The tale of Deacon Brodie is one rarely known by those outside of Edinburgh: A corrupt member of the City Chambers who used his skills as a Wright (in this case cabinet maker and locksmith), to steal from the wealthy folk of Edinburgh. The tale however has been known somewhat in another form: as the inspiration for Robert Louis Stevenson’s Jekyll and Hyde (although that can be held to some debate). The Tale of The Original Jekyll and Hyde (Told by a Mad Hatter from Stockport) lures us in with the promise of hearing Brodie’s tale…. although we end up hearing more about the writer’s fictional character Stanley instead.
As a local historian I was pretty excited about the prospect of hearing the tale delivered through a character of the time. There’s something charming about having history delivered in the first person from an actor dressed up from the period, and charming is exactly how I would describe Andy Dickinson’s character Stanley. Timidly entering the stage space and with a wonderful working-class charm. We are immediately made clear that this character has a questionable past but is harmless and had been coerced into their new position as William Brodie’s look out. Unfortunately, however Stanley’s repetitive pacing and long pauses between lines gets old rather quickly.
We hear the tale via Stanley and therefore not much information is actually given about the main man, rather we are served with repetitive jokes about his dead fish being flushed down the toilet (a thing that would not be possible in 1780s Edinburgh due to lack of plumbing and flushing toilets all together didn’t become mainstream until the late 1800s). Jests are followed with long pauses and a cheeky “that’s funny” kind of facial expression and the whole show is delivered in a hush tone which doesn’t allow Dickinson’s other characterizations to come through. Unfortunately, all of this makes it hard to feel immersed in the performance.
The choice to create his own character in the tale is a strange one, especially when William Brodie already had 3 lesser known sidekicks that could have been chosen from. Had he opted for Ainslie, Brown or Smith, he could have kept the story format but helped keep the historical validity to his tale, and more importantly kept on track with the shows titled promise. Stanley is a fun character and had this been a ten-minute performance, he would be a great host, but his delivery and lack of real connection or intention in the story makes for a very slow 55 minutes. The story becomes hard to follow, and I can’t say I left knowing any more about Deacon Brodie than I had when entering, instead most of the information learnt is about a fictional character, which is not what the show advertises to be. It’s a real shame, given the performance’s location is within a minutes walk away from Deacon Brodie’s old workshop. The script is in need a rework and perhaps a new title, but the tale of Deacon Brodie is an interesting one and definitely deserves it’s time in the light.
The Tale of The Original Jekyll and Hyde (Told by a Mad Hatter from Stockport) plays from 7th – 29th August 14:00 at Greenside@ Riddles Court, Willow Studio.
Tickets can be purchased at https://www.edfringe.com/tickets/whats-on/the-tale-of-the-original-jekyll-and-hyde-told-by-a-mad-hatter-from-stockport
Reviewer: Beth Eltringham
Reviewed: 19th August 2026
North West End UK / Theatre Muse UK Rating: