<P> Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde, though it had initially been published as a "shilling shocker," was an immediate success and is one of Stevenson's best - selling works . Stage adaptations began in Boston and London and soon moved all across England and then towards his home country of Scotland . </P> <P> The first stage adaptation followed the story's initial publication in 1886 . Richard Mansfield bought the rights from Stevenson, and worked with Boston author Thomas Russell Sullivan to write a script . The resulting play added to the cast of characters, and adds some elements of romance to the plot . Addition of female characters to the originally male - centered plot has continued in later adaptations of the story . The first performance of the play took place in the Boston Museum in May 1887 . The lighting effects and makeup for Jekyll's transformation into Hyde created horrified reactions from the audience, and the play was so successful that production followed in London . After a successful ten weeks in London in 1888, Mansfield was forced to close down production . The hysteria surrounding the Jack the Ripper serial murders led even those who only played murderers on stage to be considered suspects . When Mansfield was mentioned in London newspapers as a possible suspect for the crimes, he shut down production . </P> <P> There have been numerous adaptations of the novella including over 120 stage and film versions alone . </P> <P> There have also been many audio recordings of the novella, with some of the more famous readers including Tom Baker, Roger Rees, Christopher Lee, Anthony Quayle, Martin Jarvis, Tim Pigott - Smith, John Hurt, Ian Holm, Gene Lockhart and Richard Armitage . </P>

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