Four of Swords Theatre brings Jekyll and Hyde to Poltimore House

Exeter theatre company Four of Swords is reviving one of its most popular productions.

Jekyll and Hyde returns for a two week run in the sinister and shambolic setting of Poltimore House on the outskirts of Exeter from 5th - 14th March.

The company first performed its mad and inventive adaptation of Robert Louis Stevenson’s classic Victorian chiller at Poltimore House in 2013. The production whipped up a heady mix of captivating performances, special effects, film projections and live gypsy music.

Sarah White, who directs the show, explains why Four of Swords is returning to Poltimore House: “We have built our reputation on shows which are designed to be performed in unique spaces. The audience will be following the action from room to room through a spooky and derelict stately home.

“This limits the numbers that can attend each performance. In 2013 demand for tickets far outstripped our capacity, and people have been asking us ever since to revive Jekyll and Hyde. The creepy moral tale of the good doctor and his evil alter ego is therefore back by popular demand.”

Four of Swords was established in 2012 by Sarah and Philip Kingslan John. The company has not been idle between Jekyll and Hyde outings, notching up sold out productions of Macbeth in Beer Quarry Caves, Gawain and The Green Knight in Exeter Cathedral and Doctor Faustus in Exeter’s 800 year old St Nicholas Priory.

It was Jekyll and Hyde which started it all for the Four of Swords brand, and it was due to the success of Sarah and Philip's interpretation that they have been approached to work on a pilot project by Cambridge University Press. The aim of this project is to create multi-media educational resources which complement GSCE English Literature texts. Stevenson's Jekyll and Hyde has recently returned in prominence to the English curriculum.

Philip, who plays the title roles, says: “A strong part of the Four of Swords ethos is to take classic stories and present them in accessible, varied and captivating ways. The work with Cambridge University Press is a great opportunity for us to push this even further.”

Project mastermind and ex-chief examiner Martin Phillips explains: “Between our vision of what classroom resources could be like and Four of Swords' pioneering take on heritage texts, we are looking at the best package of material I have ever been privileged to work on.”

The Cambridge University Press project will be rolled out nationally to all secondary schools which use the AQA examination board.

But this production is not just for students. Four of Swords’ take on Jekyll and Hyde is packed with chills and excitement for people of all ages. You’ll need to be quick though as availability is limited due to the small and intimate audience capacity for each performance.

There are two performances every night except Sunday and Monday at 7pm and 8.45pm. Tickets and more information are available from www.four-of-swords.com

Four of Swords advises that you should wear comfortable shoes and dress warmly as you will be standing or walking for the duration of the one hour performance and Poltimore House is not heated.