THEATRE REVIEW: ‘Sherlock Holmes and the Whitechapel Fiend' (Barn Theatre, Cirencester)

Written by Toby Hulse & Ross Smith,  Directed by Adam Meggido.

 

This comedy play with a slightly satirical bite posits that 19th-century tabloid press sensationalised the crimes of Jack the Ripper to such a degree that they turned the mysterious serial killer into a monstrous fiction. Arguing that “it takes a fiction to catch a fiction” who better to investigate the Murders than the ultimate fictional detective, Sherlock Holmes. Therefore, visitors to the Barn Theatre in Cirencester find themselves immersed in an adventure in which Conan Doyle's fictional Victorian London, one where Cockneys – without fail – stick their thumbs in their lapels and perambulate solely by means of the Lambeth Walk, collides with the 1888 Whitechapel Murders, with regular cutaways to modern Ripper ‘experts’.

The pre-publicity describes it as a hilarious mix of Basil Rathbone, ‘What We Do In The Shadows’ and ‘The Thirty-Nine Steps’ (presumably the Patrick Barlow version), combined with the style of Netflix True Crime documentaries, alongside the technical wizardry of the Barn with back projections playing an important part, as well as not just one, but two separate pits in the stage. I therefore attended the anti-penultimate performance.

Having adapted ‘Around The World In Eighty Days’ for three actors at the same venue at the start of 2023, writer Toby Hulse is joined by Ross Smith, for this comic narrative, in which the four actors regularly change roles, so everyone (eventually) gets to play Sherlock, Watson, Lestrade, Mrs Hudson, and other supporting characters. All four were splendid, but I would wish to single out the lovely Chloe Tannenbaum, the youngest of the four, who it seemed would never get her turn as the Great Detective, being forever being pushed out of the way when she reached for the Deerstalker, and finding herself playing the majority of the supporting characters, including most of Charles Dickens’ most famous characters in one London street scene. I also enjoyed the stuffed ‘Giant Rat of Sumatra’ which featured in several moments. The script was full of running jokes, fourth-wall breaking, and the fictional identity of the Ripper was well realised (even if predicted by myself halfway through Act 1). Direction by Adam Meggido (‘Peter Pan Goes Wrong’, ‘Showstopper! The Improvised Musical’) was also excellent with him using his experience with physical comedy to full effect.

Very good. 

 

Rating:  (4/5)