THEATRE REVIEW: Sherlock Holmes: The Hunt For Moriarty

THEATRE REVIEW: Sherlock Holmes: The Hunt For Moriarty

Adapted by Nick Lane, from the works of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle,
Directed by Nick Lane.  

 

 

Another Sherlockian production from the same production company (Blackeyed Theatre) that I had previously seen tackle ‘The Sign of Four’ in 2018 and ‘The Valley of Fear’ in 2022, this time with a new Holmes and Watson (Mark Knightley and Ben Owara). I saw the production at the newly refurbished Yvonne Arnaud Theatre in Guildford as part of its UK tour. On arrival, getting a programme was straightforward, but finding a copy of the advertised playscript was a little more difficult, and having already purchased the programme, I was unable to make use of a combo deal when I finally found them on sale in the cloakroom at the interval.

The play started with Watson and Mrs. Hudson (Pippa Caddick) standing in the burnt out remains of the 221b study, after it had been set on fire by members of Moriarty’s organisation (as per ‘The Final Problem’) mourning the death of Holmes, whilst the stage crew moved items about as firemen. We then moved back in time to the start of Holmes’ active hunting for Moriarty, including elements of ‘The Bruce-Partington Plans’, ‘A Scandal in Bohemia’, ‘The Second Stain’, ‘The Naval Treaty’ and ‘The Priory School’, leading up to the journey to the continent of ‘The Final Problem’, before a return to the burnt out Baker Street for an ending that I won’t spoil.

Trying to cover so many canonical tales in a running time of around two-and-a-half hours (plus interval) meant that some stories got rather short-shrift, with what I would consider to be the key scene of some being ignored for time reasons.  Despite this, I enjoyed this rapid run through classic Holmes stories, even if some of my fellow patrons mumbled on the way out that they had found it difficult to keep up with what was happening.

As per previous productions, the four actors not playing Holmes and Watson played multiple roles (eighteen between them), and it was nice to have Gavin Molloy reprising his role as Moriarty from ‘The Valley of Fear’  (his Lestrade was also a personal highlight). Special praise must also go to Caddick’s Mrs Hudson & Irene Adler.

Definitely worth catching if it comes to a theatre near you.   (Click here for tour dates)

Dramatic Score: 9/10

Rating:   (4½/5)

 

 

Sherlockian Sojourns #79: ‘Some Good Berkshire (Oxfordshire) Air’ [SHOS]

The final of the sixty stories in the Canon to be published was ‘The Adventure of Shoscombe Old Place’ in which Holmes and Watson travel (in the guise of two weary Londoners wanting to do some fishing) to the aforementioned Shoscombe Old Place (home of the Shoscombe Racehorse Stud) to investigate the increasingly erratic behaviour of Sir Robert Norberton (Baronet) and to find the explanation for a partially burnt femur bone found in the Estate’s furnace. I decided to follow their example.

Unlike Holmes and Watson it was to Swindon that I caught a train from London Paddington, rather than the small halt of ‘Shoscombe’. From here I caught a bus (a minibus in fact) to the small village of Ashbury, seven miles east, and formerly in Berkshire but since 1974 in Oxfordshire.

This is the village identified by Bernard Davies as the location of ‘Crendall’ the village three miles off from the Shoscombe Estate, with the mill ponds where Holmes and Watson fished being a short distance away. Crendall was where ‘The Green Dragon’, the Public House where Holmes and Watson stayed, and was also where the landlord, Josiah Barnes, had been given Norberton’s sister’s beloved pet spaniel by Sir Robert in a seemingly spiteful mood. Davies identifies ‘The Rose and Crown Inn’, a 16th-century coaching inn controlled by Arkell's Brewery, as the real location, and it was outside this building that I exited the bus.

