The Revenge of Sherlock Holmes! at Hoxton Hall – review

A scene from The Revenge of Sherlock Holmes. Photograph: Kay Young Photography

Following a successful run last year of Jekyll & Hyde, Morphic Graffiti could be forgiven for thinking another quirky take on a Leslie Bricusse musical, with the support of Bricusse himself, was a savvy move. 

The show starts out promisingly inventive and playful. Beautifully designed puppets enact the Reichenbach falls and the enjoyable first quest features energetic choreography and slickly covered scene changes.

Luke Fredericks and Stewart Charlesworth’s decision to turn the musical into a Victorian music hall presentation is a good one. Hoxton Hall is the right venue; the performers interact with the audience and their egos comically intrude on the presentation of Conan Doyle’s characters.

Maximising the parody inherent in the show works well, so it is a shame the play begins to take itself more seriously. The second half drags as these devices dwindle, the puppets are underused and the plot becomes drawn out, making it harder to sustain interest.

The songs are, for the most part, surprisingly dreary. ‘Anything You Want To Know’ – the most memorable of the night – and ‘Halcyon Days’ stand out because they contain what are by far the strongest elements of this production – the wonderful ensemble (Ryan Pidgen, Benjamin Bond, Melanie Brown, Nicola Martin, Rachel Ensor, Adam Penrich) and the best performer of the rest, Stephen Leask.

As Watson’s mortician mate Boffy, Leask grounds the flamboyant style to excellent comic effect. As Inspector Lestrade, he and John Cusworth’s eager Watson are Holmes’ intellectual counterpoints, but simply surrounding Sherlock with stupid characters is not enough to make him look clever.

Tim Walton is far more believable in disguise as a cockney Derby winner than as the mastermind detective – neither eccentric nor passionate enough to convince us of Sherlock Holmes’ unique ability. A tongue as quick as his thoughts should make Sherlock irresistible but Walton too often trips over long sentences.

With live musicians close to the audience, the cast need strong vocals and clear diction. ‘Men Like You’, the underwhelming duet sung by Holmes and Bella Spellgrove (Leonie Heath) was a particular struggle to make out.

In a musical, hearing the songs is somewhat fundamental and the direction unhelpfully keeps the singers at the back of the stage. Whatever influence Bricusse had over the production, Morphic Graffiti could have done with treating the material with less reverence. As it stands, this ‘Music Hall Musical of Elementary Magnificence’ is nowhere near as magnificent as it could be.

The Revenge of Sherlock Holmes!
Hoxton Hall
130 Hoxton St, N1 6SH
Until 10 May 2013