The Jekyll and Hyde Club – Manhattan, NY
By Scott Schweinfurth
The Jekyll and Hyde Club was introduced to me as it was a Chuck E. Cheese for horror fans and that was all I needed to know to be excited. The theme begins at the exterior of the building with the sign needing some repair. I walked in and stood in awe of the decor. There were creatures adorning the walls everywhere I looked.
A few moments after being seated, an announcement interrupted the music to introduce us to the namesake of the club, Dr. Jekyll himself. He was being restrained against the wall behind me as he couldn’t control the transformation any longer. In fact, after talking to us briefly he lost control and transformed into Mr. Hyde in front of our eyes. The restraints tightened and subdued him, and the music came back on.
This was how my 45 minutes at the club went. Every 4-5 minutes a creature on the wall would start conversing with us, the patrons of the club, usually ending with some sort of punchline, and then go back to being still. During the time when the creatures on the wall weren’t speaking, we were visited by characters walking around the floor of the club. I quickly met Dr. Bartholomew who would come to visit, share some demented pleasantries and move on to another guest. I even met a professor of some sort (sorry I didn’t get his name!) who wanted to make sure I was enjoying my dead animal carcass. The entertainment was right up my alley and I loved every moment of it.
Speaking of the food, I’ve been to places that thought that since the draw of the place was the entertainment they could get away with average food, but Jekyll and Hyde didn’t take that attitude. My steakhouse burger was very good and something I would definitely have again.
A lot of things I read about The Jekyll and Hyde Club mention how kitschy it is, and that’s accurate, but it was a type of kitsch I loved soaking in and would recommend to anyone with a similar sense of humor.
I would rate this a 5 out of 5 hands. (3 out of 5 on price.)
