Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde is an 1886 novella written by the Scottish author Robert Louis Stevenson. It is about a London lawyer, Gabriel John Utterson, who investigates strange occurrences between his old friend, Dr. Henry Jekyll and the misanthropic Mr. Hyde. In a twist ending, it is revealed that Jekyll and Hyde were the same person, and that Jekyll had regularly transformed himself into Hyde by drinking a serum.

The work is known for its vivid portrayal of a split personality, and since the 1880s dozens of stage and film adaptations have been produced, although there have been no major adaptations to date that remain faithful to the narrative structure of Stevenson's original. Most omit the figure of Utterson, telling the story from Jekyll's and Hyde's viewpoint and often having them played by the same actor, thus eliminating the mystery aspect of the true identity of Hyde. Many adaptations also introduce a romantic element which does not exist in the original story. While Hyde is portrayed in the novella as an evil-looking man of diminutive height, many adaptations have taken liberties with the character's physical appearance: Hyde is sometimes depicted with bestial or monstrous features, although sometimes he is more dashing and debonair than Jekyll, giving an alternate motivation for Jekyll to transform himself.

There are over 123 film versions, not including stage and radio, as well as a number of parodies and imitations. Troy Howarth calls Stevenson's novella "the most filmed work of literature in the silent era." Notable examples are listed below.

Direct adaptations

Stage

1887, a play in four acts. Thomas Russell Sullivan's Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde opened in Boston in May 1887. The first serious theatrical rendering, it went on to tour Britain and ran for 20 years. It became forever linked with Richard Mansfield's performance; he continued playing the part until shortly before his death in 1907. Sullivan reworked the plot to centre around a domestic love interest. 1888, a play in four acts. Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde was written by John McKinney in collaboration with the actor Daniel E. Bandmann. It opened at Niblo's Garden in March 1887 with Bandmann in the title role. Later that year it competed directly with Sullivan's 1887 adaptation, when both opened in London within days of each other. 1897, a play in four acts. Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, Or a Mis-Spent Life was written by Luella Forepaugh and George F. Fish for the repertory company at Forepaugh's Family Theatre in Philadelphia, where it debuted in March 1897. Published in 1904 by Samuel French, Inc. for use by other theatre companies. 1900, a play in four acts. Unproduced adaptation by Marcel Schwob and Vance Thompson. 1944,July 25th, during world war 2, prisoners are being held in the British Civilian Internment Camp Ilag Giromagny, Dr.Jekyll and Mr Hyde. A Mystery Play in 3 Acts. at 6.30 p.m. with prisoner violinist, Nicholas Roth. 1990, musical U.S. Jekyll & Hyde. Music by Frank Wildhorn, book and lyrics by Leslie Bricusse. Originally conceived for the stage by Steve Cuden and Frank Wildhorn. This musical features the song "This Is The Moment". 1991, stage play, opened in London. Written by David Edgar for the Royal Shakespeare Company. The play is notable for its fidelity to the book's plot. 1994, a musical for schools opened, Jekyll!, written by Alex Went, with music by John Moore, and directed by Peter Fanning. First performed at Shrewsbury School in 1994. The touring production at the 1995 Edinburgh Fringe was awarded a Fringe First for outstanding new drama. 2009, a theatrical adaptation by playwright Jeffrey Hatcher, for the local Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park. 2010, The Holden Kemble Theatre Company ran an adaptation titled The Scandalous Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde at the Edinburgh Festival and then a 3 week run at the Tabard Theatre in Chiswick, London. 2012, Synetic Theater ran a critically acclaimed silent adaptation of Jekyll & Hyde featuring Alex Mills as Jekyll/Hyde, Peter Pereyra as Lanyon, and Brittany O'Grady as the Fiancée. 2012, new version by Jonathan Holloway workshopped and premiered at the Courtyard Theatre, London, featuring Melody Roche as Jekyll, Charlie Allen as Utterson and Gary Blair as Enfield. 2013, a version of the story presented by Flipping the Bird at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, shows Jekyll as a woman, Dr. Tajemnica Jekyll, recently arrived in London from an unspecified foreign country, whose transformation to Edward Hyde came about as part of her desire to defy social boundaries. Utterson serves as her lover and lawyer, while she claims Hyde is her deformed nephew before admitting the truth. 2016, an adaptation and continuation by Mirrored Faces Productions, HYDE written and directed by Jett Ranchhod, performed in Wellington, New Zealand. Ranchhod played Hyde, with Dr Jekyll and his present-day counterpart portrayed by another actor. 2022, an adaptation by Neil Bartlett staged at Derby Theatre. In this take on the story, Jekyll and Hyde are minor characters, with the focus being on Dr Stevenson, a new character who investigates Hyde's murders. 2022, an adaptation written and directed by Kip Williams for Sydney Theatre Company. The production featured two actors playing multiple characters, and incorporated a blend of live performance and live video projections, receiving a rare 5 star review from the Sydney Morning Herald. The production subsequently toured to the Perth Festival and Adelaide Festival in 2023. 2022-24, an adaptation by Gary McNair for solo performance, commissioned and first produced by Reading Rep Theatre in October 2022, with Audrey Brisson in the role of Gabriel John Utterson. The play was subsequently performed by Forbes Masson, directed by Michael Fentiman, at the Lyceum Theatre, Edinburgh, between 13 and 27 January 2024.Jekyll & Hyde theatre programme, Royal Lyceum Theatre Company Ltd., Edinburgh, January 2024 2023, an adaptation by Jennifer Dick performed in the Glasgow Botanic Gardens for the Bard in the Botanics festival. In this version, Jekyll and Hyde are played by two individual actors.

