THEATRE REVIEW: ‘Sherlock Holmes' (Roman Theatre of Verulamium, St. Albans)

THEATRE REVIEW: ‘Sherlock Holmes’

Written & Directed by Mark O’Sullivan.

(Roman Theatre of Verulamium, St. Albans) 

 

 

 

To complete a trilogy of al-fresco Sherlock Holmes plays  (‘Sherlock Holmes’ at the Regents Park Open Air Theatre & ‘Sherlock Holmes vs. Arsene Lupin’ at Brighton Open Air Theatre), I made my way to the Roman Theatre of Verulamium, St. Albans where I had previously seen ‘Sherlock Holmes: A Study in Lipstick, Ketchup and Blood' (a version of ‘A Study in Scarlet’) three years before.

This time, rather than being a visiting production, the production was the first play in the OVO Theatre Company’s 2026 Open Air Festival, and had been compiled by its director, Mark O’Sullivan, combining the narratives of ‘A Scandal in Bohemia’, ‘The Red-Headed League’, ‘The Devil’s Foot’, ‘The Man With The Twisted Lip’ and ‘The Final Problem’, into a play featuring four actors playing all the parts. Lachlan McCall and Anna Macleod Franklin played Holmes and Watson (as well as a couple of minor parts each), with Jessica Vickers and Max Gallagher playing all the others – including Irene Adler, Mrs. Hudson, the King of Bohemia, John Clay, Mortimer Treggenis and (a personal highlight) Dr. Leon Sterndale. As with ‘SHvAL’ there was a lot of gender-blind casting with Vickers playing many men as well as ‘the Woman’ and Gallagher giving us his Mrs. Hudson.

The play was very funny, particularly in Act One when Watson and Mrs. Hudson are attempting to not reveal to the King that Holmes is incapacitated following substance misuse by recounting previous adventures. The small set which was on several levels was also expertly used, with costume changes seemingly happening instantaneously. It all led up to an ending, which although not unique (a famous pastiche, later filmed, has the same twist), had an emotional bite despite all the silliness that had gone before. Very, very good (and unlike the other two, the weather stayed warm).

 

Dramatic Score: 7/10    (Excellent - despite this)

 

Rating:  (5/5)     

 

Link to Production Website: Sherlock Holmes - OVO Roman Theatre Open Air Festival 2026

THEATRE REVIEW: ‘Holmes & Watson – The Curious Case of the Masked Magician' (Wilton’s Music Hall)

THEATRE REVIEW: ‘Holmes & Watson – The Curious Case of the Masked Magician’

Co-created by Peter Clifford, David Hoare & John Nicholson, Directed by John Nicholson.

Wilton’s Music Hall (26/05/2026) 

 

An evening combining a number of my great loves – Sherlock Holmes, magic shows and Sherlockian filming locations. This was billed as a Family Magic Show, but the audience in Wilton’s Music Hall (used for the Stag Party scenes in ‘Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows’ 2011) for the 7pm performance that I attended seemed to be mainly adults. There had however, been a 2pm performance, (as it was Half Term), which may have contained more children in the audience.

This show had been co-devised by the two magicians performing, Peter Clifford and David Hoare (AKA The Great Baldini), along with the director, John Nicholson, whose co-written comedy version of ‘The Hound of the Baskervilles’ seems to have become the go-to theatre version of the last ten years. In keeping with Nicholson’s earlier effort, all parts were played by only a few performers (in this case two), with Clifford’s Holmes or Hoare’s Watson interviewing suspects in turn played by the other, as they attempted to investigate the disappearance of ‘The Masked Magician’, Edwardian theatre’s most famous conjurer. The plot moved at a rapid pace with the magic tricks seamlessly blended into the chaos. The script was hilarious and I was laughing throughout, particularly at the comedy by-play between the two of them, particularly when as Holmes and Watson together.

At the curtain call it turned out that the director was sitting a few rows back from me, but he managed to escape before I could grab him for a photo, but even this did not impact my continued sense of elation at the end of the show. Very highly recommended if the tour (which continues into 2027) is coming near you.  (Click here for tour dates)

 

Dramatic Score: 8½/10

Rating:  (5/5)     

THEATRE REVIEW: ‘Sherlock Holmes vs. Arsène Lupin: A Drag Crime Caper' (Brighton Open Air Theatre)

THEATRE REVIEW: ‘Sherlock Holmes vs. Arsène Lupin: A Drag Crime Caper’

Written & Directed by Samuel Masters.

(Brighton Open Air Theatre, 16/05/2026) 

 

A few days after ‘Sherlock Holmes’ at the Regents Park Open Air Theatre, I found myself again in an Open Air Theatre, this time in Brighton, to watch a Sherlockian play presented by the Department of Ulterior Motives (DUM) as part of Brighton Fringe. DUM is a theatre company based in Brighton, specialising in ‘bold yet accessible reinterpretations of literature and folklore’, and the previous year had offered a comedic version of GK Chesterton’s metaphysical thriller ‘The Man Who Was Thursday’. This year’s offering was a comic adaptation of the ‘Arsène Lupin vs Sherlock Holmes/Herlock Sholmes’ novels of Maurice LeBlanc (recently updated for Netflix), but as the title indicates performed in drag, ie. with all the male characters played by females and (almost) all the female characters played by males.

I therefore caught a train from East Croydon to Preston Park, where it was a twenty-minute walk to Dyke Road Park and the theatre, Watching a matinee, I had learnt nothing from a few days before, and the early sunshine having evaporated by the time of the performance, I was grateful when during the interval, theatre staff came round handing out blankets.