 

   

“What is the name of that inn you spoke of ?” - Holmes
“The Green Dragon.” – John Mason
“Is there good fishing in that part of Berkshire?” – Holmes    [SHOS]

 

“On reaching our destination a short drive took us to an old-fashioned tavern, where a sporting host, Josiah Barnes, entered eagerly into our plans for the extirpation of the fish of the neighbourhood” – Watson  [SHOS]

 

Having taken photos, and the Pub not opening for another hour-and-a-half, the plan was then get a taxi to the Shoscombe Estate but having tried repeatedly to book one without success, I realised that I would have to walk. Unfortunately, the walk was nearer to five miles than three, but in just over an hour-and-a-quarter, I was entering the small village of Kingston Lisle, a spring line settlement at the foot of Blowing Stone Hill, which is part of the escarpment of the Berkshire Downs. Like Ashbury, the village was in Berkshire until boundary changes moved it into Oxfordshire.

Bernard Davies decided Kingston Lisle Park, a Seventeenth Century country house, remodelled in the Eighteenth Century with an original estate of 1,000 acres, was the best candidate for Shoscombe Old Place as it was the only one of the estates in this area that had a ruined chapel on the estate. The chapel was situated close to Fawler Copse, a name which bears a similarity to Lady Beatrice Falder, Sir Robert’s sister. No remains of the chapel survive, but there is a church next to the main gates.

These gates and the remaining Lodge are where Lady Beatrice’s carriage exited the Estate on her daily ride. It was here that Holmes and Watson ambushed her in her carriage, learning that all was not as it first seemed. The rest of the estate was private, and I could not see to the manor house. I therefore took photos of the gates and Lodge, and also the Church in lieu of the non-surviving chapel.

   

“This is the place,” said Holmes as we came to two high park gates with heraldic griffins towering above them. “About midday, Mr. Barnes informs me, the old lady takes a drive, and the carriage must slow down while the gates are opened. When it comes through, and before it gathers speed, I want you, Watson, to stop the coachman with some question”.   [SHOS]

  

 

I then did manage to book a taxi to the nearby town of Wantage, where after a brief break for lunch, I was able to catch a bus to Didcot Parkway Station (visited as part of a previous sojourn), and then a train back to London. My original plan had been to also visit the remains of the Shrivenham Railway Station platform, which must have been the ‘Shoscombe Halt’ where Holmes and Watson alighted for Shoscombe Old Place, but I had run out of time. The station itself was demolished in 1965.

Once back at London Paddington, I caught the Elizabeth Line to Farringdon, and then Thameslink to Greenwich for my evening’s entertainment – ‘Sherlock Holmes and The Man Who Believed in Fairies’ in the Studio at Greenwich Theatre. This play written, produced and directed by F. R. Maher, involved Sherlock Holmes investigating the mystery of the Cottingley Fairies, to disprove Conan Doyle's assertion that they are real which he believes reflects badly on him. It was originally performed at the Edinburgh Fringe in an 85 minute version in 2024, before a this three venue tour of an extended version with the same cast. Playing Holmes was Harry Meacher, who I had previously seen as Holmes in a self-penned 'The Hound of the Baskervilles' in 2009.

  

I had an enjoyable evening surrounded by a number of acquaintances from the Sherlock Holmes Society of London. It was then time to wend my way home, having done more walking than I had originally intended.

Sherlockian Sojourns #78: As Seen On Screen - 'Return to Liverpool'

DAY 1

It was time for another multi-day sojourn, and a return to Liverpool to visit some other filming locations. Catching a train from London Euston, I made my way to Liverpool Lime Street, then caught a bus to my first port of call, a ten minute ride away.

This was Blackburne House in Blackburne Place. This was the site of the steps leading to the court rooms in Granada’s‘The Empty House’. It is here that Watson (Edward Hardwicke) bumps into the old bookseller and knocks over his books, little knowing, it is actually Holmes (Jeremy Brett) in disguise.

A short walk round the corner brought me back to Falkner Street, which appeared as Baker Street in ‘The Irregulars’. I had visited here briefly on my last sojourn to Liverpool, but managed to get a better selfie in front of the 221b door, which is situated opposite Sugnall Street. At this point, there was a brief shower of rain, but I managed to shelter under my umbrella to avoid getting too wet.

