My first experience with Jekyll & Hyde was in 2004 at the COEX Auditorium, featuring Cho Seung Woo as Jekyll/Hyde and Sonya as Lucy. Even after twenty years, my memory of “This Is the Moment” and “The Confrontation” remains unusually vivid, along with Sonya’s ringing, attractive voice.

Twenty-one years later, I returned to the same musical, now staged at Blue Square Shinhan Card Hall. This time, I was primarily drawn back because Jisoo Sohn — whose pure, crystalline soprano as Christine in The Phantom of the Opera had left a lasting impression — was performing as Emma.

The musical features many of Frank Wildhorn’s great songs: “Good 'N' Evil,” “This Is the Moment,” “Once Upon a Dream,” “In His Eyes,” “Confrontation,” and the ensemble number “Murder, Murder.” The show remains very popular in Korea, regularly re-running to packed audiences.

Korean big theater productions usually use a multicasting system with about three performers per role, but in Jekyll & Hyde, five were cast for the title role. This both showcased performers who were strong singers and/or actors — though, as I could tell, some were clearly better at one than the other. The musical ran for six months in Seoul, followed by a week each in Daegu and Busan, the two other cities that usually host major musicals.

At first glance, the 2025 production was significantly different from the one I saw twenty years ago. There were no sophisticated relay systems then, no LED backgrounds, and, as far as I remember, no second-floor set. This time, the set was impressive, with irregular cross-lattice lighting at the bottom, possibly representing Hyde’s killings with knives. The atmosphere of London was portrayed with umbrellaed choreography by the ensemble during “Murder, Murder.” The scene changes were smooth and spectacular, using many pulley systems.

Dr. Jekyll’s laboratory was particularly beautiful, filled with many glass bottles containing colorful liquids. His injection liquid turned from transparent to reddish-purple under the lighting — it could plausibly have been ethanolic phenolphthalein at lower pH, changing color when a basic solution, possibly bicarbonate for safety in handling, was added. The injection scene was unintentionally amusing. Jekyll tied his elbow with a thin cloth strip, seemingly to find a vein, but injected at an angle that would certainly reach muscle, not a vein, in the lower arm. Later pain in his arm was used as a narrative tool, so this inaccuracy might have been necessary. I could only smile quietly at the scientific liberties taken for dramatic effect.

I attended four performances in total — two with Kim Sung-cheol and one each with Hong Kwang-ho and Shin Sung-rok as Jekyll and Hyde.

Kim Sung-cheol’s greatest strength was his naturalism in acting. He moved in and out of scenes without unnecessary gestures, and during moments of stillness, resisted the temptation to fill the void with excessive expressions. His portrayal of Jekyll was that of a determined, lovable young man — never overacted, always grounded. His Hyde was ruthless, with a deepened tone and noticeable vocal scratching that distinguished the dual roles effectively. On my second visit, when his voice had grown hoarse and Jekyll’s tone resembled Hyde’s, he maintained enough contrast, particularly in “The Confrontation.” Though his tone carried a wide vibrato, his acting clarity and stage discipline carried the performance. He always hit his marks — including standing precisely in the red spotlight during “This Is the Moment” — and gave a memorably dramatic curtain call, using expressive full-body movement. A remarkably good actor!

From his first line, Hong Kwang-ho’s vocal technique and stamina stood out. His choice to use a deep, resonant low tone for Hyde without vocal growling or scratching preserved his vocal health while maintaining dramatic power. “The Confrontation” was my personal best among the same number in videos and live theater. His Jekyll was a clear young tenor, and his Hyde was a deep, dark baritone — all with chest resonance. His baritone sounded genuinely natural without any forced lowering of the larynx, and I was quite surprised by the breadth of his range and how effortlessly he shifted between vocal registers. As the self-conflict deepened through the song, he cleverly used two staccato notes to add texture and character distinction, which almost made me scream. His physicality also reflected thoughtful purpose, moving between blocking points like “a little quest,” as if connecting his acting intentions to each scene transition. Hong’s acting occasionally felt more deliberate or “performed” compared to Kim Sung-cheol’s effortless naturalism.

Shin Sung-rok’s Jekyll wavered on the final sustained note in “This Is the Moment,” though he managed to recover the pitch. In Act II, during dialogue with Utterson as Jekyll, he murmured his entire scene, an apparent attempt to express Jekyll’s confusion and urgency. Similar slurring and unclear diction continued into the wedding scene.

Jisoo Sohn was Emma in all four of my attendances. Well, I am partial to her voice. She delivered a clear, bright soprano, handling her vocal lines with ease and emotional growth. As Christine in The Phantom of the Opera, she had impressed me with her clean, poised tone and excellent diction. As Emma, she continued to show that same “Christine quality” — clarity, grace, and technical consistency. She became the consistent thread through my four different casts of Jekyll & Hyde, anchoring each performance with quiet strength.

Her father, Sir Danvers (Kim Yong-soo), offered the best portrayal among the Danvers actors. His clarity, diction, and vocal tone even outshone Jekyll in the engagement party scene.

Gongju Yoon used vocal bending frequently, portraying a decadent and disillusioned character — she is a seasoned actor able to adapt the role. Ivy’s Lucy was seductive and had good resonance to fill the auditorium. Yet I heard the harmony break during the duet “In His Eyes.”

Lina brought a lovely and endearing stage presence, focusing less on overt sensuality and more on sincere emotional connection. Her microexpressions — particularly small, shy signs of attraction toward Jekyll — were genuine and heartfelt. Vocally, Lina exceeded expectations with strong phrasing and emotional control. Her background as a pop duo member from “Isak N Jiyeon” likely contributed to her excellent harmonizing, which made her duet with Jisoo Sohn (“In His Eyes”) musically and emotionally cohesive.

Both John Utterson actors had clear, strong vocal and acting delivery and provided stable support throughout the performance. The chorus and orchestra were musically solid and consistently reliable. The supporting cast maintained a high standard, compensating for fluctuations in lead performance quality.

Returning to Jekyll & Hyde in 2025 brought a surge of memories. My younger son — now an adult — fully enjoyed the show he once feared as a child. For me, it was the musical that first made me appreciate Korean productions and sparked my admiration for musical actor Cho Seung Woo.

The musical numbers of Jekyll & Hyde are genuinely strong, including the songs that connect the major numbers. While the show remains popular in Korea, international demand has been smaller. I thought that separating good and evil from a person — while the dual personality theme is certainly attractive — leaves a lot of unanswered territory. What do you do if you want to keep only good and discard evil? You cannot simply throw it away. And if Hyde overwhelmed Jekyll, was evil always larger from the start, cunningly hiding beneath the surface? Was Jekyll a good man, a hypocrite, or pure evil itself? Well, musical plots don’t need to tie every thread neatly. I just thought the far-fetched melodrama might be the reason the show has not gained similar popularity in other parts of the world — even though the song arrangements, orchestra, and ensemble work are meticulous.