The Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde Rock 'n Roll Musical

ELITE
Street: Jan. 8
Prebook: now
> Uninspired musical update of the Jekyll & Hyde story.

A low-budget movie with high ambitions, The Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde Rock 'n Roll Musical has a premise that should strike cultish, campy gold. But the production is unable to walk the fine line between comedy, horror and loopiness, which would have made it a fun ride. Here, Jekyll and Hyde are played by Alan Bernhoft, who also composed the music for the film. The songs don’t leave much of a lasting memory (certainly no toe-tappers or, more appropriately, air-guitar inspirers), and even at 70 minutes, the narrative meanders for far too long. The filmmakers made a valiant effort, but there’s little joy and too few jolts in this disappointing experiment.

Shelf Talk: Despite its lackluster execution, The Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde Rock 'n Roll Musical will garner interest on name alone. Fans of The Rocky Horror Picture Show will be curious about this offering, but they might be frustrated to find that Rocky Horror does its thing far better.