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FAQ - THE SHOW
The Show: Jekyll in the Past, and the Future
Current and Upcoming Performances
When will Jekyll be playing in my area?
Will Jekyll go on tour again?
Will Jekyll be returning to Broadway?
Is the show appropriate for children?
How do I get the performing rights to stage the show?
How can I get an audition for the show? Can you help me with that?
Is a script of the show available?
The Development of Jekyll & Hyde
How did J&H develop as a show?
Why were some songs (like, say, "Bring on the Men") removed from theshow?
Why did they change the name Lisa Carew to Emma Carew?
The Broadway Run
The Red Box
The Dog
What, Hyde sings "Someone Like You?"
What songs were in the show on Broadway?
Did J&H win anything?
If you didn't find your question here, return to the FAQ Index
When will Jekyll be playing in my area?
The rights for Jekyll are available worldwide, and new
productions are planned and announced frequently. These are typically
standalone productions that are presented by local or regional performing
groups. Any stagings that are part of a tour will be clearly marked as
such on this site. We post details for any productions that are known to
us in the Stagings section. Listings are added
on a frequent basis, so keep an eye on this site and your local theater
listings for updates.
If you don't see a production listed for your area, it either means
that none is taking place or that it is not known to us. The best way to
try and get a production to happen near you is to contact your local
theater groups and tell them that you'd like to see the show. Many groups
take surveys (online or at performances), of what shows their audience may
want to see in an upcoming season. If you know of a production that isn't
listed, please send us the details so
that we can add it to the site.
Will Jekyll go on tour again?
Tours of Jekyll are organized from time to time, in a specific
country or countries. When this happens, the details are posted to this
site and the production is clearly marked as a tour. If no tours are
listed, then none are taking place, or they are not known to us.
If a tour is playing in your country, the best way to suggest that it
come to your area is to contact your local theaters and express your
interest in the show. This website is not connected with the booking
process for any tour.
Will Jekyll be returning to Broadway?
At this time there are no plans to launch a Broadway revival of Jekyll &
Hyde. Revivals typically happen many years after the initial production of a
show. If any Broadway or other major stagings of the show are planned, they
will be announced on this website.
Is the show appropriate for children?
Most productions of Jekyll would probably compare to a movie rating of
PG-13. The show includes themes such as murder (several of which are shown on
stage) and prositution. Some productions also portray Dr. Jekyll's experimentation
in terms of drug use and addiction. Different productions will handle things
differently - some will play up or play down the darker aspects, and there is a
range of possibilities in how graphic things can get. International productions
especially can take very different approaches to the material. If you are concerned
about the content of a production, we recommend contacting the performing group that
is putting it on to ask them for more specifics.
How do I get the performing rights to stage the show?
If you are part of a performing group, and want to put on your own
staging of Jekyll, the rights are available from MTI. Full details on
this have been provided on the Show
Rights page.
How can I get an audition for the show? Can you help me with that?
This website isn't directly connected with any of the productions of
the show that take place. We aren't part of their casting process, and we
can't assist in getting you an audition. However, when we do know the
audition details for a production, we include them in the listings in the
Stagings section. You can also check the website
of the performing group, or contact them directly for more information and
audition scheduling. Break a leg!
Is a script of the show available?
Scripts of some Broadway musicals are released on the market for purchase. This
is not the case with Jekyll, and no script is available except in connection
with licensing and producing the show. If you
are still trying to decide if you want to put on a production, you can contact MTI
and ask about a "perusal copy" of the script. If a script is ever released on the
market, we will post the news on this website.
How did J&H develop as a show?
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 US, 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."
Why were some songs (like, say, "Bring on the Men") removed from the show?
Since some fans became familiar with the show prior to Broadway, through two
recordings and a national tour, it is only natural that we've grown attached to some
of the songs that are no longer performed on stage. And since there is so much
material for the show, it is also natural that some songs had to be cut, which
led to inevitable disappointment as decisions were made to cut songs that had
become "favorites." Why were these changes made? The first Keeper of the FAQ
(Sharon) compiled a few explanations offered from a few respected sources...
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.
Why did they change the name Lisa Carew to Emma Carew?
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.
The Broadway Run
Jekyll opened on Broadway 28 April 1997. It had 44 preview performances,
starting 21 March, and then ran for 1,543 regular performances. It closed
on 7 January 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.
What songs were in the show on Broadway?
The list of songs from the Broadway production can now be found on the
Broadway Scene List page.
Did J&H win anything?
Yup... The Broadway production and leads received the following awards:
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.
Current and Upcoming Performances
The Development of Jekyll & Hyde
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