THEATRE REVIEW: ‘Sherlock Holmes' (Regents Park Open Air Theatre)

THEATRE REVIEW: ‘Sherlock Holmes’

Written by Joel Horwood, Directed by Sean Holmes.

(Regents Park Open Air Theatre) 

 

‘One day in early spring Holmes had so far relaxed as to go for a walk with me in [Regents] Park, where the first faint shoots of green were breaking out upon the elms, and the sticky spear-heads of the chestnuts were just beginning to burst into their five-fold leaves’.  [YELL]

 

Being performed less than a ten minute walk away from Baker Street and the Sherlock Holmes Museum, at the Regents Park Open Air Theatre, this play was described in the pre-publicity as a ‘new adventure’ by Joel Horwood who wrote the critically acclaimed stage adaptation of Neil Gaiman’s 'The Ocean at the End of the Lane’, this was only partially true. Act One was the second adaptation of ‘The Sign of Four’ that I had seen in the space of a month (albeit with some elements of one of my favourite short stories, ‘The Bruce-Partington Plans’, and more than a little anti-British Empire/ colonial social commentary). Act Two took the story off in a new direction (concluding ‘TBPP’) leading up to both a Reichenbach moment and a grand revelation that was written with the smugness of a writer who has never seen ‘The Crucifer of Blood’ another SIGN stage adaptation and thinks that they have come up with a unique ending. (That said, this production does take it one stage further, with another revelatory twist that half the audience seemed to be muttering along with the actors). A running joke about animals having been released from the Regents Park zoo (leading to a Lion riding a bike in the background at one point) was also stretched to capacity.

However, the main performances were very good with Joshua James’ Holmes (introduced in a RDJ-style boxing scene) walking the line between being maddening and impressively intelligent, and Jyuddah Jaymes’ black Watson and Nadi Kemp-Sayfi’s mixed-race Mary adding to the anti-Empire sentiment. Marcia Lecky’s Mrs. Hudson was under-used, and Mervin Noronha’s Tonga (no longer either a Pygmy or a savage) was an excellent dancer and second-half antagonist. The ensemble were also excellent, particularly in the opening Agra Fort scene and in a circus scene.

It was possibly a little long, particularly on what turned out to be a very cold May night, but I enjoyed the performance, and purchased both a poster and a postcard as well as a programme.

‘Sherlock Holmes’ runs at the Regents Park Open Air Theatre until 6^th June 2026.

  

Dramatic Score: 7½/10

Rating:  (4/5)