Interview: Adrian Palmer, The Strange Case of Dr Jekyl and Mr Hyde and The Strangers

Ahead of the Edinburgh Festival Fringe 2024, we’re chatting with a range of creatives who will be heading to the city over August to find out more about their shows. Today we’re chatting with Adrian Palmer about The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde and The Strangers.

Can you tell us a bit about you and your career so far.

I've been an actor for many years and always been fascinated by stories.  As a young actor I remember watching a lighting rehearsal and there was a single spotlight on the stage.  I felt strongly that anyone or anything could step into that lighted area from the darkness and take me on a journey of imagination and wonder.  I still feel that when I see theatre and I try to be that storyteller.

What is your show about?

My shows are adaptations and performances of two classic pieces of literature by great storytellers - Robert Louis Stevenson and Thomas Hardy.  I have kept as close as possible to the original text but summarised them to keep the clarity of the narrative to a modern audience and to last under an hour.

What was the inspiration for The Strange Case of Dr Jekyl and Mr Hyde and The Three Strangers and what’s the development process been to get to this stage?

I was in a long running theatre tour of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde playing Mr Utterson and found myself returning again and again to the original narrative.  Every time I started to read it I was unable to put it down until I had once more read it from cover to cover.  During Lockdown, suddenly forced into an isolation I had never experienced in my life before, I started reading short stories to my friends on Zoom.  This grew and grew and I enjoyed adapting and performing the stories and I believe my friends enjoyed listening to them.  It was an obvious choice to adapt Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde.  As I ran out of stories I read more widely and came across Thomas Hardy's masterpiece - The Three Strangers - and adapted and performed that too. 

What made you want to take to the Fringe?

Since Lockdown ended I have continued to perform stories at live events which is far preferable to Zoom.  The projects are more interesting to me than any other professional work I get and I relish the creativity of being fully responsible for the whole piece.   I have performed twice before at the Fringe.  It's a unique event and seemed a natural choice to further develop my work.

Apart from seeing The Strange Case of Dr Jekyl and Mr Hyde and The Three Strangers what’s your top tip for anybody heading for Edinburgh this summer?

I would say that you are in for a treat.  I plan to see as much theatre as possible while I am there and if my past experience is anything to go by I'm sure I won't be disappointed.  Social media is of course very important but my advice is to talk to the people you will meet in this most friendly of cities - in bars, cafes, supermarket and theatre queues - and ask for their recommendations.  They will tell you!

Why should people book The Strange Case of Dr Jekyl and Mr Hyde and The Three Strangers?

It's a lunchtime show lasting an hour in a vibrant and exciting Fringe venue in the centre of Edinburgh.  These are great stories and I like to think that I can do them and their authors justice.  These are one person performances, not just an old geezer reading a book, so I think you would enjoy them.  If you are undecided, ask someone in Tesco.

When and where can people see The Strange Case of Dr Jekyl and Mr Hyde and The Three Strangers?

The shows are in repertoire - one each day, Monday to Saturday - at 12.30 in The Snug at Paradise in Augustines.  Full details and ordering via the Fringe website.  Here's the link - Search | Edinburgh Festival Fringe (edfringe.com)