Board of Governors

[RECORDING SECRETARY (spoken)]
The Board of Governors of St Jude's Hospital is now in session
Sir Danvers Carew KBE, Chairman
His Grace, the Bishop of Basingstoke
General Lord Glossop
The Right Honorable Sir Archibald Proops, QC
Lady Beaconsfield
Lord Savage
The order of business will be conducted by the secretary to the Board of Governors, Mr Simon Stride

[STRIDE (spoken)]
Proposition No. 929
Presented by Dr Henry Jekyll

[GENERAL GLOSSOP (spoken)]
Jekyll, you're all talk an' no result!

[BISHOP OF BASINGSTOKE (spoken)]
Forever asking us to endorse empty promises!

[SIR ARCHIBALD PROOPS (spoken)]
What's all the mystery? Much ado about nothing, if you ask me

[LADY BEACONSFIELD (spoken)]
You're the laughingstock of your profession and polite society! The mad scientist!

[STRIDE (spoken)]
Order!

[JEKYLL]
Distinguished governors
I have glimpsed the future
Seen miracles that stun the mind
And marvels only science can find
To shape tomorrow for mankind
And I can show them to you
If you wish me to

Friends, you're aware there are two sides to each of us
Good and evil, compassion and hate
If we could extract all the evil from each of us
Think of the world that we could create
A world without anger or violence or strife
Where man wouldn't kill anymore
A world of compassion, where passion for life
Would banish the madness of war

I'm close to finding the key to duality
Chemical formulae which could and would
Alter the patterns of man's personality
Guiding him either to evil or good
Weigh the potential, the great possibilities
Colleagues, dear friends, understand
We have a chance to make history
Here in our hand

[JEKYLL (spoken)]
Each of us is the embodiment of two distinct and opposing forces
Good and evil, each fighting for supremacy inside us
If we could separate these two forces, we could control and ultimately eliminate all evil from mankind
My experiments with animals have led me to believe that the day is not far off when this separation will be possible
To achieve it, I must be allowed to try my formula on a living human being

[BISHOP OF BASINGSTOKE (spoken)]
And what if you're right, Jekyll?
And you do manage to separate good from evil
What happens to the evil?

[JEKYLL]
There are doomed, broken souls in a thousand asylums
I defy you to say you don't care if you can
In the name of compassion and medical science
I can save many lives if you give me one man

[BISHOP OF BASINGSTOKE]
I tell you now, the Church will never sanction it!

[VARIOUS]
Sacrilege! Lunacy! Blasphemy! Heresy!

[SIR ARCHIBALD PROOPS]
You seem to be treading on dangerous ground
In legal terms, I'd say extremely unsound!

[BISHOP OF BASINGSTOKE]
The whole thing's unchristian, barbaric, and odd!
You're playing with fire when you start to play God!

[STRIDE]
The Bishop speaks for all of us
When he says you're playing God
There's such a thing as ethics
Over which you ride rough-shod
You're a doctor, not a saviour
Doctor Jekyll, for a start!
But I judge from your behaviour
You can't tell the two apart

[JEKYLL]
Dear Mr Stride, I am simply a scientist
I have a code to which I remain true
I don't presume to the stature of moralists
I leave pretension like that, Sir, to you!

[SIR DANVERS]
Henry, I've always encouraged your enterprise
And I've been hopeful that you would succeed
But in the face of these powerful arguments
I see no choice but for you to concede

[JEKYLL]
I know my fate is yours to choose
But if they win, the world will lose!
And I am on the brink of great success
I beg you, governors, you must say yes

[LADY BEACONSFIELD]
Doctor Jekyll, enough of this ranting, Sir!
This is a hospital, here to save lives!

[GOVERNORS]
Do you think we would let you play havoc
With all the high principles for which it strives?

Do you expect us to compromise all that we stand for
Indulging your dangerous games?
How many rules should we break
For your dubious aims?

[JEKYLL]
Can't you see? I am not playing games!
Just give me the opportunity!

[GENERAL GLOSSOP]
This whole thing's too bizarre!

[SIR DANVERS]
Open up your eyes and see!

[BISHOP OF BASINGSTOKE]
This man has gone too far!

[JEKYLL]
Unless you listen to me...

[STRIDE]
Doctor, please watch your tone!
Dammit, man, can't you see?
You're on your own!

[JEKYLL]
Fools!
You fools!
God damn your rules!
Look at yourselves!
Civilized men!
Why can't you see?

[SIR DANVERS (spoken)]
Henry!

[PROOPS (spoken)]
Jekyll!

[BISHOP OF BASINGSTOKE (spoken)]
Blasphemy!

[GENERAL GLOSSOP (spoken)]
Mutiny!

[LORD SAVAGE (spoken)]
Damn me!

[LADY BEACONSFIELD (spoken)]
Really!

[SIR DANVERS (spoken)]
Henry!

[GOVERNERS]
(unintelligible yelling)

[STRIDE (spoken)]
Order!

[JEKYLL (spoken)]
If I ever needed further justification for my experiments, gentlemen, you have just provided it!

[JEKYLL]
Just look at what has happened here!
Mix anger with a touch of fear
The danger's all too crystal clear
Just look at you!

Our darker side keeps breaking through
Observe it now, in me and you!
The evil that all men can do
Must be controlled!
I beg of you
I'll show you all it can be done!

Here is a chance to take charge of our fate
Deep down you must know that tomorrow's too late
One rule of life we cannot rearrange
The only thing constant is change
The only thing constant is change

[STRIDE]
Distinguished colleagues, your verdict, please
All those in favour, say "aye"
All those opposed: "nay"

[GOVERNORS]
Nay! Nay! Nay! Nay!
Positively, absolutely nay!

[STRIDE]
Sir Danvers?

[SIR DANVERS (spoken)]
Abstain

[STRIDE (spoken)]
By five votes to none, with one abstention
Proposition 929 is rejected
Thank you for your time, Dr Jekyll

[SIR DANVERS (spoken)]
I am truly sorry, Henry

[JEKYLL]
All these precious years I've dedicated to this dream
Now, with a word, they claim the power to deny me
Who are they to judge what I am doing?
They know nothing of the endless possibilities I see

It's ludicrous! I'm bound by their decision
Seems vision is a word they've never heard
If it mattered less, I'd treat it with derision
It's absurd

And yet the fact remains
Those bastards hold the reins!

[STRIDE]
I'm so sorry, Doctor Jekyll
What a really rotten shame!
I so hope that what has happened
Won't destroy your precious name

Henry Jekyll, I despise you
You have stolen the girl who should be my wife
But there'll come a day, not so far away
When you'll not only pay
You will pay all your life