Jekyll & Hyde is a musical based on the novella Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson. The original stage conception was by Steve Cuden and Frank Wildhorn. The music is by Wildhorn and the lyrics and book are by Leslie Bricusse.
The musical ran on Broadway for 1,543 performances in 1997 through 2001. Despite the long run, the musical lost money in the end—more than $1.5 million—and lacked stellar reviews.
Background
Frank Wildhorn and Steve Cuden had written the score and lyrics, respectively, in the late 1980s, but due to financing it was not produced on Broadway. The show was rewritten with Leslie Bricusse and premiered at the Alley Theatre in 1990. Also in 1990, Colm Wilkinson and Linda Eder were featured in a concept recording.
Productions
Jekyll & Hyde had its world premiere at the Alley Theatre in May 1990. The cast was led by Chuck Wagner as Henry Jekyll and Linda Eder as Lucy.
Jekyll & Hyde was produced by the Alley Theatre, 5th Avenue Musical Theatre and Theatre Under The Stars, and premiered in Houston in January through February 1995 and Seattle from February through March 1995. The musical then undertook a US National tour from August 1995 through April 1996.
Jekyll & Hyde opened on Broadway at the Plymouth Theatre on April 28, 1997 and closed on January 7, 2001 after 44 previews and 1,543 performances. The director was Robin Phillips with choreography by Joey Pizzi. The cast featured Robert Cuccioli as Dr. Henry Jekyll and Edward Hyde, Linda Eder as Lucy, and Christiane Noll as Emma Carew. Rob Evan played matinees as Dr. Henry Jekyll. Brad Oscar and Emily Skinner made their Broadway debuts in this musical. Notable replacements included David Hasselhoff and Leah Hocking (Lucy).
Jekyll & Hyde is the longest-running show in the history of the Plymouth Theatre.[5] When it closed it recouped about 75% of the $7 million investment.
Tours
The second North American tour ran from April 1999 through April 2000, playing in 37 US and two Canadian cities. The tour featured Chuck Wagner, Sharon Brown (Lucy) and Andrea Rivette, with new choreography by Jerry Mitchell.
A UK tour ran from August 2004 through May 2005, and featured Paul Nicholas (Jekyll/Hyde), Louise Dearman (Lucy) and Shona Lindsay (Lisa).
A brand new UK tour is running from January 2011. This tour features Marti Pellow (Jekyll/Hyde), Sarah Earnshaw (Emma), Sabrina Carter (Lucy). This production is directed by Martin Connors with new choreography by Bill Deamer
Regional
In regional productions, Cuccioli directed a production at the Westchester Broadway Theatre, Elmsford, NY in August through November 2001. This was one of the first resident productions since the show closed on Broadway.[10] The musical will run again at the theatre, directed by Cuccioli, from September 2010 through February 2011.[11][12] A Regional production of Jekyll And Hyde The Musical will be presented from Nov/2010-Feb/2011 by DDB Productions,Inc in the Maguire Theater at SUNY Old Westbury . David Yudell stars in the role of Jekyll/Hyde.
Adaptation
The musical was adapted into a concert version, Jekyll & Hyde - The Concert, which toured both in the US and in South Korea in 2004 through 2007. The US tour cast featured Rob Evan (Jekyll/Hyde), Kate Shindle (Lucy) and Brandi Burkhardt (Emma). The cast for South Korea featured Rob Evan, Mandy Gonzalez (Lucy) and Julie Reiber (Emma). |
- The Play