Sherlock Holmes And The Invisible Thing
Rudolf Steiner Theatre
Reviewed – 25th July 2019
★★★
“well written and highly entertaining, with plenty of wit and a pinch of whimsy”
Nearly a hundred years after the last Sherlock Holmes stories were published, it’s pretty amazing that he still thrives in contemporary culture, with a Hollywood franchise and a major television series to boot. This is certainly not a case of a forgotten character’s revival. But it seems we can’t get enough of the eccentric detective, and ‘Sherlock Holmes and the Invisible Thing’ is a welcome addition to Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s ongoing legacy.
Sherlock Holmes and his trusty side-kick Dr. Watson are called to the house of one Miss Lucy Grendle, to solve the murder of an unknown man, pushed in to the lake by “unseen hands”, as observed by an anonymous witness. The perfect mystery for a virtuoso such as Holmes. The play, written by Greg Freeman, unfolds to reveal most of the trappings of a Conan Doyle whodunnit, with scatterings of red herrings, seemingly tenuous pieces of information linking neatly together, and a farcical undercurrent. The final reveal, however, leaves the audience wanting. Without giving too much away, Freeman provides plenty of intrigue and suspense, but seems at a loss with how to satisfactorily explain an “invisible thing”.
Stephen Chance’s Sherlock is fairly sombre, but whilst we’re missing a little vigour, he captures Holmes’ knowing smugness and condescension flawlessly. Vanessa-Faye Stanley (Lucy Grendle) combines a Victorian seriousness with slight melodrama, providing plenty of nuanced physical comedy amongst a well fleshed-out performance. Philip Mansfield makes for a charming, if slightly hammy Dr. Watson. Doug Cooper, playing the part of the bumbling local police inspector, gives an adequate performance, though he leans a little heavily on a cockney accent to give flavour to his character. Imogen Smith, playing the put-upon house servant, though she says little, has a weighty presence.
The set (Leah Sams) is fairly traditional – a Victorian style living room with lots of dark wood, heavy wallpaper and renaissance paintings. But there’s enough to keep the audience engaged, without distracting.
Director David Phipps-Davis clearly knows that Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s formula is a winning one; there are no modern bells and whistles, beside a welcome strand of potential romance for the private detective. Whilst the usual flawless narrative logic of the Sherlock Holmes stories is slightly lacking here it’s still well written and highly entertaining, with plenty of wit and a pinch of whimsy.
Reviewed by Miriam Sallon
Photography by Alastair Hilton
Sherlock Holmes And The Invisible Thing
Rudolf Steiner Theatre until 18th August
Previous shows covered by this reviewer:
Operation Mincemeat | ★★★★★ | New Diorama Theatre | May 2019
The Millennials | ★★½ | Pleasance Theatre | May 2019
Hotter | ★★★★★ | Soho Theatre | May 2019
Dark Sublime | ★★★ | Trafalgar Studios | June 2019
Garry | ★★★ | White Bear Theatre | June 2019
Pictures Of Dorian Gray (A) | ★★★ | Jermyn Street Theatre | June 2019
Sh!t-Faced Shakespeare: Hamlet | ★★★ | Leicester Square Theatre | June 2019
The Knight Of The Burning Pestle | ★★★★ | Barbican | June 2019
Rust | ★★★★ | Bush Theatre | July 2019
Oddball | ★★★½ | King’s Head Theatre | July 2019
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