THEATRE REVIEW: Sherlock Holmes & The Warlock of Whitechapel

THEATRE REVIEW: Sherlock Holmes & The Warlock of Whitechapel 

(Zinc Arts Theatre, Chipping Ongar)

Common Ground Theatre Company tours plays around the East Anglia area, and their Christmas offering was 'Sherlock Holmes & The Warlock of Whitechapel' (a sequel to their successful ’Sherlock Holmes & The Hooded Lance’ of the previous Christmas). This comic play was written by its Holmes, Julian Harries, along with the director, Pat Whymark, and was perfect farcical Christmas (or New Year) entertainment. Having missed the previous year’s play due to locations, I was pleased when a final charity performance was announced in the easily reachable Chipping Ongar (twenty minutes on the bus from Zone 6 Underground station, Epping).

Ancient artefacts are disappearing from museums and private collections all over Europe,. A pre-Christian effigy one day, a shamanic totem the next, a pagan fetish at the weekend. Either someone's on their own personal antiques road trip, or they're trying to summon dark forces. and gain mystical powers. But to what end…and why ? It is up to Holmes and Watson (Dick Mainwaring) to investigate.

A sold-out afternoon matinee audience was roaring with laughter from start to finish, as the cast of five played over twenty parts behind them. Harries and Mainwaring were the perfect team having worked together in a large number of previous Common Ground productions, and were ably assisted by regular company members, Emily Bennett and Joe Leat, with newcomer Roger Parkins (whose ‘mad maids’ almost stole the show) rounding out the cast. The show was fully of witty dialogue, physical comedy and even very catchy comic songs. I find myself still laughing at some of the jokes a few days later. I will certainly be keeping an eye out for if there is a third play, even if I have to travel to East Anglia to see it.

Rating:    (4/5)