The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes - A Jolly Ride!

London Theatre Productions brings us the great detective Sherlock Holmes with a fresh twist!  Working closely with Doctor Watson, Holmes solves three crimes in Victorian London.

First, a vanished rugby player.  Then, a malicious blackmailer.  And last but not least, a university scandal.  Adapted for the stage by Ben Foster, these three stories by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle provide fine entertainment indeed.  Using only three actors, we meet an intriguing cast of murderers, miscreants, Scotland Yard detectives, Doctor Watson and the great detective herself.  Yes, in this adaptation we are following the adventures of Sherlock Holmes - “Don't Call Me Shirley!”  

It's a lovely, modern twist to have a female Holmes.  She uses her femininity to great effect in solving these crimes and it's great fun to see her wearing a fake moustache!   Holmes as a master of disguise has clearly inspired this clever production – the actors can change their characters completely with rich British accents and various hats.  This conceit extends to the staging.  A desk, some chairs and a few end tables tranform from Holmes' office to a bumpy carriage ride to a lonely cottage to a university quadrangle.  For the opening performance, a few of the lighting cues were missed but the actors never missed a beat, simply moving into the right area of the stage and carrying us along with them.  Several families were in attendance and the children seemed to enjoy the show immensely as did the adults.  Definitely worth seeing if you like clever staging, strong performances and classic storytelling with a twist!

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