The Plays of W. E. Henley and R. L. Stevenson

Set in Edinburgh at the close of the eighteenth century, this melodrama follows the notorious Deacon Brodie, a respected master carpenter who secretly leads a gang of thieves. The opening act immerses listeners in the cramped, candle‑lit rooms of the Brodie household, where familial loyalty and hidden ambitions collide. Through rapid, witty dialogue we meet a cast of colorful figures—Brodie’s paralytic father, his fierce sister Mary, a determined procurator‑fiscal, and a charismatic highwayman—each hinting at the double life that fuels the drama’s tension.

As the evening unfolds, the audience is drawn into the first tableaux: the discovery of the Deacon’s concealed criminal side, a relentless Bow Street runner named Hunt closing in, and a heated exchange that exposes the fragile balance between respectability and rebellion. The play’s brisk pacing and vivid period details create a compelling portrait of a man torn between his public honor and the allure of the underworld, promising an engaging listening experience that rests on intrigue, moral conflict, and the ever‑present threat of exposure.