Jeff Hyslop Articles

Spider Woman's extended kiss driving Hyslop 'a bit insane'

JAMIE PORTMAN
NEW YORK
Every time Jeff Hyslop goes to work, he feels a tingle of excitement at the sight of his name in lights on Broadway.

His place of "work" is the Broadhurst Theatre where the Vancouver actor is currently delivering a stunning performance as Molina, the imprisoned gay window dresser, in The Kiss of the Spider Woman.
Fifteen years ago, Hyslop was dancing and singing next door at the Shubert Theatre in A Chorus Line. But that was an ensemble show, with the main credits reserved for its creator and director, Michael Bennett.

"A Chorus Line was a landmark musical of its kind, and it was exciting to be a part of it," Hyslop recalls.

"But let's face it � there's nothing like seeing your own name on a Broadway marquee. I don't care who you are � it's mighty exciting, a dream come true."
The role of Molina brought internation-al stardom and a bouquet of acting awards to Hyslop's friend and col-league, Brent Carver, who played Molina in the orig-inal Toronto production and repeated it in London and New York.

Hyslop followed Carver to London and then Broadway after more than two years in a far different assignment � the title role of The Phantom of the Opera in both the Toronto production and the Canadian touring version.
But Hyslop has placed his own personal imprint on Kiss of the Spider Woman � splendidly conveying Molina's tragi-comic blend of outrageous flamboyance, vulnerability and � ultimately � profound personal courage.

Furthermore, his dancing background serves him in good stead both in his unique musical numbers with the incandescent Chita Rivera (who continues her triumph as the Spider Woman of the title) and in his gift for conveying emotional nuance through the sheer physicality of his stage presence.

Taken from:
The Vancouver Sun
Wednesday, February 16, 1994

Yet, it's a role he never dreamed of doing.
"I saw Brent do Spider Woman in Toronto and I was so proud for him. I remember thinking how great it was for him that all his years in theatre and all the roles he's done were finally paying off.

"But never for a moment did I think that anyone would consider me for this role."
However, both Toronto impresario Garth Drabinsky, whose Live Entertainment Corp. is presenting Phantom on Broadway, and director Hal Prince believed he would be outstanding as Molina.

Which is why he's here on Broadway, sitting in his star's dressing room this Sat-urday afternoon and managing to look relaxed despite the fact that he has a sec-ond grueling performance before his working day is over.

"I know � I'm crazy!" he laughs. "I'm stupid for doing these long runs. I did a little over two years as the Phantom, adding up to about 675 performances, and I've now spent nine months with this show. I guess you have to be a bit insane to do this to main-tain this sort of life."

But if he ever thought he was getting bored with a role, he'd stop.

"I don't think I ever froze my Phantom emotionally. And I'm still discovering new things about Molina. They're both grow-ing characters."

Long runs also require self-discipline � which means "a pretty boring life" for Hyslop and his actor-wife, Ruth Nichol.
"Everything revolves around those eight performances a week. Offstage, we occa-sionally go out and have some food after a show, but we do have to curtail those late-night parties."

Their daytime tastes are simple.

"Ruth and I love New York and because it's a great walking city, we just love to walk around."

And for special occasions, there are visits from his daughter Gemma, who's attending boarding school on Vancouver Island.

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