Reviewed by Matt Forrest

Opening Night verdict ⭐️⭐️⭐️

If I had a pound for every incarnation there has ever been of Sherlock Holmes on either the big or small screen, then I’d be a very wealthy man indeed. However, for his celluloid endeavours, Holmes has seldom trod the boards. Surely the world’s number one consulting detective is ripe for a turn on the stage, and writer Simon Reade has undertaken this task with mixed but entertaining results.

In Sherlock Holmes: The Final Curtain, it’s early 1920’s and we find Holmes (Robert Powell) and Dr Watson (Timothy Kightley) apart from one another. Watson is entering the brave world of broadcast radio, telling the world of his adventures with the super sleuth, whilst Holmes is a broken shell of his former self, riddled with arthritis and living a reclusive life keeping bees on the Sussex coast. With the discovery of a dead body on Holmes’ private beach, the sudden appearance of Mary Watson (Liza Goddard) and the fact that its 30 years since Holmes last encounter with nemesis, Moriarty at the Reichenbach Falls….something doesn’t quite add up. In addition Holmes’ legendary powers of deduction seemingly failing him and his growing paranoia that someone is out to get him, is it time for him to come out of retirement and crack one final case?

This interesting, entertaining, if unremarkable production could be so much more. It takes a look at old-age, retirement, and how your body and mind can fail you when you need them the most. Also the issues of coping with an ever-changing world. You cannot help but feel more could have been done to explore Holmes’ vulnerability. That said, I found the plot engaging, with some neat little twists and turns, and fun ‘tips of the cap’ to the source material and its creator Sir Arthur Conan Doyle.

Powell is solid and engaging as Holmes, giving a seemingly effortless performance; you just want to see him make more of Holmes’ paranoia. Goddard is equally good as Mary, giving her strength and steel. The scenes between Goddard and Powell are a treat as they spar with one another; these scenes certainly highlight the undeniable chemistry between the two leads.

The supporting cast are solid; Anna O’ Grady puts in a fun turn as Miss Hudson, whilst Roy Sampson is clearly having a ball as Mycroft Holmes. I do think more time could have been given to Kightley as Dr Watson, there seems to be more that could have been put his way, instead he is left with nothing more than a narrators role: surely more could have been made of Watson’s relationship with his wife.

It is odd really that this show should be called the final curtain, as there were a few opening night nerves with the curtain which notably affected scene changes. Hopefully these snags will be ironed out for the productions remaining run.

Overall this was an entertaining, enjoyable night at the theatre, however you can’t help but feel that there is a more interesting story ready to burst from the pages onto the stage. Certainly, worth seeing, but one that won’t live long in the memory.

Sherlock Holmes – The Final Curtain is on at the Opera House until 28^th July, tickets available here.