Sher-Lockdown (1) - Video

Lockdown has seen me finding other ways to spend my weekends and evenings, given the lack of signing events and theatrical entertainments. However, I have found a multitude of online Sherlockian content to keep me amused (the majority of it being free). I therefore give my top 5 Sherlockian video treats for lockdown.

5) Theater in Place - An online, interactive theatre for children of all ages, and those who love adventure – featuring actors and circus performers from around the world. The project was conceived as a way to support the arts and entertain those sheltering in place during these challenging times, performing original skits based on classic and timeless stories, such as Alice in Wonderland, Peter Pan, and Sherlock Holmes. Children and adults can watch, solve puzzles and riddles, participate (if they choose) in challenges, and have multiple chances to win valuable prizes.  Click here to start the 'Sherlock Holmes' section.

4) Sherlock Holmes: The Final Reckoning -This is a British play, written by noted Sherlockian David Stuart Davies and directed by Emily Ingram. It was a Twisted Thistles production, performed at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe from 25th February to 3rd March 2019 (6 performances), starring Michael Daviot as Sherlock Holmes and Mark Kydd as Dr. Watson. Click here to watch.

3) On Demand - All 13 episodes of 'Sherlock' are available on BBC iPlayer, and the first two series of the Jeremy Brett Granada dramatisations are available on ITV Hub.

2) 'Miss Sherlock' -  Available for purchase on YouTube and Amazon Prime, a female-led adaptation of the stories, this show is primarily set in Tokyo, Japan. It is a co-production between HBO Asia and Hulu Japan and depicts consulting detective, Sara 'Sherlock' Shelly Futaba (Yūko Takeuchi) solving various mysteries in modern-day Tokyo. Sherlock is assisted by her flatmate, Dr. Wato Tachibana  [known by Sherlock as 'Wato San'] (Shihori Kanjiya), a doctor who has recently returned from volunteering medical aid in Syria. Because of Sherlock's keen observational and deduction skills, she is frequently asked by Inspector Gentaro Reimon of the Metropolitan Police to help with cases. Although the series depicts a variety of crimes and perpetrators, Sherlock must deal with the secret organization, Stella Maris, who is behind some of the crimes they solve.

1) Jonathan Goodwin - Not to be confused with the escapologist, Jonathan Goodwin is the Artistic Director of the 'Don't Go Into the Cellar Theatre Company', the UK's finest practitioners of theatrical Victoriana in a macabre vein, including several Goodwin-starring Sherlockian one man shows. During lockdown, their tours are on hold, but they have begun live streaming their shows. The first (unfortunately no longer available) was 'Re. Sherlock Holmes'  (featuring 'The Lion's Mane' and 'The Blanched Soldier'), but the more recent, 'Strictly Sherlock' (featuring 'The Sussex Vampire' and 'The Creeping Man') is available until 30th May 2020  (so, you'll have to be quick). This comes highly recommended   (Please see promotional trailer for my reaction when I saw it live).





Click here for 5 audio treats.

The Best Sherlock Holmes Stories

During lockdown, when not working, as well as planning future 'Sherlockian Sojourns', I have been catching up on my Sherlockian reading. As well as pastiches and some recently acquired reference works by noted Sherlockian Kelvin I. Jones   (email enquiries@cunningcrimebooks.co.uk to order a signed copy of his latest - 'The Art of Deduction', a highly recommended book of 10 monographs), I have also been regularly visiting several SH Facebook groups, one of which directed me to a newly published ranking of the 60 stories of the Canon on the website 'Book Riot'  (Click here to read it). Already incensed by its 'woke' claims of racism, ableism and antisemitism, having only just read in the booklet for my newly acquired 'Doctor Who; The Collection - Series 14' boxset that 'Talons of Weng-Chiang' "contains language that may offend", I turned on ITV3 to find 'The Last Vampyre', the Jeremy Brett dramatisation that ruins one of my favourite stories, 'The Sussex Vampire'. I therefore decided to make my own list, of my favourite stories in the Canon.

In March 1927, just before the final volume of Sherlock Holmes stories, 'The Casebook of Sherlock Holmes', was due to be published in book form, 'The Strand Magazine' introduced a competition for its readers. Sir Arthur Conan Doyle himself would select the very best (that is, his own favourites) Holmes stories, and whichever fan guessed the author’s list “most nearly” would win £100 and an autographed copy of Conan Doyle’s 'Memories and Adventures'. His list, revealed in June 1927, comprised twelve of the stories, but included none from the about to be published 'Casebook', which had all already featured in 'The Strand'. However, he did disclose which two stories would have made the list if he had included these stories. Given this, I decided to also make a list of fourteen, which appears below in publication order, with a brief (non-spoilery) reason why I like it. 

