Joseph MerÂrick, one of the most severeÂly deformed indiÂvidÂuÂals recordÂed in medÂical hisÂtoÂry, would hardÂly seem like the role David Bowie was born to play. The latÂter looked and actÂed as if desÂtined for nineÂteen-sevÂenÂties rock starÂdom; the forÂmer so horÂriÂfied his felÂlow VicÂtoÂriÂans that he was exhibÂitÂed under the name “The EleÂphant Man.” But whatÂevÂer their outÂward difÂferÂences, these EngÂlishÂmen did both know fame, a conÂdiÂtion Bowie rued alongÂside John Lennon in 1975. Yet in the folÂlowÂing years he conÂtinÂued to expand his pubÂlic proÂfile, not least by turnÂing to actÂing, and even came off as a viable movie star in NicoÂlas Roeg’s The Man Who Fell to Earth — not that playÂing a fragÂile but magÂnetÂic visÂiÂtor from anothÂer world would have been much of a stretch.
In fact, it was The Man Who Fell to Earth that conÂvinced theÂater direcÂtor Jack HofÂsiss to offer Bowie the lead in The EleÂphant Man, Bernard PomerÂance’s play about the life of Joseph MerÂrick (referred to, in the script, as John MerÂrick). HofÂsiss susÂpectÂed that Bowie “would underÂstand MerÂrickÂ’s sense of othÂerÂness and alienÂation,” writes LoudÂer’s Bill DeMain; he may or may not have known that Bowie’s expeÂriÂence studyÂing mime, of which he made plenÂty of use in his conÂcerts, would place him well to evoke the charÂacÂter’s misÂshapen body.
The EleÂphant Man explicÂitÂly calls for no prosÂthetÂic makeÂup; beginÂning with David Schofield, who starred in its first proÂducÂtions, all the actors playÂing Joseph MerÂrick have had to embody him with their actÂing skills alone.
You can see how Bowie did it in clips above. “I got a call withÂin two weeks of havÂing to go over and start rehearsal,” his web site quotes him as sayÂing. “So I went to the LonÂdon HosÂpiÂtal and went to the museÂum there. Found the plasÂter casts of the bits of Merrick’s body that were interÂestÂing to the medÂical proÂfesÂsion and the litÂtle church that he’d made, and his cap and his cloak.” These artiÂfacts gave him enough sufÂfiÂcient sense of “the genÂerÂal atmosÂphere” of MerÂrickÂ’s life and times to make the role his own by the time of his first perÂforÂmances in DenÂver and ChicaÂgo in the sumÂmer of 1980. “Advance word on Bowie’s perÂforÂmance was encourÂagÂing, with box office records broÂken at the theÂaters in both cities,” writes DeMain; The EleÂphant Man soon made it to BroadÂway, openÂing at the Booth TheÂatre in the fall.
It was there, in DecemÂber of 1980, that Mark David ChapÂman saw Bowie play MerÂrick, just two nights before he assasÂsiÂnatÂed Lennon — and he also had anothÂer tickÂet, in the front row, for the very next night’s show. “John and Yoko were supÂposed to sit front-row for that show too,” said Bowie, “so the night after John was killed there were three empÂty seats in the front row. I can’t tell you how difÂfiÂcult it was to go on. I almost didÂn’t make it through the perÂforÂmance.” HavÂing been numÂber two on ChapÂman’s hit list sureÂly did its part to inspire Bowie’s deciÂsion to recuse himÂself from live perÂforÂmance — to stop disÂplayÂing himÂself for a livÂing, as the charÂacÂter of Joseph MerÂrick would have put it — for the next few years. But it was only the earÂly eightÂies, and Bowie could hardÂly have known that his real heights of fame, for betÂter or worse, were yet to come.
RelatÂed conÂtent:
Watch David Bowie Star in His First Film Role, a Short HorÂror Flick Called The Image (1967)
David Bowie’s MysÂtiÂcal AppearÂances in David Lynch’s Twin Peaks
The Thin White Duke: A Close Study of David Bowie’s DarkÂest CharÂacÂter
Based in Seoul, ColÂin Marshall writes and broadÂcasts on cities, lanÂguage, and culÂture. His projects include the SubÂstack newsletÂter Books on Cities, the book The StateÂless City: a Walk through 21st-CenÂtuÂry Los AngeÂles and the video series The City in CinÂeÂma. FolÂlow him on TwitÂter at @colinmarshall or on FaceÂbook.
It says ” Mark David ChapÂman saw Bowie play MerÂrick, just two nights before he assasÂsiÂnatÂed Lennon — and he also had anothÂer tickÂet, in the front row, for the very next night’s show. John and Yoko were supÂposed to sit front-row for that show too,” said Bowie, “so the night after John was killed there were three empÂty seats in the front row. “
Why didÂnt John and Yoko make it ? Lennon was alive for anothÂer day if ChapÂman had a tickÂet for 2 nights in a row . The empÂty seats were there 3 days after ChapÂman saw the show if Bowies stateÂment is corÂrect . And why would a man with the monÂey and conÂnecÂtions John Lennon had have the worst seats in the house instead of what are known as ” ProÂducÂers seats ” 7th row cenÂter ? How did ChapÂman ranÂdomÂly get a tickÂet next to John and Yoko , and in fact end up with front row tickÂets 2 nights in a row for a sold out run when he didÂnt even know hed be in New York at the time tickÂets went on sale ? Is it posÂsiÂble for us to see the origÂiÂnal source for these ” facts ” ?
I had enjoyed Bowie’s music for years, but once I saw his perÂforÂmance in “The EleÂphant Man”, I became a tremenÂdous fan. It became apparÂentÂly clear to me how diverse his talÂents were.
We may nevÂer know many things, but I won’t quit askÂing quesÂtions.
Seems to me that talÂent = pasÂsion.