Stageworks Theatre Brings the Gothic Musical ‘Jekyll & Hyde’ to Northwest Houston This Fall
For northwest Houston and Cy-Fair residents looking ahead to fall entertainment, a familiar literary battle between light and darkness is about to unfold close to home.
Stageworks Theatre will present Jekyll & Hyde from Sept. 18 through Oct. 11, 2026, at its theatre at 10760 Grant Road in Houston, opening the local nonprofit theatre company’s 2026-27 Mainstage season. Directed and choreographed by Cassandra Zepeda, with musical direction by Katie Heaton, the production brings together gothic suspense, romance and a demanding contemporary score in a story that has spent decades on stages around the world.
For local audiences, however, there is another connection that makes this production especially fitting: Jekyll & Hyde has roots in Houston itself.
A dark musical with Houston history
Based on Robert Louis Stevenson’s 1886 novella Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde, the musical follows Dr. Henry Jekyll, a physician convinced that the good and evil sides of human nature can be scientifically separated.
His determination leads him to experiment on himself. Instead of conquering humanity’s darker impulses, he unleashes Edward Hyde, a violent alter ego who becomes increasingly difficult to control.
The stage musical was conceived by composer Frank Wildhorn and Steve Cuden, with book and lyrics by Leslie Bricusse. According to Music Theatre International, Wildhorn began developing the idea after college, and the musical was first presented at Houston’s Alley Theatre in May 1990, where its run was extended twice.
That Houston beginning eventually led much farther.
After developmental productions and touring, Jekyll & Hyde opened on Broadway at the Plymouth Theatre on April 28, 1997. The original Broadway production ran until Jan. 7, 2001, logging 1,543 performances, according to the Internet Broadway Database. The musical later returned to Broadway in a 2013 revival.
Its score has also given musical theatre audiences some enduring songs, including “This Is the Moment,” “Someone Like You,” “Once Upon a Dream,” “A New Life” and the dramatic Jekyll-and-Hyde showdown “Confrontation.”
Stageworks describes its production as a gothic thriller combining psychological drama, romance, horror and sweeping vocals—a noticeably darker turn after the theatre's summer production of Seussical.
Stageworks Theatre has grown alongside the Cy-Fair community
For longtime northwest Houston residents, Stageworks Theatre is also a familiar part of the area's performing arts landscape.
The organization began in 2005 as Houston Family Arts Center, initially operating as a small community theatre from a local church stage. As both the organization and the surrounding Cy-Fair area grew, its programming expanded beyond traditional family productions to include a broader range of musicals, dramas and comedies. The organization adopted the Stageworks Theatre name in 2016 as part of that evolution.
Today, Stageworks operates from 10760 Grant Road and presents Mainstage productions while also providing theatrical education through its Stageworks Theatre Academy. The organization says its mission centers on using productions, educational programs and community outreach to bring people together while giving performers opportunities to develop their craft.
That combination of community theatre and arts education has given northwest Houston residents something increasingly valuable as the area has grown: the opportunity to see live theatre without making the drive into Houston's central arts districts—and, for local performers, the opportunity to become part of the productions themselves.
What audiences can expect from ‘Jekyll & Hyde’
This is not a lighthearted family musical.
Stageworks recommends the production for ages 13 and older, noting that it includes frightening transformations, intense violence and mild profanity. The material revolves around murder, obsession, scientific ambition and the increasingly dangerous consequences of Jekyll's experiment.
But beneath the gothic atmosphere is a story that has remained recognizable for generations: how far a person should go in pursuit of a seemingly noble goal, what happens when ambition outruns judgment, and whether the parts of human nature people would rather hide can ever truly be separated from the rest.
Music Theatre International classifies the show as PG-13 and describes the work as a two-act musical built around the struggle between good and evil, with the central transformation demanding both dramatic and vocal range from its leading performer.
That combination of theatrical spectacle and an unsettling moral question is part of what has kept Stevenson’s original idea—and the musical it inspired—in the public imagination.
‘Jekyll & Hyde’ performance dates at Stageworks Theatre
Stageworks Theatre has scheduled performances across four weekends:
- Friday, Sept. 18 — 7:30 p.m. / Saturday, Sept. 19 — 7:30 p.m. / Sunday, Sept. 20 — 2 p.m.
- Friday, Sept. 25 — 7:30 p.m. / Saturday, Sept. 26 — 7:30 p.m. / Sunday, Sept. 27 — 2 p.m.
- Friday, Oct. 2 — 7:30 p.m. / Saturday, Oct. 3 — 7:30 p.m. / Sunday, Oct. 4 — 2 p.m.
- Friday, Oct. 9 — 7:30 p.m. / Saturday, Oct. 10 — 2 p.m. / Saturday, Oct. 10 — 7:30 p.m. / Sunday, Oct. 11 — 2 p.m.
The production will be staged at Stageworks Theatre, 10760 Grant Road, Houston, TX 77070. Stageworks offers reserved seating for most events, and tickets are available through the theatre's online box office.
With Jekyll & Hyde, Stageworks is opening its new season with a production that connects local community theatre to a piece of Houston theatrical history. For audiences searching for live theatre in Cypress, northwest Houston musicals, fall date-night ideas, community theatre near Cy-Fair or Houston-area performing arts events, the four-week run offers a nearby chance to experience a show that first began finding its audience in Houston more than three decades ago.
Stay tuned to My Neighborhood News for more local arts, entertainment and community event updates throughout the Cy-Fair and northwest Houston area.
Tiffany Krenek has been on the My Neighborhood News team since August 2021. She is passionate about curating and sharing content that enriches the lives of our readers in a personal, meaningful way. A loving mother and wife, Tiffany and her family live in the West Houston/Cypress region.
