Review By Cindy [email protected]
Bach Rocks Broadway...(a very unconventional review)
by Cindy
I admit that when Sebastian announced in April at his New Orleans "Sebastian Bach & Friends" tour that he was going to star in "Jekyll & Hyde" on Broadway, very few things Sebastian has ever said have surprised me more. I've been a fan of Skid Row since day one, followed Sebastian all over the place and seen many, many shows. As I couldn't seem to keep away from him, I've been lucky enough to hang out with the guy a few times. I've grown up a lot over the past ten years, but I've never stopped adoring this beautiful wildman who represents to me the epitome of the spirit of rock n roll...
"Youth Gone Wild."
Sebastian...on Broadway! Now it so happens that I have always had a passion for musicals as well as rock, and a healthy respect of this art form -- and I had no doubt that Sebastian would shine more brightly than ever in this challenging role. It was just something I never expected to find him doing...and there was no way I was going to miss seeing this.
I'm almost glad that I moved away from Springfield, Massachusetts where I grew up to New Orleans, Louisiana, since being so close to New York City and knowing Sebastian was on Broadway would have driven me crazy. I'm sure I'd have been there every week! As it stands, I was able to fly up to New York to see the show just once. Perhaps that fact has made it an even more precious memory.
I met my mother, who also adores Sebastian from the many years I made her cart me around in pursuit of him, in Manhattan on Thursday, July 20, 2000. Our tickets were for the next night's show, but we couldn't resist going over to the Plymouth Theatre to see if we could catch him that night. What a crowd awaited him at the stage door! When he emerged triumphantly I hung back -- I felt like I hadn't earned the right to be there since I hadn't gone to see the show yet. And as much as I wanted to be near Sebastian, I felt like I should leave him to those who had not been lucky enough to meet him as much as I have and who wanted their Playbills from that night autographed.
Listening to his remarks to the crowd of fans was hysterical. The door was plastered with a huge picture of him, as Hyde, and Coleen Sexton, the female lead in the show. Sebastian pointed out a lock that was embedded in the door right where his forehead was in the picture. "And they call me a metal head..." he said.
Eventually I couldn't resist and crept near. He looked up and said with some surprise "What are you doing here?"
Uh-huh! I said, somewhat sarcastically, before I could stop myself, "What do you think I'm doing here??"
Then came the dreaded question, he asked if I'd seen the show and I had to admit that I had not yet been...but at least I had tickets for the next night. That was about the extent of the conversation, until he had to leave and we happened to be walking back in the same direction as him (really! I swear! Our hotel was that way...) and he stopped and gave both my Mom and I a hug, and we told him we'd see him tomorrow and how excited we were. I think I said something about how wonderful it was to see all the posters of him, how amazing it all was and he told us to check out the big billboard in Times Square.
As we headed back to the hotel, I looked for and failed to find what he was talking about. We stopped in a corner store to buy a soda and as we stepped out I happened to look up. There I saw it. I could hardly speak, it was so overwhelming, not just in beauty but in size. This was the first time I saw the slogan but I certainly agreed: "Evil Has Never Looked This Good."
The next afternoon I managed to photograph every aspect of the outside of the Plymouth Theatre. There are many large posters of Sebastian and Coleen and other cast members, as well as his name in huge letters. Just being near this building was a thrill...no business like show business, I guess.
I was...annoyingly...excited by the time we were allowed to go inside for the performance. As I tripped up to my seat in the third row (after loading up on souvenirs -- program, T-shirt, keychain -- there were very few Jekyll & Hyde souvis to be found anywhere in Manhattan, too...I did get a promo postcard of Sebastian that I charmed out of a shop owner who had it in his window) I could not believe how close to the stage we were sitting. I tried to read my Playbill but I couldn't concentrate. And finally, finally it started...
There he was. My heart was hammering in my chest, and I tried to concentrate on the show, to forget that it was *Sebastian!* --I couldn't help thinking how odd to hear Sebastian speak with a British accent, to see his arms without tattoos, to see him dressed in a style from two centuries back...
And then there was only the show, this romantic horror that enchanted me completely, and a tortured man who lost himself when he tried to do a good thing...and a voice like an angel.
Coleen Sexton sparkled as Lucy, playing perfectly against Sebastian. "Dangerous Game" is my favorite song from the CD, and their sexy performance of it was a highlight. "The Confrontation" -- a duet between Jekyll and Hyde, was wonderful to see as Sebastian deftly switched back and forth between the two opposite personalities.
His acting abilities shone -- watching him transform from Jekyll to Hyde was disturbing, yet exciting. The comedic moments came off wittily.
The most impressive song from the whole show was Sebastian's performance of "This is The Moment" -- Dr. Jekyll's decision to perform his experiment on himself.
"When I look back, I will always recall, This was the moment, The greatest moment of them all!"
I couldn't help but thinking that perhaps this is how Sebastian will look back and see his run on Broadway. Such a tremendous accomplishment. I'm so proud of him. He has come so very far.
My eyeliner was wrecked before the intermission. It is rare that music can be so powerful that it can wrest tears of pure emotion from me, but this show did. By the end of it, I was exhausted. I didn't think I'd be able to get out of my chair...but adrenaline rushed me to my feet as the crowd gave Sebastian a standing ovation.
The tension from the show lightened as someone gave Sebastian a pink rose during his final bow. He ripped it out of the cellophane, bit the head off, and spit rose petals all over the stage. Well, there's one more thing I never expected to see on Broadway!
Still in a fine emotional state, I rushed out of the theater with my Mom to the backstage door. I was bubbling over with things I wanted to say to Sebastian, knowing that it would likely all be reduced to three or four words when I finally was able to see him again.
George Merritt, who played Jekyll's friend John Utterson, came out fairly quickly, and amusingly found a glove in his pants...he handed it to the doorman and asked him to give it back to wardrobe...
Coleen Sexton soon followed to tremendous applause. I had both of them sign my Playbill.
And then, there was the man of the hour. Everyone crowded around him, and I did my best to get near as well. I shoved my Playbill at him for him to sign and blurted out, "That was the best thing I've ever seen in my life, Sebastian."
He smiled, signing my program. The girl next to me said "Except for ten years ago!"
Sebastian said, "Are you saying I don't still rock?"
The girl sputtered.
Sebastian said "F*ck ten years ago."
I said, "You've come a long way in ten years."
He looked up and he thanked me. And it was true. And nothing will ever stop Sebastian Bach from rocking, no matter what medium he chooses to use to showcase his inestimable talents.
I faded back into the crowd, taking a few pictures (even though I swore off taking pictures of Sebastian in huge crowds of people years ago -- I have albums full of good pictures of the man...but this was different...I wanted to mark the occasion.) I didn't get to tell him good bye. But I don't really need to say good bye, because eventually, I'll see him somewhere else. I know that.
Yet this is the moment I will remember as the greatest of them all.