Jekyll, Lucy, and Emma: Get to Know the Performers Bringing This Iconic Trio to Life
- Rose Center Theater
- May 28
- 3 min read
Rose Center Theater's production of Jekyll & Hyde runs June 12–28, 2026 in Westminster, CA
Three performers, three roles, and one story that demands everything they have. The dual demands of the title role, the emotional devastation required of Lucy Harris, and the quiet, unwavering grace of Emma Carew are among the most challenging assignments in all of musical theater. For Rose Center Theater's production, on stage June 12–28, 2026, three extraordinary Orange County performers step into these iconic roles. Here's who they are.
Matthew Bartosch as Dr. Henry Jekyll & Edward Hyde
The roles of Henry Jekyll and Edward Hyde are widely regarded as among the most demanding leading roles in musical theater. Requiring an actor to convincingly inhabit two completely opposite human beings, often within the same scene. For Matthew Bartosch, the challenge is one he has been building toward for a long time.
After more than a decade away from the musical stage, Matthew returns to the Rose Center Theater, the same theater where he first honed his craft, training under Director of Musical Theatre, Tim Nelson, at the Academy for the Performing Arts. His previous credits speak to his range: the brooding, masked Erik in Phantom and the idealistic Chris in Miss Saigon, both at the Rose Center Theater, as well as Tobias in Sweeney Todd at Fullerton College. He later deepened his acting training through the program and multiple productions at South Coast Repertory, one of the most respected regional theater companies in Southern California. His earliest theatrical roots stretch back to Elizabeth Howard's Curtain Call Dinner Theater, a beloved institution in the Orange County theater community where his passion for the stage first took hold. Returning to the stage after more than a decade away for Jekyll & Hyde is a homecoming in every sense of the word.
Melissa Cook as Lucy Harris
If there is a role in Jekyll & Hyde built for a performer of Melissa Cook's caliber, it is Lucy Harris. Lucy is the emotional heart of the show. A woman of fierce survival instinct and buried tenderness, longing for a life she cannot quite reach. She is wild and wounded, seductive and achingly vulnerable. And she gets some of Wildhorn's most beloved songs: "Someone Like You," "A New Life," and the devastating "A New Life (Reprise)."
Melissa Cook is one of the most familiar and celebrated faces on the Rose Center Theater stage. With nearly two decades of experience performing around the globe, she spent four years as a classical vocalist for Silversea Cruises, an experience that speaks to the breadth and discipline of her vocal artistry. Her regional credits include Passion, Brigadoon, Carousel, Evita, Man of La Mancha, and Into the Woods, and she has appeared in numerous Rose Center Theater productions, including The King and I, Cabaret, Company, and Spamalot. Most recently, she was at the center of RCT's production of Man of La Mancha, powerfully bringing the dual roles of Aldonza and Dulcinea to life.
In an interview, Melissa described her comfort zone as roles with "a more classical sound and acting that is pretty deeply emotional — roles that have the ability to bring an audience to tears." Lucy Harris is precisely that role.
Kristin Caputo as Emma Carew
Emma Carew is, by design, the counterweight to everything dark in Jekyll & Hyde. She is grace under pressure, loyalty in the face of terror, and love that refuses to surrender even when it probably should. It is a role that demands as much emotional precision as vocal power. For Kristin Caputo, it is a dream she has been waiting a very long time to realize.
A Rose Center Theater favorite with one of the deepest and most varied resumes in the company, Kristin has brought to life an extraordinary range of iconic musical theater roles on this stage: Grace Farrell in Annie, Winifred Banks in Mary Poppins, Mrs. Potts in Beauty and the Beast, Rapunzel in Into the Woods, Maggie Jones in 42nd Street, Lucy Barker in Sweeney Todd, and many more. Beyond RCT, her credits include Belle in Beauty and the Beast, Mary Magdalene in Jesus Christ Superstar, Cinderella in Into the Woods, and Sarah Brown in Guys and Dolls. A list that reflects a performer of remarkable range, emotional depth, and consistent leading-lady presence. Emma Carew has been Kristin's dream role. Watching her bring that dream to life on the Rose Center Theater stage is reason enough alone to get your tickets early.
See Them Live
Jekyll & Hyde runs June 12–28, 2026 at the Rose Center Theater, 14140 All American Way, Westminster, CA 92683.
Evening performances Friday & Saturday at 7:30 PM. Matinees Sunday at 2:00 PM.
Tickets from $20–$28. Recommended for ages 15 and up.
