BROTHER WOLF is proud to present the return of its groundbreaking solo drama, Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde, guaranteed to have audiences on the edge of their seats. Adapted and performed by award-winning actor/writer/producer, James Hyland, this “powerful, intense, spellbinding and disturbing” show (The Yorkshire Times) takes a unique approach to Robert Louis Stevenson’s classic tale of civilization versus savagery, good versus evil. During his final lecture on the duality of humankind, the respectable Dr Jekyll reveals his strange association with the mysterious Edward Hyde and the shocking truth about his identity: that Hyde, unlike other human beings, is not only fundamentally evil, but also the very definition of it. Recently named Top Five Plays of the Year (Pink Prince Theatre) as well as receiving the accolade Actor of the Year, its success is paralleled by Brother Wolf’s other acclaimed works including A Christmas Carol – As told by Jacob Marley (deceased), the “definitive telling of A Christmas Carol” (Redditch Standard), winner of Best Performer in Theatre (Fringe Report Awards, 2012); Fagin’s Last Hour, “powerful and highly accomplished” (The Stage), recipient of an OffComm Commendation (Off West End Awards, 2023); Dracula’s Guest, “a majestic statement of the power of theatre” “mesmerising… brilliantly clever, albeit disturbing” (North West End UK), winner of The Hamilton Deane Award (The Dracula Society, 2022); A Lesson from Auschwitz, (Plays To See), commended by The Foundation of Memory Sites Near Auschwitz-Birkenau; The Mad Hatter’s Tea Party, “an insanely creative bewitched piece of theatre… absolutely outstanding” (A Youngish Perspective); and Silver & Gold, “spellbinding… theatre as it should be. Raw, engaging, and unapologetic” (Pink Prince Theatre), nominated for Solo Performance in a Play (Fringe Theatre Awards, 2025/2026).
Praise for Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde:
ACTOR OF THE YEAR (Pink Prince Theatre Review of the Year, 2025)
TOP FIVE PLAYS OF THE YEAR (Pink Prince Theatre Review of the Year, 2025)
BEST MALE ACT (Solo International Festival of One Man Shows, 2013)
“A chilling masterpiece of transformation… a genuine acting genius” ★★★★★ (Pink Prince Theatre)
“a masterful display of gothic horror at its most engaging” ★★★★★ (A Shiny Life For Me!)
“A creative and bold masterpiece… truly magnificent” ★★★★★ (A Youngish Perspective)
“James Hyland is a genius. He has to be… extraordinary” ★★★★★ (Everything Theatre)
“the outstandingly talented James Hyland” ★★★★★ (What’s On Stage)
“outstanding and original… extremely impressive” ★★★★★ (What’s Peen Seen)
“A fantastic actor… Go and see it wherever you can.” ★★★★★ (Stafford Radio)
“A masterpiece in every respect… Utterly unmissable.” ★★★★★ (British Theatre Journal)
“not for the faint hearted… a spine tingling piece of theatre” ★★★★★ (The Theatre Twittic)
JAMES HYLAND
Actor | Adapter | Producer
James Hyland is Artistic Director and Founder of Brother Wolf. He is also a multi award-winning stage and film actor as well as an award-winning writer, producer and director with more than twenty-five years’ experience in the profession. James’ work has been described by the press as “magnificent” (Plays to See), “highly accomplished” (The Stage) and “astonishing” (The Courier). Following his education at the National Youth Theatre of Great Britain and Rose Bruford College of Theatre and Performance, he made his professional acting debut in The North Pole, winning the Guardian International Student Drama Award in 1996. Since then he has appeared in over 70 professional productions, working with a variety of directors including Adrian Noble, Matthew Warchus and the late Michael Boyd, as well as acclaimed companies such as the Royal Shakespeare Company and Brother Wolf, winning a further 42 awards including Actor of the Year (Pink Prince Theatre Review of the Year, 2025) for his solo performance in Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde, Best Performance of the Year (The Actors Awards LA, 2022) for his performance as Mr Guthrert Vratrol/Narrator in the film The Impatient Man Who Made His Life Considerably Shorter, The Hamilton Deane Award (The Dracula Society, 2022) for his performance as Dracula in Dracula’s Guest, an OffComm Commendation (Off West End Awards, 2023) for his stage production of Fagin’s Last Hour, and Best Performer in Theatre (Fringe Report Awards, 2012) for his solo performance as Marley’s Ghost in A Christmas Carol – As told by Jacob Marley (deceased), the longest running stage production of A Christmas Carol in the UK. John Park, Director of the Fringe Report Awards, said “The award celebrates the work of James Hyland, actor, and in particular his creation and delivery of A Christmas Carol – As told by Jacob Marley (deceased). It reflects his fine work as an actor in film, TV, radio and theatre in a remarkable range of productions.” In the same year, further honours were bestowed by Queen Elizabeth II at Buckingham Palace in Gold (based on Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson), recently nominated for Solo recognition of Dickensian Scholarship. By 2014, A Christmas Carol – As told by Jacob Marley (deceased) had been officially rated as one of “the top Christmas shows in London, Edinburgh and around the UK” (High 50 Culture). The show’s unique presentation has even been discussed in best-selling books about the theatre. In 2018, during the 175th anniversary of Dickens’ original novella, James performed his award-winning show at The Royal Albert Hall, selling