Sherlock Holmes: The Last Act
★★★☆☆ An Epilogue
Assembly Rooms (Venue 20): Thurs 1 – Sun 25 Aug 2024
Review by Florence Cruickshanks
The scene is set. Dr Watson, having succumbed to a fatal heart attack, has just been buried, and Sherlock Holmes, his long-term partner and friend has returned alone to the Baker Street flat they shared.
His reminiscences, neatly packaged into Sherlock Holmes: The Last Act by David Stuart Davies and produced by Fringe Management is a one hour monologue, delivered with style and wit by Nigel Miles-Thomas. Not to mention an impressive array of accents.
Nigel Miles-Thomas in Sherlock Holmes The Last Act
Those familiar with Conan Doyle’s work will be aware of much of the ground covered, but the direction, by Gareth Armstrong, cannot fail to entertain even those familiar with the territory.
There are some revelations. While Holmes recalls that he had no luck with women, it is amusing to learn that Watson had more success in this area, even getting married.
We learn of Holmes’ unhappy childhood, with a brutal father finally reaping his just reward; of the murder of Sir Eustace Brackenstall, the prevention of death at the hands (or fangs) of the speckled band snake, and the final duel with Moriarty, which Sherlock Holmes survived, despite the death notices, through his knowledge of Japanese martial art.
But despite his mental abilities and physical qualities, this was no super-hero. Personal issues – cocaine addiction, the sometimes overpowering need for mental stimulation, and at the end of his career, Holmes’ disillusionment with modern London, are all sympathetically described, as Miles-Thomas takes us on a journey through Doyle’s hero’s eventful life.
Running Time: One hour (no interval)
Assembly Rooms, Drawing Room, 54 George Street, EH2 2LR (Venue 20)
Thursday 1 – Sunday 25 August 2024
Daily: 14.25
Tickets and details: Book here.
ENDS
