A great mind ready to help humanity. A savage monster bent on death and destruction. And both are the same person. Robert Louis Stevenson’s classic tale, The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde has thrilled and chilled readers for nearly two centuries in print, film, and on stage. One of the best adaptations of this classic tale of good and evil was actually for radio and the final 6 hours are now collected in Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, Volume 2 from Radio Archives.

 

The man behind Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde was George Edwards and just the right person to bring this dynamic tale of split personality to life. An Australian actor and producer, Edwards lived many lives before coming to the career he is most known for. Vaudevillian, acrobat, stage actor, and comedian, Edwards shone brightest in bringing wonderful stories to life on Australian radio. The man behind other series, such as Afloat with Henry Morgan and Adventures of Marco Polo lent not only his production skills to Jekyll and Hyde, but shared his amazing vocal talents as well.

 

Edwards was well known as "The Man with a Thousand Voices." Not only could he mimic multiple voices, Edwards could carry on complete conversations between characters he was playing. Many scenes in Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde with multiple characters are all voiced by George Edwards. Edwards also brought authenticity to the roles he played, able to reproduce any tone or accent with his voice, save that of children or young women. The amazing aspect of this was that when not in front of a microphone, Edwards often spoke with a stutter.

 

The final 24 episodes of this classic Radio serial are collected in Dr. Jekyll and Mister Hyde, Volume 2. Stevenson’s story, Edwards’ performance and production, and the intense pacing of each episode make Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde Volume 2 a necessary part of any Classic Radio fan’s collection!