out to capacity. The production was followed by two more award-winning one-man shows, Fagin’s Last Hour, reviewed as “powerful and highly accomplished” (The Stage), and Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde, described as “nothing short of supernatural… a genuine acting genius” (Pink Prince Theatre), as well as his very latest solo drama, Silver & Performance in a Play (Fringe Theatre Awards, 2025/2026), and reviewed as “theatre as it should be. Raw, engaging, and unapologetic” (Pink Prince Theatre). James serves as actor, adapter and producer on all four productions. The shows have toured extensively, breaking box office records along the way, as well as his commemorative drama A Lesson from Auschwitz, of which he is the writer, director, producer and co-actor (commended by The Foundation of Memory Sites Near Auschwitz-Birkenau), reviewed as “one of the most powerful and most important pieces of theatre I’ve ever seen” (Centre Stage); his double award-winning stage adaptation of Dracula’s Guest, of which he is the adapter, director, producer and co-actor, described as “the most intense 55 minutes of drama you’re ever likely to encounter” (Voices from the Vaults); and his fantastically original Theatre-of-the-Absurd interpretation of The Mad Hatter’s Tea Party, of which he is the adapter, director, producer and co-actor, hailed as “an absolute masterpiece” (A Youngish Perspective). Among his many screen credits is the acclaimed The Impatient Man Who Made His Life Considerably Shorter in which he plays the dual lead roles of Guthrert Vratrol and the Voiceover Narrator for which he received 31 Best Actor awards including Best Performance of the Year at The Actors Awards LA, Best Actor in a Comedy at the Best Actor & Director Awards New York, the Made You Laugh BBC Comedy Award at The World Cinema Film Festival and Best Actor at The APEX Film Awards at which his performance was reviewed as “absolutely hilarious and played to perfection.” To date, James has played the lead in 5 international award-winning films.
PHIL LOWE
Director
Since 2007, the late Phil Lowe directed more than twenty productions at Harrogate Theatres including many of its acclaimed pantomimes. In 2011, he directed Fagin’s Last Hour with Brother Wolf which received Royal Recognition from Queen Elizabeth II. In 2013, he teamed up with Brother Wolf again for Strange Case of Jekyll and Hyde, which won Best Male Act at the Solo Festival. As well as co-writing Harrogate Theatre’s Pantomimes, Phil also wrote and directed Harrogate Theatre Young Company’s inaugural production I Could Murder A Fat Rascal which was performed at the world famous Betty’s Tea Rooms. Phil has also directed Harrogate Youth Theatre’s Main House productions of The BFG, The Witches and Who Shot the Sheriff. In 2016, Phil was recognized for the huge success of Harrogate Theatre’s pantomimes and won “Unsung Hero of the Year” at the Harrogate Hospitality and Tourism Awards for his contribution to tourism; attracting over 30 000 people each year to the town.
CHRIS WARNER
Music
“Chris Warner is an esteemed composer, sound designer, arranger and orchestrator” (Audio Network) whose range of work covers theatre, television and film. Other Brother Wolf credits include: Silver & Gold, Dracula’s Guest, The Mad Hatter’s Tea Party, A Lesson From Auschwitz, Fagin’s Last Hour, A Christmas Carol – As told by Jacob Marley (deceased). Recent composing and sound design credits include: Blue Stockings, Sadie (Lyric Belfast, BBC4), Booming Voices, From Rushmere With Love, The Tide Jetty (Eastern Angles), ART (East Riding Theatre), Archie in Manhattan (Grand Opera House, Belfast), Macbeth (RSC Associated Schools). As an arranger, orchestrator and producer, recent credits include The Ipcress File (ITV), The Mauritanian (BBC Films, 30West), The Rise of the Tudors (Sky History), The Merry Wives of Windsor (The Royal Shakespeare Company). As a composer for TV and Film Chris is published by Audio Network, producing original music that is featured extensively in TV, Film and Advertising in this country and around the world. Recent collaborations include an album with percussionist Dame Evelyn Glennie and cellist Ayanna Witter-Johnson.
Performance Date:
FEB 9 @ 7.30pm
LONDON – UPSTAIRS AT THE GATEHOUSE
Highgate Village, London, N6 4BD
020 8340 3488 www.upstairsatthegatehouse.com
Synopsis
During his final lecture on the duality of humankind, the respectable Dr Jekyll reveals his strange association with the mysterious Edward Hyde and the shocking truth about his identity: that Hyde, unlike other human beings, is not only fundamentally evil, but also the very definition of it. Combining edge-of-your-seat thrills with stunning physical theatre, Robert Louis Stevenson’s classic “bogey tale” is brought chillingly to life in this ground- breaking one-man show.
Recommended for: Ages 12+
This category is recommended when the material is suitable only for those aged 12 and over. Works classified at this category may upset children under 12 or contain material which many parents will find unsuitable for them. In such circumstances, responsibility for allowing a child under 12 to view the work lies with the accompanying adult.
Cast and creative team:
Actor/Writer/Producer: James Hyland
Director: Phil Lowe
Composer: Chris Warner
For further details please contact:
James Hyland, Artistic Director
BROTHER WOLF
website: www.brotherwolf.org.uk
Brother Wolf on X: https://x.com/BrotherWolfUK
Brother Wolf on Facebook: www.facebook.com/brotherwolfproductions
James Hyland on Instagram: www.instagram.com/jameshylanduk
