A Night of Sherlock Holmes with Nash Theatre transforms the audience into the quaint radio listenership of the 1930s serialisation on which this production is based on, as we tune into Holmes’ escapades with his omnipresent friend, the good Doctor Watson.
A radio play is the theatrical equivalent of a film camera or a record player – there is comfort in the nostalgia and the tangible work that goes into creating the experience.
It does not appear at the click of a button, but because real people have put real effort into making it happen – recording the song, experimenting with shutter settings, learning the script, pressing the vinyl, developing the negative, donning the costumes, choosing the record or showing up onstage ready to crack a mystery as if it were the first they had known of it.
Similarly, the radio play has no backing track, but instead an innovative and entertaining sound team crumpling paper to evoke the crackling fire, constructing a miniature entrance for 221B Baker Street so you can envision the comings and goings of Holmes and his companions, and pulling the bow across violin strings at the bending of a metal poker.
The sound team are secretly the heroes of the radio play, ramping up tension and adding unwritten colour and humour to the narrative.
For Holmes fans like this writer, familiar with some of the pivotal reveals, it is nonetheless delightful to see Baker Street (and indeed the exotic household of the Speckled Band) reimagined for the radio waves, or in this case, reimagined again for the stage.
Three classic stories – The Adventure of the Speckled Band, A Scandal in Bohemia, and The Case of the Blue Carbuncle – are presented by the talented ensemble directed by Jason Nash, with three different interpretations of our indomitable duo.
Each actor puts their own spin on Holmes, from Domonic Thurlow’s smug detective, Alex Thompson’s youthful confidence, and Caleb Hockings’ wry, hidden kindness.
Their three different counterparts in Watson complete the dynamic, and Hockings, who plays both Holmes and Watson in separate stories, provides a standout, unusually cheeky Watson brimming with personality.
Bruce Edgerton plays a range of quirky characters with flair, while Matt McNeice plays Watson with aplomb.
Kiah Latham and Sandy Adsett capture the drama of their respective characters, in the midst of the head-scratchers Holmes is pursuing, while Jenny Bonney-Millett brings personality to her peripheral roles.
The season continues until March 14 – get your tickets at nashtheatre.com.
