Given the thunder, lightning and generally wet and wild weather of the proceeding day, I had almost pre-written my opening paragraph prior to arrival. While I certainly wasn’t hoping for a dark and stormy night for the opening press night of the Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre season (an auspicious night in any theatre lover’s calendar), it certainly would have felt apt and atmospheric for this production. In turn, however, we were treated to a predominantly dry night, leaving the drama for on (and around) the stage.
Nadi Kemp-Sayfi as Mary in Sherlock Holmes by Joel Horwood at Open Air Theatre, Regent’s Park.
We open in broad daylight, as is always somewhat perplexingly the case in the park, to a monochrome representation of the day’s storm on stage. Loud drumbeats resonate through the audience reminiscent of earlier thunder, and the ensemble enter to perform an effective and enthralling contemporary dance routine that places us amongst a mutiny over treasure in part of India, at the time of the Empire. We then jump some 30 years later, and find ourselves a mere stone’s throw away from our eponymous hero’s home 221B Baker Street with his comrade Watson pitching possible cases for the duo to engage themselves with.
Here start the easter eggs with references to many of the better known cases rattled through in quick succession. Loosely based on The Sign of Four, this case centres on Mary, the illegitimate daughter of one of those involved in the opening mutiny, and a curious link to valuable jewels and the original stolen treasure. To divulge the full plot of a Sherlock Holmes story is to deny the audience the gentle unfolding of a page turner before your eyes. This isn’t exactly edge of the seat intrigue, and there is more than one meandering tangent which could lead to confusion, unfortunately, with both plot and dialogue in need of some refinement.
However, if you simply allow yourself to get swept up with the story and suspend your disbelief, then it’s a riotous ride. The direction and presentation are self consciously metatheatrical – be this Watson writing and revising the direction of the story, the broken ‘frame’ of the faux proscenium staging, or the decision to have all stage hands and crew visible throughout. We are as much involved in the creation of the case and trying to unravel the clues as Holmes and Watson are. While Holmes retains only his signature pipe from the list of usual accoutrements associated with the name, a stand out focus in blue, the rest, predominantly feature in shades of black, grey and brown with pops of red to draw character focus throughout the story.
Joshua James at Sherlock Holmes
In addition, somewhat surreal animal heads feature continually – whether this be as disguise for key suspects, to represent actual animals (the proximity to London Zoo referenced on perhaps one too many occasions) or perhaps the descent of Sherlock’s psyche. As dark falls during the second act (always a magical moment at the park), these really do start to take on a more sinister aspect. Colour and costume, by Grace Smart, interact and complement the park setting well here despite not necessarily being traditional or historically accurate.
That being said, we do experience many of the facets we know and love about Sherlock Holmes – the quips and quirks, the iconic one liners and the unintelligible tangents all captured in a hazy frenzy by Joshua James. He’s got more of the restless psychopath of Benedict Cumberbatch about him, rather than the suave stature of a Robert Downey Jnr, but it’s a performance that anchors the show with aplomb. What could be demonstrated more easily on screen – flashbacks, unravelling of arguments, discovery of evidence – is played to good effect here with Holmes and Watson being the central focus with choreographed scenes played out around them. The most effective of which sees them moving through London on a train carriage, buoyed nicely by the concentric revolving stage.
There are a number of beats that need to be hit to make a satisfying Sherlock Holmes story and these do happen successfully here. There will be no spoilers, but the final scene showdown using the full space with both surprise and mastery, and the cunning twist in the tale, resolves to a truly satisfying finale. There’s a magic to this venue that never fails to captivate, and tonight there was more than a (chilly) air of mystery too.
Sherlock Holmes plays at the Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre until 6th June 2026. For more information, and for tickets, please visit www.openairtheatre.com.
Photos by Tristram Kenton
