'Jekyll & Hyde' trivia
BY Staff Reports
Thursday, January 17, 2013
1/17/13 at 3:19 AM
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Robert Louis Stevenson literally dreamed up the story - the basic situation came to him in a nightmare. He destroyed his first attempt at writing the story, then completed a new draft in three days. It was published in 1886.
The first stage adaptation of the story was written in 1887 by Thomas Russell Sullivan. Sullivan's play altered Stevenson's story to include a romantic subplot that would become a part of almost every subsequent adaptation.
Speaking of adaptations, more than 120 film versions have been made of Stevenson's tale. Among the most notable:
- John Barrymore's 1920 silent film, whose transformation sequences were done mostly without makeup as Barrymore contorted his face.
- Fredric March shared the Academy Award for Best Actor (a tie with Wallace Beery of "The Champ") for his portrayal in the 1931 film.
- "The Nutty Professor," Jerry Lewis' 1963 film, gave Stevenson's dark story a comic twist, with Lewis portraying a homely chemistry professor who transforms into a suavely sardonic man-about-town.
- "Doctor Jekyll & Sister Hyde," a 1971 thriller that posits Jekyll as Jack the Ripper and his female alter ego as the means to committing the murders.
- The 1996 film, "Mary Reilly," based on Valerie Martin's novel, views the events of Stevenson's story through the eyes of Dr. Jekyll's maid. Julia Roberts and John Malkovich starred.
Frank Wildhorn isn't the first composer to set "Jekyll & Hyde to music. Lionel Bart, of "Oliver!" fame, wrote the music for a 1973 TV movie musical that starred Kirk Douglas.
Wildhorn's "Jekyll & Hyde" was first released as a concept album. The stage version debuted in 1990 at the Alley Theater in Houston. Chuck Wagner played the title roles.
A second production opened in Houston in 1995, ultimately touring before opening on Broadway in 1997. Robert Cuccioli starred.
Despite running for more than three years and 1,547 performances, the original Broadway production lost more than $1.5 million.
The musical's 1999 tour, starring Wagner, also featured Tulsa native Kelli O'Hara as the Emma understudy. When the show played in Tulsa, the actress who had the role of Emma sat out of two performances so that O'Hara could be featured in her home state. O'Hara has gone on to become one of Broadway's top musical theater performers, earning Tony nominations for her work in "The Light in the Piazza," "The Pajama Game" and "South Pacific."
Original Print Headline: Some facts in the case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde
Among the actors who played the title roles on Broadway were "Baywatch" star David Hasselhoff and rocker Sebastian Bach.
Associated Images:
In John Barrymore's 1920 silent film adaptation, the transformation sequences were done mostly without makeup as Barrymore contorted his face.
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