde’s sadism in equal measure, adding a layer of heartbreak to the climactic “Confrontation.”

Ava Lane Stovall and David Moreland in Kokandy Productions’ "Jekyll & Hyde." — Ava Lane Stovall and David Moreland in Kokandy Productions’ “Jekyll & Hyde.” Photo by Evan Hanover.

Wildhorn and Leslie Bricusse’s musical adaptation of Robert Louis Stevenson’s classic tale of good vs. evil premiered on Broadway in 1997 and recalls the popular shows of the era: dark overtones, dramatic stakes, and a solid two-act structure with a hefty score. Kokandy’s Jekyll & Hyde evokes nostalgia for the over-the-top musical days of old, while presenting Chicago audiences with a frightening and sexy theatrical treat.