Review: SHERLOCK HOLMES & THE BITTER OF THE BASKERVILLES, The Bull Inn Sonning - Tour
Photo credit: Perro Loco Productions
Sonning in Berkshire is a very upmarket village on the River Thames, with a delightful dinner theatre at the Mill, and The Bull Inn that dates from the 1500’s, which featured in Jerome K. Jerome’s book Three Men in a Boat, and some claim that Dick Turpin the highwayman once visited. The Old Joint Stock Theatre from Birmingham arrived for one night only and set up in the car park forecourt of the pub next to the churchyard of St Andrews Church with their touring show, Sherlock Holmes and the Bitter of the Baskervilles. On a cooler dry summer evening with a pint of beer from the pub, it is a lovely setting.
Four actors and one multi-talented technical manager stage the show. The technician sets up a pub counter centre stage, runs the lights and sound mix and drives the transit between venues. The four actors play a multitude of characters meeting in Sherlock Holmes’ favourite pub to reminisce about some of his recent cases, but where is Sherlock himself?
Will Batty is the mysterious Hungarian visitor to the pub whom they ask to play the role of Watson in the recreation of the cases. Imogen Vickers is the actress Fanny Foster who has been framed for murder in The Music Hall Murder. David Haller is the horse drawn cab driver, Alfie Swan, accused of stealing the reclining nude in The Horror of Parliament Hill. Will Hamilton is the Irish pub landlord scared by the mysterious red eyes in the fog of The Beast of Baker Street. How did Sherlock solve these cases, save the accused from their fate and find the missing stolen diamond?
Adam Meggido’s script pays tribute to the original Conan Doyle stories with references to Mrs Hudson, Lestrade and Moriarty but wittily and cleverly creates a new mystery for the four actor-musicians to play out. The cast do very well with two elements that make this show work. Firstly, the inclusion of lots of well-known tunes with rewritten words played live, adding immensely to the fun. ‘Let’s Get it Started, ‘Running Up That Hill’, ‘Defying Gravity’, ‘Stayin’ Alive’, ‘Who Wants to Live Forever’, ‘Another One Bites the Dust’, ‘Superstition’, and even ‘A Foggy Day in London Town’ all get featured, causing ripples of laughter. Secondly, the audience is involved, especially a Mr Dodds in the front row in disguise and several others are given characters, which creates an immersive silliness that adds immensely to the show. It is all tongue in cheek but imaginatively staged including a dramatic mid-air clash of two hot air balloons and neatly resolved in the end.
A very pleasant, fun night with friends.
**** Four stars
Reviewed by: Nick Wayne