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Robert Powell brings Sherlock Holmes out of retirement at Malvern Sherlock Holmes: The Final CurtainMalvern Theatres*** The game is afoot in a fog of tobacco smoke as Mr Smith, better known as Sherlock Holmes, is persuaded out of retirement in this brand new thriller at Malvern Theatres. Sherlock Holmes: The Final Curtain sees Robert Powell star as the world-famous detective alongside Liza Goddard as Mary Watson in this world premiere production written by Simon Reade. Powell has starred in five series of the BBC comedy The Detectives with Jasper Carrott and played Mark Williams in BBC1s Holby City for six years. Let’s also not forget his small role in The Italian Job with Michael Caine in 1969. As Sherlock, Powell portrays an egotistical troubled genius on the verge of madness with a penchant for opium and cocaine. He captures the idiosyncratic behaviour of an ageing bee keeper with a slow pace due to his aching knees. The tale is set in 1922 at the BBC recording studios where Dr John Watson, played by Timothy Kightley, masters the new-fangled technological advances to entertain radio listeners, however few, about cases worked with his famous detective friend Sherlock Holmes. As the curtain sweeps across the stage to reveal a body washed up on Sherlock’s private beach, his hideout in the south coast in Sussex becomes the scene of an investigation lead by Detective Inspector Newman, Lewis Collier. While the cadaver is still fresh, Mary Watson tracks down Sherlock and pays him an unexpected visit claiming her long-dead son James has been spotted at 221B Baker Street. Sherlock is reluctant to return to London and dredge up memories of arch enemies and fading relationships so does so in disguise and gets psychoanalysed then discovered by Dr Watson. The final part of the first half sees an apparition of James Watson ending in catastrophic consequences to Dr Watson’s heart. With Watson hospitalised, Sherlock calls on his brother Microft Holmes, Roy Sampson, to conduct a séance to discover the truth. With a great amount of trickery and by embracing modern technology the culprit is ousted with an interesting link to arch-enemy Moriaty as he rears his evil head. Revenge is a dish best served cold. Directed by David Grindley, this production doesn’t take itself too seriously with lots of humour and intrigue. The pace is rather slow, fitting with Sherlock’s rheumatism and age, but doesn’t drag on as the whole production including the interval is only two hours. There’s still life in the old detective yet and who knows what the next mystery will entail? To 26-05-18 Emma Trimble 21-05-18 Malvern Theatres Box Office 01684 892277 |
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