Canadian Theatre Encyclopedia
Hyslop, Jeff
Vancouver, British Columbia-based "triple threat", Jeff Hyslop is an actor, singer, director, choreographer, adjudicator, and teacher, whose career spans over five decades. He was born May 30, 1951, and began gymnastics at the age of 4, which introduced him to the possibility of dancing. He auditioned for the role of Gilbert Blithe, at the age of 15, in Anne of Green Gables at the Charlottetown Festival, which he played for four seasons.
Jeff Hyslop then sang and danced in 27 different variety specials on CBC TV for ten years (featuring guests such as Anne Murray, Karen Kain, and Paul McCartney). He was best known in Canada and around the world for his appearances on children's television, particularly as a dancing, singing store mannequin in a musical series called Today's Special on TV Ontario, which ran for six years in the 1980s.
In 1985, Hyslop was a big hit in The Pirates of Penzance (with Brent Carver) at Stratford Festival. During the 1990s, he appeared in many major musical theatre productions, including lead roles in Godspell, Pippin, Kiss of the Spider Woman, Dames at Sea, and Stravinsky's L'Histoire du soldat. A particular highlight was his charismatic and touching performance in the title role of the Canadian touring and Toronto productions of The Phantom of the Opera with Garth Drabinsky's Livent (985 performances). He also performed in A Chorus Line at the Drury Lane Theatre in London's West End, and on Broadway.
Following his many performances in big musicals, Jeff Hyslop toured his own one-man-shows: Feet First and Jeff Hyslop Now! (premiered, June, 2000).
Among his directing or choreographing credits are productions of Bless Them All, On Tap, Jacob Two-Two, They're Playing Our Song, The Club, Godspell, Take Two, Modern Housewives, Irma La Douce, Peter Pan and Six Women With Brain Death.
He has also acted in non-musical productions, including Laertes in Hamlet, and in Love's Labour Lost at Grand Theatre, London. In 2013, he acted in Love Letters by A.R. Gurney with his wife, Ruth Nichol, at Presentation House Theatre in North Vancouver.
Jeff Hyslop has won several awards, notably three of Vancouver's Jessies (Jessie Richardson Awards) for best director and best choreographer, twice. His production of On Tap won a 1984 Dora Mavor Moore Award for best new show.
Profile by Gaetan Charlebois and Anne Nothof.
Last updated 2021-02-03
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The Canadian Theatre Encyclopedia web site was originally conceived and developed in 1996 by Gaetan Charlebois—theatre critic, playwright, and actor.
