Review of ‘Sherlock Holmes’ (2026, Open Air Theatre): “Sloppy production doesn’t speak highly of whodunnit”

There’s something poetic about Arthur Conan Doyle’s popular creation- for him, a commercial blessing and a literary curse -settling only a few yards away from his world-famous home address. Sherlock Holmes is back. Nobody can finish him off. Not even his archnemesis, Moriarty. Not even the man who made him, lived off his success, and eventually resented him. Love him or hate him, the character’s immortality is undeniable. The one is this production, however, not so much.

Maybe the benchmarks have been a bit too high in the last couple of years — not that the flawlessness of Shucked or La Cage Aux Folles wasn’t accompanied by some less accomplished endeavours. Yet, the level of unresourcefulness the staging suffers from in this one doesn’t really compare. With, perhaps, the exception of the venue’s 2023 revival of Once On This Island.

If you were there, you know perfectly well what I am referring to. It’s not that it’s cheap — albeit it is; it really is. It’s how little effort and imagination have been put into its execution. Not every set needs to be opulent, but it needs to be effective. Sadly, neither of those traits pervades the design, whose poor looks are outshone by its overall laziness and lack of inventiveness.

A bare scaffold serves as both the proscenium and the sole piece of scenery. Extracts of ocher wooden frames, complemented by the national coat of arms hanging above, hopelessly try to disguise their low-cost appearance by conferring an abstract, synthesised look. Suffice it to say that it isn’t fooling anyone. There’s no mystery about why. Just like there’s no mystique to its delivery.

Some additional props- including some very plain-looking, slightly anachronistic chairs and a crane pretending to be a balloon -concoct the rest of this bland and somewhat amateurish realisation. Nothing in its visuals impresses, as its substandardness is almost criminal. And although the narrative approach is generally more adept, in some cases, it might have acted as an accomplice.

Using one of Doyle’s full-length Sherlock novels, The Sign of Four, as its basis, the script constructs an engaging structure. On the whole, the pacing is agile, and the exposition, conflict, and tension are handled adequately. The relationship between Holmes and Watson is also given some space for exploration, which might not be the deepest, but it’s nonetheless welcome.

It’s far from perfect, though. As much as the show is moderately entertaining, the final impression is infused with unrequested comicality, which often verges on parody. We can acknowledge the writer’s intent to provide a modern view on colonialism to an old-fashioned tale, however. But most of these attempts to bring gravitas ultimately get clouded by this overwhelming sense of drollery.

At the same time, the twist ending- not featured in the original book -is easily predictable. Consequently, the play doesn’t conclude with the cliff-hanging punch the text is looking for. Instead, it puts a magnifying glass on its inability to surprise. There might not be substantial evidence to accuse it of storytelling ineptitude, but it’s enough proof of some shortcomings in that department.

The company occasionally delivers satisfactory performances, although none truly excel. Patrick Warner receives the highest mention thanks to his portrayal of Mycroft, whom he plays with poise and naturalness.

Joshua James oozes presence as the lead, Sherlock Holmes, but his histrionism goes beyond the role’s eccentricities, resulting in a lampoonish interpretation that comes off forced and uninviting. On the contrary, Jyuddah Jaymes’s Watson is bloodless and soulless, mistaking the character’s reserved essence with a disappointingly wooden take on it.

There are always challenges in reviving a classic. And anything involving Baker Street’s most distinguished resident can’t be any smoother. Still, the solutions for this problematic remake have probably been before the creatives’ eyes the entire time. Their decision to ignore them escapes any normal reasoning. And my only deduction is that some team members didn’t have a clue what they were doing. That’s elementary.

Sherlock Holmes plays at London’s Regent’s Park’s Open Air Theatre until 6 June. Tickets are available on the following link.

By Guillermo Nazara