 

Another short walk brought me to St. Bride Street, which has appeared in multiple Granada episodes. Firstly, the scenes where the Hon. Philip Green (Jack Klaff) trails Miss Calder (Mary Cunningham) through the streets and into the Undertakers in ‘The Disappearance of Lady Frances Carfax’ were filmed here. The Undertakers with its big black door was easily recognisable. Just opposite was where Dorak's Emporium was in ‘The Creeping Man’, and the side road where Watson encounters the villainous Jenkins (Peter Guinness).

      LADY    CREE

Retracing my steps, another five minutes later I was in Canning Street, which has appeared in several Sherlockian productions. Firstly, #76 appears as the house of Dr. Schlessinger (Julian Curry) aka Holy Peters in Granada’s ‘The Disappearance of Lady Frances Carfax’, for at least the exterior shots. The home of Mr Horace Harker (Eric Sykes) from Granada’s ‘The Six Napoleons’ and the home of Hugo Oberstein (Derek Ware) in Granada’s ‘The Bruce-Partington Plans’ were also filmed on this street. There are also a couple of episodes where we see Holmes and Watson turn a corner here to get into a carriage.

    LADY

 SIXN    BRUC

Canning Street also became Baker Street in the BBC ‘The Hound of the Baskervilles’ (2002), starring Richard Roxborough and Ian Hart. Miraculously there was a vacant house on the street itself, so for the first time in film history the interior of 221B Baker Street was actually shot at the same place as the exterior.

 

A two minute walk brought me to Falkner Square which was used briefly in the scenes where Toby is leading Holmes and Watson along the scent of the creosote in Granada’s ‘The Sign of Four’. It was also used in the scene where Holmes chases after Kitty Winter (Kim Thomson) into a carriage after their discussion with Violet DeMerville (Abigail Cruttenden) in Granada’s ‘The Illustrious Client’. Checking screenshots I was able to identify the building where the discussion took place (#40, which also had a blue plaque to Peter Ellis, Architect and inventor of the paternoster lift).

 SIGN

   ILLU 

A five minute walk then brought me to 42 Huskisson Street, which appeared as the medical practice of Hardwicke’s Doctor Watson in ‘The Empty House’, at the beginning of the episode before has revealed that Holmes survived the Reichenbach Falls.

   

It was then time for a ten minute walk via Liverpool Cathedral (to utilise its facilities) to catch a bus to the final filming location of the morning, Mitford Lodge, South Road, which was used as the exteriors, and possibly the interiors, for Bryony Lodge, the home of ‘the woman’, Irene Adler (Gayle Hunnicutt) in Granada’s ‘A Scandal in Bohemia’. The interiors were also used as the home of Mrs. MacFarlane (Helen Ryan) in Granada’s ‘The Norwood Builder’. The property proved to be in process of undergoing renovation, and the heavens had just opened again, so I was limited in the photos that I could take.

    

It was then a ten minute walk to Cressington MerseyRail Station, for the ten minute journey back into Central Liverpool. Having had some lunch, visited a few shops, and purchased a few picnic items, I caught a MerseyRail train to nearby Chester. Here, I browsed a few more shops, and bought more picnic items, before making my way to my evening’s accommodation, a series of themed rooms above a Pub.

After watching a little television, I gathered up my picnic and a few other items, and walked the five minutes to the nearby Grosvenor Park, which was hosting a Summer Open Air Theatre, put on by Storyhouse, a local theatrical charity. I was here for ‘The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes’, an original Storyhouse Production, written by Molly Taylor, in which a modern-day Holmes and Watson solve a mystery involving a true crime convention in Chester and a local manor house, but is all as it seems ?

After a short time queuing, we were let into the auditorium, and I was given a folded cushion seat and directed to the ‘Picnic Terraces’. Finding a suitable central spot, I sat down on the highest of the raked rows, and having read the programme, began eating my picnic.

