Jekyll and Hyde

J&H has a history as complex as the chemical formula for HJ7. Here is a brief account of how it came to be where it is:

The show was first created in 1980 by Steve Cuden and Frank Wildhorn. (Something to think about when arguing that J&H is "derivative" of other works - it may well pre-date them.) In the late 1980s, Leslie Bricusse took over the lyric-writing reins.

The show was staged in 1990 in Houston at the Alley Theatre, with Chuck Wagner playing Jekyll/Hyde and Linda Eder as Lucy.

In 1992, the show was "workshopped" in New York, with Terrence Mann as Jekyll/Hyde.

In early 1995, the show was revised and restaged, playing Houston and Seattle. The show then toured the U.S., entertaining audiences in 28 cities, and undergoing further transformation along the way. The touring production was directed by Gregory Boyd, Artistic Director of the Alley, who had been with the show since its premiere at the Alley.

Following the tour, the show made preparations to open on Broadway. Robin Phillips came on board to direct, and many changes were made to tighten up the show and ready it for Broadway audiences. By the time of its official opening at the Plymouth Theatre, J&H had gone through seventeen years of development - the show was older than many of its fans - and had become a living illustration of its lyric, "The only thing constant is change."

Some songs had to be cut or shortened after the world fell in love with them from the two recordings that were done before the show hit broadway:

Philip Hoffman explained that "I Need to Know" was cut during the tour because it didn't fit well with rest of the introductory material, and the show needed to move faster.

Linda Eder explained that "Bring on the Men" was more of a cabaret number for her as a singer than for Lucy as a character, and it didn't fit with the rest of the show. (She often performs it in her concerts, though).

These and other songs which were not included in the Broadway production of Jekyll are back in the show for many of its regional and international productions.

Through the early development of the show (the Alley run and the tour, and on the concept and Complete Works albums) the name of Jekyll's fiancee was Lisa Carew. On Broadway, she became Emma Carew.

In a Playbill Online interview, Christiane Noll (who played the part on tour and Broadway, so we figure she oughtta know) was asked whether the name change was because "Lucy" and "Lisa" sounded too similar, or because "Emma" sounded more formal and reflected a proper English woman. She said both answers pretty much covered it.

Today, some international productions use the name Lisa while others use Emma. Leased productions in the States use the name Emma.

Jekyll opened on Broadway April 28 1997. It had 44 preview performances, starting March 21, and then ran for 1,543 regular performances. It closed on January 7 2001 and is the longest-running show in the history of the Plymouth Theatre.

The first Broadway performances were heavily attended by fans, and brought a great number of questions. Not only were some songs cut and added (as mentioned above) but the set looked completely different than any previous staging, and there were other oddities. Here are a few tidbits from that time...

The Red Box: The set for J&H on Broadway was... unusual. Most of the stage was taken up by a giant red cube. To be more precise, there was a large red platform on stage, about two and a half feet high. From the corners of the platform rose a red frame, providing the outline (the edges, in math terms) of a cube. At the start of the show, a red scrim (a theatrical fabric) was lowered across the front of this making it seem a closed cube and providing the unusual first view of the set. However, during the show, the scrim was raised and most of the action took place on this platform, while there was also enough room in front of it for some action there.

The Dog: For the first two (or was it three?) preview performances of J&H, the cast included B.J. ... a dog. B.J. did not have a very crucial role, limited to some offstage barking and, during "Someone Like You," being led across the stage in the background. Unfortunately, there was a bit TOO much offstage barking, and B.J.'s appearance during "Someone Like You," elicited audience laughter, which isn't quite the reaction they were looking for. So B.J. had to go.

What, Hyde sings "Someone Like You?" Audiences of the first performances had another surprise waiting... the Playbill listed Hyde as performing "Someone Like You!" This was simply a typographical error, however, and only found in the first printing of Playbills. If you have an early J&H Playbill, hang on to it... with the credit and photo for B.J. and the error in the song list, it is a rarity.

Robert Cuccioli won a Drama Desk Award for Best Actor in a Musical, an Outer Critics Circle Award for Best Actor in a Musical, and a Best Actor FANY (Fans of New York Theater) Award.

Linda Eder won a Theatre World Award, as one of the Outstanding Debut Performers in NYC.

Robin Phillips, James Noone and Christina Poddubiuk won a Drama Desk Award for Best Set of a Musical. Robin Phillips also won the FANY Award for outstanding scenic design.

J&H was also nominated for 4 Tony Awards - Robert Cuccioli for Best Actor in a Musical; Leslie Bricusse for Best Book of a Musical; Beverly Emmons for Best Lighting Design and Ann Curtis for Best Costume Design.

The show and those who perform in it continue to earn awards, on regional and international stages

Songs

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Cast

Synopsis