Interview from the German TV Show "ARD WUNSCHBOX" on Friday, November 26th '99

The show started with Lyn Liechty and the "Red Rat Girls" performing "Bring on the Men". After that, the host, Ingo Dubinski, interviewed Ethan and Lyn. Here's a translation of the interview:

INGO: Dr. Jekyll, maybe you can give us a short version of the "Jekyll & Hyde" plot, in a short but detailed way. You are a doctor in the 19th century...

ETHAN: ...I'm a doctor in London, and I have the idea that I could improve the world with chemicals which could separate the good from the evil, so all evil could be eliminated. That would mean the end of all wars, all hate and all bad things for the whole of mankind. So I try to convince the Governors that my experiment could work, but they don't believe me. In my desperation, I try my formula on myself, and it does work, but with unexpected results...

INGO: Then Mr. Hyde appears and Hyde meets Lucy...

ETHAN: Hyde meets Lucy. Jekyll is engaged to Lisa, a pretty young woman from society, but a friend takes Jekyll to a dark pub, "The Red Rat", and there he meets the prostitute Lucy. So that's the first meeting but nothing happens. But after Hyde is born, he goes back to Lucy to start a deadly affair.

INGO: We don't want to tell anything more now, you'll have to see it in Bremen. Lucy, that was a great performance...

LYN:...thank you...

INGO:...all the men in the crew were very impressed. Lucy, where are you from? I call you Lucy, but her real name is Lyn Liechty.

LYN: Yeah, I'm from several places in the USA. New York, Wisconsin, Montana, Santa Fe. I came to Germany in 1995, to Stuttgart to do Miss Saigon. Last year I was in Vienna, Austria to do Tanz der Vampire and now Jekyll & Hyde.

INGO: What do you like about the character of Lucy ?

LYN: Everything! I love the role of Lucy. Although she is a prostitute, that's just her job. But she's really a person with a dream. She hates her job so she wants to have a better life and she's fighting for it. That's why I love her.

INGO: So, you come from America. How's Bremen?

LYN: Super! It's a really wonderful town, very nice. The people are so nice. Living and working in Bremen is a real pleasure.

INGO: How often do you have to perform?

LYN: 6 times a week. Sometimes a little less, sometimes more, but normally it's 6 shows per week.

INGO: And what are you doing in your free time?

LYN: At the moment I do a lot of pop music. I have a song on the charts called "La eternita", and it takes a lot of time but it's ok.

INGO: You also appeared on TV with that song along with Pierre Mazocetti. Is that your future, being a pop star?

LYN: I hope I can do both (musicals and pop music). I love pop music, it was the first direction I took in my life, doing pop music with a band and I also write my own pop songs, so I really hope I'll be able to do both.

INGO: And as Lucy, are you in love with Mr. Hyde?

LYN: I think Lucy sees something in Hyde that she's missing inside herself, that's what makes Hyde interesting for her. But I think Lucy really needs real love.

INGO: Dr. Jekyll, the man behind it is Ethan Freeman. That name doesn't sound like it comes from Schwabenland or Berlin. Where are you from?

ETHAN: I'm from America, but I've been to every place in the German area. I was born in New York, near New York City but I'm not a city child, although New York was the "big city" in my eyes, and I was always fascinated by Broadway and the Metropolitan Opera and the whole music and theatre scene in New York. So I wanted to go that way...

INGO: And how did you end up coming to Europe?

ETHAN: At first, my goal was the opera, not pop music like Lyn, so I came to Vienna at the beginning of the 80's to study opera singing. But I changed my mind when I discovered that my talent is to play, to move and to sing and not just having a big voice, so I found my way back to the world of musicals, which I had already done as a child. It started with Cats in Hamburg in 1987.

INGO: The role of Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde, which is actually one person, is the most difficult role in that show. Surely, it's not like in the movies: "Today I'll be Jekyll - tomorrow I'll do Hyde". You have to turn into the other character within a few seconds.

ETHAN: I think it is the most difficult role in current musical theatre. It's one of the longest and especially because of the big differences in singing and acting of the two personalities...it's the greatest.

INGO: How can you do this? Is there a trick? Is there a switch?

ETHAN: Actually, yes, there is. It's a personality switch. Every actor needs to have it inside of him. You have to think about it, in rehearsal you have to discover how it could match with your role, and...(yelling with his Hyde voice)...THEN YOU CAN TURN EVIL...(turns to normal again)...a little switch and it works somehow and it's fun.

INGO (obviously scared): But please tell me before you do that the next time, ok? I'm a very sensitive man.

ETHAN (yelling again): WITHOUT A WARNING!

INGO: The others from your show are already used to it, but for me it's something very new. BUT I'M ABLE TO DO IT...not...(tried to copy Ethan's style, but failed). Which part do you enjoy more? I guess Hyde is more fun for you.

ETHAN: Hyde is more fun. Jekyll is closer to me in character.

INGO: So, you're not a bad guy?

ETHAN: Nope, I just have a bad guy somewhere inside me but I never really let him out. That's the point of our story, you have to learn how to mix the two personalitiess you have inside you. That's the message of the show.

INGO: Last question for the two of you: What can you recommend if somebody is planning a trip to Bremen? What should he see?

LYN: Jekyll & Hyde :)

INGO: Yes sure, he's coming to see Jekyll & Hyde but what else should he visit?

LYN: Our restaurant and Henrys Bar :) There is a lot to see in Bremen. There are a lot of good restaurants, nice museums. Everything is very nice.

ETHAN: Bremen has a wonderful old town centre. They've kept it very nice and charming. You can see the "Bremer Stadtmusikanten" of course. Also the wonderful old-fashioned German buildings. And the village is really cool :) !