• 'A Scandal in Bohemia' - Holmes vs. 'The Woman'
• 'The Man With The Twisted Lip' - Appropriately because of its twist.
• 'The Blue Carbuncle' - Literally a Christmas 'wild goose chase'
• 'The Speckled Band' - The best of the 'waiting in the dark' sequences
• 'Silver Blaze' - My favourite of the 'racing' stories
• 'The Final Problem' - For the battle of wills with the Napoleon of Crime, and Watson's 'final' tribute to Holmes.
• 'The Abbey Grange' - The best example of 'all not being as it seems'
• 'The Bruce Partington Plans' - How can a body end up on the Underground tracks without being in receipt of a ticket ?  The best of the 'stolen document' cases.
• 'The Dying Detective' - Holmes the actor to the fore.
• 'The Disappearance of Lady Frances Carfax' - The most exciting climax of all the short stories.
• 'The Devils Foot' - Holmes and Watson facing danger together, with Watson saving Holmes' life.
• 'The Problem of Thor Bridge' - To quote Holmes, "Was there ever a more exact demonstration ?"
• 'The Sussex Vampire' - The best of the 'rational explanation for seemingly supernatural events' stories
• 'The Three Garridebs' - For the brief moment when Holmes' 'mask' slips and he declares how much he cares about his only friend, Watson.

(My list comprises 4 from 'The Adventures', 2 from 'The Memoirs', 1 from 'The Return', 4 from 'His Last Bow' [half the 8 stories], and 3 from 'The Casebook')

Conan Doyle's list (again in publication order) was as follows (with those that are also in my list marked in red):

• 'A Scandal in Bohemia'.
• 'The Red-Headed League'
• The Five Orange Pips'
• 'The Speckled Band'
• 'The Musgrave Ritual'
• 'The Reigate Squires' 
• 'The Final Problem' 
• 'The Empty House'
• 'The Dancing Men'
• 'The Priory School'
• 'The Second Stain' 
• ''The Devils Foot'
• 'The Illustrious Client'
• 'The Lion's Mane'

(see https://lithub.com/the-12-best-sherlock-holmes-stories-according-to-arthur-conan-doyle/ for his reasons).

ACD chose 4 from 'The Adventures', 3 from 'The Memoirs', 4 from 'The Return', just 1 of  'His Last Bow' (my favourite of the collections) , and 2 from 'The Casebook'.  We only share four stories  (29%).

To paraphrase Jessica Plummer whose original post incensed me so - 'This list is a matter of opinion, and my opinion is always correct, all the time, about everything'.

THEATRE REVIEW: Tweedy and the Missing Company of Sherlock Holmes (Greenwich Theatre)

THEATRE REVIEW: Tweedy and the Missing Company of Sherlock Holmes (Greenwich Theatre)

Fresh from his sell-out pantomime season as Buttons in ‘Cinderella’ at the Everyman Theatre Cheltenham, contemporary vaudeville clown, Tweedy (real name Alan Digweed), presents his take on the Great Detective in a tour between January and February 2020.

Tweedy is putting on a large-scale theatre production of Sherlock Holmes’ greatest case – ‘The Monster on the Moor’ (‘Hound of the Baskervilles’). He’s built the set, got the props and booked the theatre for the show. There is only one problem – Tweedy has lost all the actors! He therefore calls on his faithful friend Monsieur Loyal (Tom Bayliss) for help, and together the two of them must solve the mystery of the missing actors and also perform the whole show between the two of them. How hard can that be ?

A family audience was packed into Greenwich Theatre for the matinee performance, which proved to be ‘HOUND – The Panto’, with audience participation (yelling ‘Clue !’ whenever the ‘Clue’ light lit up) and wonderful slapstick and mime performance. I also found myself being accused of being the villain when Tweedy came into the audience. All the children present also seemed to enjoying themselves from start to finish, with only an extended riff on ‘Two Soups’ losing their attention, with many becoming frustrated at his repeated shuffling on and off with plates. I laughed throughout and was disappointed when it ended after just an hour. It was also a surprisingly canonical adaptation of ‘Hound’. Highly recommended.

The production tours to Swindon, Stroud, Cheltenham, Doncaster, and Chipping Norton. Click here for tour dates.

