A "Jekyll And Hyde" Dream Come True

When I first learned that David Hasselhoff would be performing "Jekyll and Hyde" in New York I was ecstatic. My husband and I immediately made plans to go to New York in March when we both had vacation time. We would spend a few days there, sight seeing and of course seeing the play.

All my plans died in a moment when I learned that the show was to close on January 7th. And so here is my story of how I did indeed made it to New York and had the best time of my life. I have so many people to thank for making my dream come true. My husband, my family and above all a dear friend I will never be able to thank enough, Eileen.

It was the beginning of December and only six weeks until "Jekyll and Hyde" closed it's doors forever. I resigned myself to the fact that I would not see the play and would have to content myself with the posting of those who saw the show (at the time the PPV was just a rumor).

I had been e-mailing Eileen who had been to the play on it's first night, the official opening Oct. 31st and many more times. Each time she went she told me that David's performance improved until he absolutely owned the stage. And I was going to miss it. I was heartbroken and told her that in an e-mail. The next day she surprised me with an invitation to stay with her and see the show together. I was in shock. Could it be that I was actually going to be able to see David in "Jekyll and Hyde"? But there were obstacles. Should I travel alone three thousand miles to stay with a complete stranger? Friends and co-workers told me I was crazy. Traveling all that way just to see David Hasselhoff in a play for two and a half hours...? They would never do it. It was stupid and risky. I knew nothing of the person I was going to be staying with. But I felt that I knew Eileen. We had corresponded constantly about the show. We talked about our families and our likes and dislikes. I felt comfortable with her. So I made my decision. If I didn't do this I would regret it always.

I sent a resounding YES. We purchased two tickets for January 2, 2001 and the countdown began. It was now only two weeks away from Christmas and the words "But I have nothing to wear..." could not have been more true. I live in California where only occasionally the thermometer drops below forty during the night. It was now twenty degrees in the middle of the day in New York and that was without the wind chill factor.

But clothes would have to wait. Christmas came first. A Christmas tree had to be bought and decorated, presents had to be bought and wrapped on my days off and before I knew it, it was Christmas Day.

I will always remember Christmas 2000 as being my "Jekyll and Hyde" Christmas. Everything under the tree for me that morning was for my trip. A pair of small binoculars from my husband so I could see the stage no matter how far back we sat and a suitcase with wheels so I felt like a world traveler at the airport... A beautiful black full-length coat from my daughter and her husband. Mad money from my son and his girlfriend. It was really happening. And the countdown continued. Eight more days.

The next week flew by. On my day off my daughter and I spent the entire day shopping for clothes. Warm sweaters, long skirts, a hat, gloves and a scarf (I had no idea how much I would need that scarf). It seemed ironic how the tables had shifted, now my daughter was helping me pick put out clothes.

And then the first signs of disaster. I had innocently mentioned to Eileen that I would like to see a little snow. Friday, three days before my trip the East Coast was pounded by the worst snowstorm they had had in fifteen years. Saturday all the airports in the area were closed. And all day Sunday people who were stranded by the storm on Saturday were still trying to get flights in and out of the New York and surrounding states. Monday, January 1, 2001 was my flight. Would I ever get there? And once there would the roads be clear enough for Eileen to reach me at the airport?

Monday morning 4 A.M. New Years Day my real journey began. Packed and ready to go by 5 A.M. we reach the airport at 6:30 for the 8 A.M. flight to Philadelphia , PA. At 7:30 I said good by to my husband and boarded the plane for a trip of a lifetime. Excited, and just a little scared. Would I recognize Eileen when I got to PA? She said she would wear her Jekyll and Hyde tee shirt and a big smile.

Eileen was a woman of her word. There she was with her Jekyll and Hyde tee shirt and a warm welcome. It was a half hours drive to her house. I had asked to see some snow and boy did I see snow, piled high everywhere. A warm fire and Eileen?s husband greeted us at her house and after couple of hours of conversation and swapping photos it was time for bed. Tomorrow was the big day.

January 2, 2001. The sky was partly cloudy, no snow expected, and cold? Twenty degrees with twenty mile an hour winds. This poor little California girl nearly froze before the day was over. We took the New Jersey Transit Train into New York, (an hour and a half ride), then a cab to Times Square. What an unbelievable sight. Billboards everywhere advertising every Broadway show.

People bundled beneath heavy coats and that all important scarf. We walked around for awhile. I tried not to look like a gawking tourist (I failed miserably). Then Eileen took me to see The Plymouth Theater.

