No Day at the Beach: David Hasselhoff in Jekyll & Hyde

Yeah, I loved Knight Rider too. And although I have never baywatched, I can understand how the idea of bouncing bodacious ladies in red would appeal to millions of viewers around the world. Therefore, the 2000 Guinness Book World Record holder for "World's Most Watched TV Star" would seem like an ideal choice to replace Sebastian Bach in the Broadway adaptation of Jekyll & Hyde. Sadly, the manifestation of David Hasselhoff as the schizophrenic London doctor is itself a Jekyllian experiment gone wrong.

He should've stuck to saving lives.

When Hasselhoff first appeared on stage, everyone felt the excitement. But moments into this Baywatch-meets-Incredible-Hulk-on-acid fiasco I realized that my childhood love of Michael Knight would not be enough to carry me through to safety.

Although Hasselhoff attempted a singing career in the late eighties, halfway into the first song it became apparently clear why nothing ever came of it. (He may have been big in Europe, but their musical taste also includes the Spice Girls and Yanni.) Maybe I'm being a bit harsh. He can carry a tune, but not much better than the best drunk on a good night of karaoke caroling. When he sang it seemed as though all of his inspiration was coming from his loins, which the Hackensack Hasselhoff hussies in the front row seemed to appreciate. Every crescendo, accentuation, and emotional fluctuation of his character was accompanied by a plié and groin thrust, which I am sure was his nod to (insert famous choreographer name here) or Eric from "The Grind."

By intermission I was counting the number of scenes until the end of this horror. As Jekyll transformed to Hyde, so did Hasselhoff's performance for the better. As Hyde, Hasselhoff was willing to take more theatrical risks, making his performance seem more natural, and at times almost even good. But all of this merriment came to an end as fast as Baywatch did on NBC. During the "Confrontation" number Jekyll and Hyde battle for control of their body, Dr. Jekyll sporting a sleek ponytail while Hyde is recognized through a wild mane. To portray these dueling egos Hasselhoff was forced to whip his head back and forth, which did not exhibit conflict as much as it did how to get whiplash.

Overall, I felt that this was Hasselhoff's most embarassing performance since his portrayal of Garth, Michael Knight’s evil twin. The people I sympathized with most were the supporting cast. I am sure a few of them are beginning to realize that their dreams of Broadway stardom are being stolen away by someone who stars on UPN. I think I would have enjoyed the show more if instead of changing from Jekyll to Hyde, Hasselhoff had changed into Sebastian Bach. It would have been the perfect touch, because sitting through this performance I felt like I was 18, with life to go. --Tracy McNeil