Rating:    (4/5)

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)

THEATRE REVIEW: ‘Magic Goes Wrong’ (Vaudeville Theatre)

Introduction

As a gigantic fan of the Mischief Theatre Company, the co-writers Penn & Teller, magic advisor Ben Hart, and Magic in general, this was always going to be a must-see for me. Having previously seen ‘The Play That Goes Wrong’ in the West End (before JJ Abrams made it cool to do so), ‘Peter Pan Goes Wrong’ on tour, their two TV specials, and their television series, ‘The Goes Wrong Show’ (I’m kicking myself for missing ‘The Nativity Goes Wrong’ in 2013), I was aware of what to expect. The last two stage productions that I had seen them in, ‘The Comedy About a Bank Robbery’ and ‘Groan Ups’ (the play that proceeded MGW in the company’s residence at London’s Vaudeville Theatre), had not been ‘Go Wrong’ shows and I was looking forward to them returning to what has made them known. 

 

Plot

 

In this show, the original Mischief company (but without usual member, Charlie Russell) play a hapless gang of magicians – old school magician with daddy issues, Sophisticato; street magician/danger fiend, The Blade; inept mentalist, Mind Mangler; and German female duo, Bär & Spitzmäus - presenting a charity event for those injured in the line of magic. As the accidents spiral out of control, so does their fundraising target !

Review

Whilst the audience were taking their seats, ‘members of the crew’ (played by the Understudy group) wandered among the seats with nets in an attempt to gather up ‘escaped rabbits and doves’. The show proper then started. Without wanting to give anything away, as per any ‘GW’ show, trick after trick goes wrong in one way or another, but there is still more than enough actual magic going on. A few tricks ended quite grisly, and I needed to look away from the trick just before the interval, when it became all too clear what was about to happen. Also as per usual, several cast members ended up in just their underwear. There was also excellent use of illuminated letters across the stage which changed during some acts to spell out messages which became more insulting as the evening progressed.

The cast were all fantastic with co-writer, Henry Shields as Sophisticato, the compere of the evening. His recreation of his late father’s dove act was one of the highlights of the evening. Two of the other writers, Henry Lewis and Jonathan Sayer, appeared as the Mind Mangler and his even more inept stooge, Mickey, with their initial performance being another highlight as the Mind Mangler struggled to get anything other than very basic predictions right. After having a very limited role in ‘Groan Ups’, I was also pleased to see MTC regular Dave Hearn getting a larger role as The Blade, a Criss Angel-type magician, whose thirst for danger can only spell disaster in a GW show. I was also very impressed by his demonstrated breath-holding skills seen whilst he was in a water torture cell, performing a classic ‘Penn & Teller’ routine. The magicians were rounded out by Nancy Zamit and Bryony Corrigan as Bär & Spitzmäus, with the latter displaying excellent contortionist skills. Roxy Faridany completed the cast in the vital, albeit brief, role of Eugenia, Sophisticato’s late father’s assistant and magical philanthropist. There were also a couple of video appearances from magical superstars (the programme indicating that their fees had been donated to charity).

Highly recommended, and the programme indicated that sales have been such that the engagement has been extended, meaning that a proposed third production during the residency has been postponed.

 

Rating: 

‘Magic Goes Wrong’ runs at London’s Vaudeville Theatre until 31^st May 2020.

Link: Official Website

My 2019 Awards - Part Three: Doctor Who

[No TV episodes in 2019  ('Resolution' was part of last year's awards), so on the day of the first episode of Series 12, other DW-related awards]

Big Finish Boxsets:

5) 'The Further Adventures of Lucie Miller'

4) 'The Lives of Captain Jack - Volume 2'

3) 'The Paternoster Gang: Heritage 1'
2) 'The Tenth Doctor Adventures - Volume 3'

1) 'The Legacy of Time'

(Honourable Mention: 'The Eighth of March')

Big Finish Monthly Range:

5) 'Memories of a Tyrant'
4) 'Blood on Santa's Claw and Other Stories'
3) 'The Kamelion Empire'

2) 'An Alien Werewolf in London'

1) 'Emissary of the Daleks'

Blu-Rays / DVDs:

5) 'Doctor Who: The Collection - Season 18'

4) 'Doctor Who: The Collection - Season 19'
3) 'The Doctors: The Colin Baker Years'

2) 'Doctor Who: The Collection - Season 23'

1) 'Sil and the Devil Seeds of Arodor'

Other Merchandise:

5) 'Max Warp' Vinyl
4) 'Ground Zero' Graphic Novel

3) 'The Target Storybook'

2) 'The Unofficial Dr Who Annual 1987'
1) B&M Figure Sets

 

Events:

5) 'Christopher Eccleston - I Love The Bones of You' - National Theatre  (September)
4) 'London Film and Comic Con - Spring' - Olympia   (February)

3) 'Vworp 2' - Manchester Metropolitan University  (September)

2) 'Sil and the Devil Seeds of Arodor - London Preview Screening' - Rudolf Steiner House Theatre (November)
1) 'An Afternoon in Devil's End' - Aldbourne Memorial Hall    (June)