It was six O'clock and time to eat. Across from the Plymouth Theater was a small restaurant called Barrymores. Legend had it that John Barrymore haunted the place. Ironically he was the first actor to play "Jekyll and Hyde" in a movie made in 1920. All the buildings on Braodway were old and brimming with nostalgia. It wasn?t hard to believe that Barrymore was indeed there, watching over the restaurant and the play across the street.

By 7:30 we were back at the Plymouth Theater. The first thing that struck me about almost all the buildings in that area was how small they were. The Plymouth only holds 1026 seats. We made our way to our seats. Row "N" last two seats on the center isle, left side. They were good seats although my view was partially obstructed by the man sitting in front of me. I was constantly weaving my head back and fort to see the stage. I hope the person in back of me was not having the same problem. And I did use the binoculars.

The stage was bathed in a deep red light and looked so small I couldn?t believe it could hold a full stage production.

The lights dimmed, the first beat of the music filled the theater and I took a deep breath. I was there. A dream come true.

There is no way I can describe just how wonderful the play was or how surprised I was at David's performance. I knew he could sing. I have collected all his albums and to be honest when I first heard he was doing this play I didn?t think he had a powerful enough voice. Boy when I'm wrong, I'm wrong. For two and a half hours I was swept away into the world of Jekyll and Hyde. Each song amazed me more. And all too soon it was over.

After a standing ovation David stayed on stage and thanked everyone for being a part of his dream to come to Broadway. It was a heartfelt thanks and everyone knew it. The curtain closed and we rushed outside to wait in line at the stage door for David.

By now it was so cold my feet were frozen, but it was well worth the wait. Thirty minutes later he appeared, happy to sign autographs and take pictures with his fans (in the picture below you can see David with Manja a German fans of him)...

And we were back on the train heading for home. BUT ONCE WAS NOT ENOUGH!!
I had to see it one more time. At every theater they have what is called "Rush Tickets". They are fourteen tickets that they hold back for same day seating. Most of them are partial view seats. They cost Twenty Dollars opposed to the Eighty-Five Dollar ticket I had for the January 2nd performance. So a new plan was hatched. I would return to the box off by nine A.M. the next morning to hopefully purchase two rush tickets for that nights performance when the box office opened at ten. If I got the tickets Eileen would meet me in front of the theater at five P.M. and we would have dinner and then off to the play again. A slow train got us home at 3 A.M. and I had to be up again at 6 A.M. to catch the 7:30 train back into New York.

You know the old saying about "If it can go wrong, it will go wrong?"
I got my ticket the next morning boarded the train and ten minutes out the conductor announces that there was difficulty with another train and that the one we were on was now going to be a local, stopping at every stop and getting into New York thirty minutes late. I couldn't believe it. What luck. So we crawled along the tracks. I kept looking at my watch. It was supposed to arrive at Penn Station at 8:45. We finely pulled in at (9:30). Did I still have time enough to get to the theater? I ran to the curb where at least two- dozen other people were waiting for a cab. Ten long minutes later I was in a cab headed for the theater. By the time I got there it was ten minutes to ten and a line of people had already formed, at least twenty people. My heart sank. Was it even worth standing in line at this point? But there was a matinee that day and I hoped that some of the people in line were buying tickets for the 2 P.M. show. So I waited. The last one in line. Forty minutes later it was my turn. I asked for two tickets for that nights performance and just for "small talk" I told the ticket agent that I had traveled from California to see this play. Amazed that I had traveled that far he smiled and said "I'm going to do you a big favor. Your can have these two seats." He showed me the seating chart. 22 and 23 row "AA". I thanked him for giving me such good seats (not knowing exactly how good they were) and left the theater. It was now eleven O'clock and Eileen would not be meeting me until 5 O'clock that evening. But I had a great time. I walked around Times Squared and Rockefeller Center. I walked and walked all day. By five that evening I was exhausted. I met Eileen, we had dinner, Barrymores again of course, then headed across the street to the theater.

When we sat down in our seats I was flabbergasted. It was the very first row last two seats of the center isle on the right side. We were so close to the stage that I could put my foot out and touch it. And I knew from seeing the play the night before that David would be standing right above me during a good portion of the play.

From the first beat of the music, so loud in front that it made me jump to the moment Jekyll dies on stage only four feet away from me, I was transported into the world of Jekyll and Hyde. After another standing ovation David said a few words of thanks again this time with tears in his eyes. There was only a week left before the show would close.

I left the theater that night elated and saddened. Elated that I had seen David do something he had always wanted to do and did it so well. And saddened because I knew it was coming to an end. But because of the kindness of a stranger I too was there to be part of his dream.