The Elephant Man (film) me hate acting." Because of the strain on the actor, he worked alternate days. Lynch originally wanted Jack Nance for the title character. "But it just wasn't in the cards," Lynch says; the role went to John Hurt after Brooks, Lynch and Sanger saw his performance in "The Naked Civil Servant" as Quentin Crisp. Lynch bookended the film with surrealist sequences centered around Merrick's mother and her death. Lynch used Samuel Barber’s "Adagio for Strings" to underline the end of the film and Merrick's own death. The film's composer, John Morris, argued against using the music, stating that "this piece
The Elephant Man (play) as Merrick. In May 2015, the production, again starring Cooper, Clarkson, and Nivola, opened at the Theatre Royal Haymarket London for a limited 12-week run from 19 May until 8 August. An adaptation for television of this play adapted by Steve Lawson also called "The Elephant Man" was broadcast in 1982 on ABC. Philip Anglim repeated his Broadway performance. Also directed by Hofsiss, actress Penny Fuller received an Emmy Award for her performance as Mrs. Kendal. A radio drama adaptation by BBC World Service was published in 1988. It was directed by David Hitchenson and starred Gerard Murphy as John