Blackeyed Theatre delivered a thrilling and polished performance of The Hunt for Moriarty at the Dukes Theatre in Lancaster last week.
It was an excellent performance, the cast was fully engaged and the way they switched between multiple roles was so clear and seamless that the story never became confusing. These quick, precise transitions also kept the piece moving.
Visually, the set was a real highlight. The set designer, Victoria Spearing, created a practical and atmospheric world that transformed into different locations with ease. But the longer scene changes, athough carefully choreographed, did slow things down, and with a play that already ran on the longer side, that start-stop rhythm tested the audience’s patience at times.
I did enjoy the evening. The production was detailed, clearly well thought out and carried by performers who threw themselves fully into it. I'm not a huge Sherlock Holmes fan, but I really enjoyed this adaptation.
The scene is set in London, 1901. As the British Empire wages war in the name of a Queen whose health is failing, a series of mysterious events reveals a crack in the high corridors of power. A crack that threatens to destabilise monarchy, government and Empire. And at its centre, controlling the flow of information and influence, a shadowy figure plans a final deadly move.
Drawn into the game and unsure who to trust, Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson find themselves confronting figures from their past in a desperate race against time, aware that the most powerful person in the world could be in the pocket of one of the most corrupt. But just how much is Holmes willing to sacrifice as he faces "checkmate"?
An accomplished and skilful performance. The actors kept the audience engaged right through to the show’s poignant and dramatic dénouement, exploring all of Doyle’s stock themes of good versus evil, order versus chaos, loyalty and friendship.
An excellent evening's entertainment.