Film

1908, film U.S., Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. Produced by William N. Selig. There are no known existing copies of this film. 1908, film U.S., Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. Produced by Kalem Films. Directed by Sidney Olcott, starring Frank Oakes Rose in the lead role.Workman, Christopher; Howarth, Troy (2016). "Tome of Terror: Horror Films of the Silent Era". Midnight Marquee Press. p. 43. . 1909, film U.S., A Modern Dr. Jekyll. Produced by William N. Selig. There are no known existing copies of this film.Workman, Christopher; Howarth, Troy (2016). "Tome of Terror: Horror Films of the Silent Era". Midnight Marquee Press. p. 58. . 1910, film U.K., The Duality of Man. First Jekyll-Hyde adaptation filmed in England, directed by Harry Brodribb Irving.Workman, Christopher; Howarth, Troy (2016). "Tome of Terror: Horror Films of the Silent Era". Midnight Marquee Press. p. 68. .Kinnard, Roy (1995). "Horror in Silent Films". McFarland and Company Inc. . Page 34. 1910, film Denmark, Den skæbnesvangre Opfindelse (US title: Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde). Directed by August Blom and starring Alwin Neuß for the Nordisk Film company. There are no known existing copies of this film.Workman, Christopher; Howarth, Troy (2016). Tome of Terror: Horror Films of the Silent Era. Midnight Marquee Press. p. 68. . 1912, film U.S., Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. United States production based on Richard Mansfield's stage performance. Thanhouser Company. Starring James Cruze and Florence Labadie. 1913, film U.S., Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. Produced by Kinemacolor Company of America, filmed in Kinemacolor.Victoria Jackson, "The Distribution and Exhibition of Kinemacolor in the UK and the USA 1909–1916" (University of Bristol, 2011). p. 332. Directed by Frank E. Woods, starring Murdock MacQuarrie. 1913, film U.S., Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. Starring King Baggot and directed by Herbert Brenon. Distributed by the Universal Film Manufacturing Company. 1914, film U.S., Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, Done to a Frazzle. Ten-minute satire starring Charles de Forrest as both Jekyll and Hyde. 1914, film Germany, Ein Seltsamer Fall (translation: A Strange Case). German Jekyll-Hyde film starring Alwin Neuß and directed by Max Mack. 1920, film U.S., Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. Famous silent film version, starring John Barrymore. Plot follows the Sullivan version of 1887, with elements from The Picture of Dorian Gray. 1920, film U.S., Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. Directed by J. Charles Haydon, starring Sheldon Lewis.Workman, Christopher; Howarth, Troy (2016). "Tome of Terror: Horror Films of the Silent Era". Midnight Marquee Press. p. 217. . 1920, film U.S., Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. Satire starring Hank Mann of the Keystone Cops 1931, film U.S., Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. Known for its acting, visual symbolism, and special effects, it follows the Sullivan plot. Fredric March won the Academy Award for his portrayal. The technical secret of the transformation scenes was not revealed until after the director's death. 1941, film U.S., Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. A remake of the 1931 movie, it stars Spencer Tracy, Ingrid Bergman, and Lana Turner. Unlike the 1931 version, this film uses what Christopher Frayling called "the movie pronunciation", , instead of the original . 1951, film U.S., The Son of Dr Jekyll, starring Louis Hayward. 1953, film U.S., Abbott & Costello Meet Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde 1960, Italy, Il mio amico Jekyll (My Friend, Dr. Jekyll) - comedy 1960, film U.K., The Two Faces of Dr. Jekyll (released in the U.S. as House of Fright and Jekyll's Inferno). A lurid love triangle and explicit scenes of snakes, opium dens, rape, murder and bodies crashing through glass roofs. 1967, film India, Karutha Rathrikal (Dark Nights). A thriller, it was the first science fiction film in Malayalam, the language in which it was made. 1981 Docteur Jekyll et les femmes, also known as The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Miss Osbourne and Bloodbath of Dr. Jekyll, France/West Germany, directed by Walerian Borowczyk 1985, film U.S.S.R., "The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde" / "Strannaya Istoria Doktora Jekila i mistera Khaida", Mosfilm Studio with Innokenty Smoktunovsky as Jekyll and soundtrack by Eduard Artemyev. Unlike Stevenson’s 1886 novella, the film is set in Edwardian London. Extended flashbacks to Jekyll’s service as a regimental doctor during the Second Boer War frame the experiment as a response to shell-shock and moral collapse. 2002, film U.K., Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde, Director: Maurice Phillips, starring John Hannah 2007, film U.S., Jekyll, starring Matt Keeslar, Jonathan Silverman, Alanna Ubach, and directed by Scott Zakarin. 2017, film U.S., The Mummy, starring Russell Crowe as Dr. Henry Jekyll / Edward "Eddie" Hyde 2021, film U.K., Jekyll and Hyde, starring Michael McKell, and directed by Steve Lawson.

Radio/Audio 1930, The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, BBC National Programme with Leon M. Lion as Jekyll/Hyde and Carleton Hobbs as Poole. 1932, Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. Available for download at: Dr Jekyll And Mr Hyde. 52 fifteen-minute episodes, likely to have been broadcast weekly over one year. Further details unknown. 1944, The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, BBC Home Service with Raymond Lovell as Jekyll/Hyde. 1945, "Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde", The Weird Circle program episode 1948, "Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde", NBC Favorite Story program episode hosted by Ronald Colman, starring William Conrad and selected by Alfred Hitchcock 1949, "Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde", CBS Bookshelf of the World program episode 1952, "Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde", NBC Presents: Short Story program episode (transcribed but never aired) 1954, "Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde", NBC Theatre Royal program episode hosted by and starring Laurence Olivier