Wild Goose Theatre have a festive treat for us all, in the form of A Sherlock Holmes Christmas. Nestled away in a modest room in the Old Courthouse, the company transport us back to Victorian times to a dinner party amongst friends, with one of the guests being a certain John Watson. Watson is tasked with entertaining the group and so sets about performing a pair of stories involving the titular detective. Each of these has a wintery setting, a piece of jewellery stolen, and a wrongly accused individual in the docks. They are oddly comforting, rather slight affairs that make a charming night of theatre.
The space in which the evening takes place is small, the cast practically bursting off the stage. It’s intimate - but doesn’t half cause nerves for the safety of the ensemble, that they may well propel themselves off the stage and into the audience. Staging is kept simple but our quintet are talented enough performers that they don’t need a surplus of props and costume changes. Items used are adapted, a pair of scissors as spectacles, sofa cushions as geese. New characters are introduced by simple costume changes involving a jacket removed or a hat added. But we are never unsure who is playing who at different points, even in the moment where Beth Burns takes on the role of both a young woman and the dashing rogue wooing her.
And this comes down to the show’s great asset – the five actors on stage. Craig Finlay is a rich, charming Sherlock – more likeable then some but able to show sparks of the arrogance that is a key part of the detective. Billy Morton (who is taking on triple duties in directing, writing and acting) is an endearing Watson, the audience’s guide through the evening. Burns and Matilda Morrissey are both sensational, hopping from character to character, with a gift for rich, expressive performances that immediately establish their part in the story. And Cyd Cowley is also great fun in multiple roles, but really stands out with a terrific late-in-the-day rant about the innuendos in Watson’s writing. A lot is asked of these five actors and they step up to the challenge, a real testament to the depth of talent that exists on the
Morton adapts the stories well, with a thick strand of humour and a huge trench of meta commentary on Sherlock Holmes. There is a clear love for Arthur Conan Doyle’s work here, but also a refreshing irreverence for the same works. A Sherlock Holmes Christmas is a sillier affair then I had expected, but it is a pleasant surprise to have such fun with the detective.
Aided by a supremely talented cast, Wild Goose Theatre has crafted a terrific slice of theatre. Perhaps they could explore other writers of the period going forward. I’d love to see how they’d do a MR James Christmas or a Jane Austen Christmas. But for now I heartily recommend taking in A Sherlock Holmes Christmas.
