London Theatre News & Reviews

The Reviews are in for Sherlock Holmes

~ Buy Tickets for Sherlock Holmes ~

Ocean at the End of the Lane writer Joel Horwood brings a new Sherlock Holmes adventure to the Open Air Theatre in Regent’s Park directed by, rather aptly, Sean Holmes from Shakespeare’s Globe.

Fresh off the success of his first big case, Arthur Conan Doyle's famous detective misuses his time, until an unknown woman and a mysterious jewel arrive at 221b Baker Street. It sets Holmes and Watson on the case to reveal the mastermind behind a deadly conspiracy.

The reviews are in:

"This hugely enjoyable new Sherlock Holmes adventure from playwright Joel Horwood gives you all you could possibly want from The Great Detective: the catchphrases, the wild connect-the-dots genius, the Victoriana, the post-Cumberbatch notion that the guy is a bit of an autistic weirdo but cranked up to 10 and given a flamboyant drug habit." ★★★★ (Time Out).

"This is a real humdinger of a Holmes, an intoxicating swirl through the mind of the fictional detective who has fascinated figures as diverse as Harrison Ford, Agatha Christie, and the Sultan of the Ottoman Empire. Joel Horwood’s update takes Conan Doyle’s original The Sign of Four and liberally spices it with elements of Wilkie Collins’ The Moonstone, the BBC’s Sherlock and an opium dream, to create a storyline that keeps you on your toes at the same time as it leads you through a labyrinth." ★★★★ (The Arts Desk).

"Sean Holmes’s garbled production stars Joshua James as a young, blond and stroppy version of Sherlock. Clad in sky-blue trousers and waistcoat he’s fond of chemical stimulants and prizefighting, like Robert Downey Jr’s manifestation in Guy Ritchie’s films." ★★ (Evening Standard).

"Grace Smart’s set is built around a central revolve, which twirls the actors about, adding even more dynamism to chases and crowd scenes. A proscenium, its gilded frame cracked and charred, stands centrally, its flaking gold paint and splintered woodwork symbolising the play’s central idea that only a thin veneer of civilisation conceals all manner of barbarous acts." ★★★ (The Stage).

"This suggestion of Watson as an unreliable narrator is one of many contemporary customisations of the franchise that also include Holmes’s belief that the British empire was itself a cunning fiction and reminders that the Indian gems are loot. An advantage of the alfresco setting is references to the nearby London zoo, Regent’s Canal and Baker Street, although the pace of the production by the appropriately named Sean Holmes was possibly due to the actors worrying about becoming frozen on the spot; outdoor drama is a pleasure complicated by the plot twists of the season." ★★★★ (The Guardian).

"There is some fun to be had in this energetic production, but it can’t make up for lazy writing and plotting. One for the Holmes fans? Not if you value the originals." ★★ (Everything Theatre).

"The commitment is undeniable, the pay-off more questionable. On the page, the fun of Conan Doyle’s adventures is in watching the way our man joins the dots; here, across two hours, we’re bombarded with clues to the point of bamboozlement. I kept wondering who it was aimed at. Staged a stone’s throw from Baker Street, this is a puzzling case of: so near and yet so far." ★★ (The Telegraph).

Overall: ★★★

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