Dr Jekyll and/or Mr Hyde: The two versions of David Edgar's stage adaptation

Article


Cottis, D. 2023. Dr Jekyll and/or Mr Hyde: The two versions of David Edgar's stage adaptation. Journal of Adaptation in Film & Performance. 16 (1-2), pp. 7-19. https://doi.org/10.1386/jafp_00086_1
TypeArticle
TitleDr Jekyll and/or Mr Hyde: The two versions of David Edgar's stage adaptation
AuthorsCottis, D.
Abstract

In 1991, the Royal Shakespeare Company produced David Edgar's The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde, based on Robert Louis Stevenson's 1885 novella, directed by Peter Wood, to a mostly negative critical and commercial response. In 1996, the Birmingham Repertory Theatre produced Edgar’s revised version of the play, using the shorter title Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde, to much more positive reviews, often from the same people. The striking thing about this radically different response is that, apart from a single element, the two scripts are very similar. They can therefore serve almost as a real-life scientific experiment, demonstrating the difference that a single change will make. This article will consider the various choices that an adaptor may make with this story and look at what the different responses to the two versions can tell us about the nature of this story, and possibly about horror and fantasy in general

KeywordsBirmingham Repertory Theatre; David Edgar; Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde; Royal Shakespeare Company; Robert Louis Stevenson
Sustainable Development Goals4 Quality education
Middlesex University ThemeCreativity, Culture & Enterprise
PublisherIntellect
JournalJournal of Adaptation in Film & Performance
ISSN1753-6421
Electronic1753-643X
Publication dates
Print01 Jun 2023
Online10 Jul 2023
Publication process dates
Accepted08 Mar 2023
Submitted03 May 2022
Deposited18 Aug 2023
Output statusPublished
Accepted author manuscript
Copyright Statement

The file is the accepted manuscript © David Cottis, 2023. The definitive, peer reviewed and edited version of this article is published in Journal of Adaptation in Film & Performance. 16 (1-2), pp. 7-19. https://doi.org/10.1386/jafp_00086_1

Digital Object Identifier (DOI)https://doi.org/10.1386/jafp_00086_1
Web of Science identifierWOS:001041217900002
LanguageEnglish
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