     

The show started on time, and I had a very enjoyable evening. Ethan Reid played a wonderful Holmes, with Alyce Liburd as Jo(anne) Watson (Interestingly my programme indicated that they were also appearing as Elizabeth & Darcy in ‘Pride and Prejudice’ one of the other plays in that summer’s repertory). Special praise must go to Howard Chadwick as the comic relief Northerner DCI Ray, Lauren Chinery (who I had previously seen in Scarborough in ‘Blonde Bombshells of 1943’) and Eddy Westbury (who as well as being the amazingly posh Rory, also appeared in a vital role at the end of the play, even having to perform a stunt). I made my way back to my room, watching a couple of episodes of ‘Law & Order: UK’ before bed.

 

DAY 2

The next morning, I made my way back to Chester Station, catching a train to Rochdale. Less than a two minute walk from the Station was ‘Fireground’, a museum based in a former Fire Station, which tells the story of firefighting, particularly in the Greater Manchester region, open only a few days per week. The area has played a significant role in the story of fire brigades and fire engineering. Manchester formed England’s first municipal fire service in 1826, whilst the country’s earliest motorised fire engine was delivered to Eccles in 1901.

Paying for admission, I walked round the exhibition of fire fighting equipment and vehicles looking for one in particular, a 1910 Shand Mason Steam Pump named ‘George V’. This Fire Engine was used throughout Granada’s ‘The Norwood Builder’, and can be seen prominently right at the very beginning of the episode. Some of the volunteers at the Museum were even used as the firemen extras in that scene. Just about having given up hope, I found the engine in the final room of the museum, in a small fire station being pulled by model horses.

   

    

Having taken photos of the Steam Pump from all angles, and looked at the information board which confirmed that it had appeared in the Granada ‘Sherlock Holmes’, I retraced my steps to go round all the other exhibits in more detail.

        

    

Exiting via the gift shop (where I purchased two ‘George V’ postcards) and the café where I had a brief snack, I made my way back to Rochdale Station in plenty of time for my train to Bradford Interchange.

Having stopped for lunch, I then walked the ten minutes to the National Science and Media Museum, which explores the science and culture of image and sound technologies and their impact on our lives across eight floors, celebrating photography, film, television, animation, videogames and sound technologies. The museum, which re-opened following a transformation project in January 2025, is home to three cinemas, including Europe’s first IMAX screen and the world’s only public Cinerama screen.

  

Displays included the interactive ‘Wonderlab’, and the ‘Sound and Vision’ gallery which spans two (non-consecutive) floors. The latter was where the majority of items of interest were including ‘Stookie Bill’ the ventriloquist’s dummy head was used by John Logie Baird (1888-1946) in his experimental television work (and which played an integral part in the ‘Doctor Who’ 60th Anniversary story, ‘The Giggle’), all manner of film cameras, and in the final room – a full-size Dalek & Alien, instruments from the BBC’s Radiophonic Workshop (responsible for music and sound effects in Classic ‘Doctor Who’), models from Ray Harryhausen, and an animatronic  March Hare head from the 1999 TV version of ‘Alice in Wonderland’ (created by the Jim Henson Creature Workshop).

        

    

However, it was for another display that I had attended, a room dedicated to ‘The Cottingley Fairies’. In 1917, Frances Griffiths and her cousin Elsie Wright, who lived in Cottingley a few miles outside Bradford, began the creation of a series of five photos in which they appeared in the company of fairies. By the 1920s, adults in public life had taken up the cause of the photographs to suit their own purposes—and anxieties. Conan Doyle, was one of the main instigators of this, and decided to believe in the fairies and the ‘truth’ of the images, publishing ‘'The Coming of the Fairies' in 1922. Frances and Elsie, out of respect for the hoodwinked, chose to retain the secrets of the fairies until the 1980s, by which time the true origins of the world-famous Cottingley Fairies photographs had remained a mystery for over 60 years.

The display included two of the cameras used by the girls to take the photos, a very insightful short dramatised film outlining the cousins’ story (which showed Sir Arthur empathy), electronic versions of the fairies flying around logs, and a video-feed that allowed you to appear surrounded by the fairies yourself.

                    

         

Making my way out of the museum, I had an hour to waste in Bradford, before catching my train home to London from Bradford Forster Square.