The play itself was absolutely hilarious with Chully Mullock’s ridiculously camp Lupin being a highlight, along with Esther Dracott’s Watson. Maria Evans’ Holmes was appropriately pompous, Alex Scarrott’s Mrs. Hudson very pantomime dame, Michael Grant’s Irene Adler appropriately arch, and Phaedra Danelli’s Josephine very funny, with excellent support from Emma Howarth, Alex Louise and Tiggie Ellison. There were several lip-synchs, a couple of ‘Drag Race’ references, masses of physical comedy, and it even ended with a 1990s power ballad. After the two outdoor performances that day, it was having a short run at the Ironworks Studios. Definitely recommended if restaged.

 

Dramatic Score: 10/10    (I’m not taking a point off for an Irene Adler with a beard)

 

Rating:  (5/5)     

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)     

British Musicals: ‘Paddington: The Musical’ (2025)

British Musicals: ‘Paddington: The Musical’ (2025)

 Music & Lyrics by Tom Fletcher

Book by Jessica Swale (Based on the film ‘Paddington’ by Paul King and ‘A Bear Called Paddington’ by Michael Bond)

 

History

Following the success of the first two films of ‘Paddington’, this musical was developed over five years by Sonia Friedman Productions, StudioCanal and Eliza Lumley Productions on behalf of Universal Music UK. The story was to based on the first film, itself based on the book ‘A Bear Called Paddington’ by Michael Bond. Chosen to write the songs was Tom Fletcher, one of the lead vocalists and rhythm guitarist of British pop rock band McFly, who was also the group's founder. He came with a proven track record, as in his 20-year career as a professional songwriter, Fletcher has written 10 UK number one singles and 21 top-ten singles, as well as the songs for ‘The Christmasaurus Live’, a live production of his debut children's novel of the same name (featuring his sister, Carrie Hope-Fletcher, who is Musical Theatre royalty). The main challenge was how to realise the beloved titular bear, and was not until the first preview performance (and after all the rest of the cast had been announced) that it was announced that Arti Shah and James Hameed were both playing the role of Paddington with Shah as the on-stage performer and with Hameed performing as the voice and controlling Paddington's facial expressions, whilst also playing the role of Young Man. Amongst those joining them in the production which opened at the Savoy Theatre on 1^st November 2025 were Brenda Edwards, Bonnie Langford, Victoria Hamilton-Barritt, Teddy Kempner and Amy Booth-Steel

 

Story

Having travelled from darkest Peru to London to find ‘the Explorer’ who visited him and his Aunt Lucy many years before (and gave him his signature red hat), an initially nameless bear finds himself alone on the platform at Paddington Station, and in need of help. He is taken in by the Brown family (against Mr. Brown’s better judgement) as he attempts to find the Explorer and a home. However, at the nearby Natural History Museum, Millicent Clyde adds a chinchilla to her taxidermy collection, while lamenting over the almost-complete collection. She is only missing a Peruvian Bear. Can Paddington escape her clutches and learn what being part of a family means?

In A Nutshell

Family is more than blood (or even species).  (Oh, and you should always keep a Marmalade sandwich under your hat)

 

Production

Having walked past the ‘Paddington – The Musical’ gift shop on my way into the theatre, past a bar selling Marmalade sandwiches, and purchasing a large souvenir brochure, I entered the theatre itself. My seat was right at the back of the Dress Circle, but my view was excellent. Teddy Kempner as Mr Gruber was our narrator telling the story to the Young Man who would become the voice of Paddington. The first musical number which moved from Gruber’s shop to Paddington Station, ended with the ensemble parting and giving us our first glimpse of the bear himself, a wave of love sweeping from the audience towards him. Initially, the Young Man was standing behind him doing his dialogue in-vision. However, once the Brown family found him, the Young Man left the stage, and it was at this point that Paddington began moving, and his mouth opened and closed to the dialogue. Within a few lines, disbelief had been entirely suspended by the entire auditorium, as we all found ourselves transfixed by what seemed to be a real bear on stage, particularly when he began accidentally destroying the Brown’s home (and when a few scenes later, he was given his trademark blue duffle-coat, I had a lump in my throat).

The songs were wonderful, the staging amazing, and the cast seemed to be having the time of their lives. Victoria Hamilton-Barritt’s Millicent Clyde was the ultimate pantomime villain, Bonnie Langford stole all her scenes as Scottish housekeeper Mrs Bird, as did Amy Booth-Steel as the terribly posh Lady Sloane (who experienced Paddington’s ‘hard stare’), and all the Brown family (Adrian Der Gregorian, Amy Ellen Richardson, Delilah Bennett-Cardy & Joseph Bramley [at my performance]) were outstanding. Brenda Edwards and Teddy Kempner made the most of limited material, but my favourite was Tom Edden as Mr Curry, the only character to repeatedly break the fourth wall (including leading a singalong in the first number of Act 2) who had a few near-the-knuckle jokes that went over the children’s heads. I was also strangely touched by the length of the applause that Langford got after her main number in which she completed moves that someone half her age would have trouble doing.

All too soon we were at the end, with the whole cast on stage, allowing Paddington to give his bow, before everyone left, re-entering in turn, until finally Arti Shah (out of her bear skin) and James Hameed returned hand in hand to take their final bows. Several mothers seemed to be telling their children that Paddington had had to go home to bed, and that this was his friend.

Very highly recommended.

 

Paddington – The Musical runs at the Savoy Theatre, London, and is currently booking until February 2027  (best availability Autumn 2026).

  

Favourite Song

It has to be ‘The Explorer and the Bear’, which has been released as a single by Tom Fletcher and whose melody I was humming as I left the theatre, with the Act 2 opener ‘Marmalade’ and Clyde’s ‘Pretty Little Dead Things’ running it a close second.

  

Did I Buy The Cast Recording ?

Yes, I pre-ordered the CD via the QR code in the programme as soon as I got home.

 

 Links

Production website

Official YouTube Channel