28 Jun 2023
As a decidedly different take on the Great Detective comes to the Roman Theatre, the game’s afoot for Deborah Heath…
“I don’t want to talk about real things, I just want to do the play.”
Harry and Ash are the last survivors in a post-apocalyptic world. To keep themselves sane they act out their favourite Sherlock Holmes story to an imaginary audience again and again.
Today is their 286th show and Ash, a doctor, suggests to Harry, an actor, that this time he might be able to play the role of Watson. Their “show” throws up some interesting parallels – Harry and Ash’s developing friendship is explored against the inner story of Holmes and Watson’s first case and the beginning of their friendship.
It’s a really interesting and ambitious premise and combined with the promised infectious energy of a two-person production, my attention was grabbed.
Due to this two-person cast and multiple roles, not to mention keeping up with the plot and sub-plot, the action was little confusing so we had to pay close attention from the outset.
Ben Stock as Ash was a terrific “supporting actor,” showing great range and energy.
I particularly liked his dogged portrayal of Inspector Lestrade which was utterly believable.
Deirdre Davis showed a great energy and physical theatre expertise as she moved deftly around the stage.
As a two-hander it was a high pressure show with no room for mistakes and I must commend this duo for their teamwork and professionalism.
They were fluent with their lines and kept the audience engaged throughout, testament not only to their skill but the careful guiding hand of director Marc Snell.
Aside from some lovely comic moments including Deirdre Davis playing a dog, and Ben Stock’s dead body work I really liked the “Land of hope section” in which told the story clearly and with pace.
I liked the use of scene setting music which really stirred up a pacey, mysterious atmosphere.
The multifunctional scenery of boxes, crates and basic furniture was well employed by the actors, especially when indicating a pony trap.
The show worked well on an outside stage such as this and in fact I believe had been created for the Pitlochry Festival Theatre’s own outdoor space.
During the play, Harry and Ash explore what makes a Sherlock Holmes mystery special, specifically whether they are human or detective stories.
This is a good point which I am still considering and have even done a straw poll. It seems that most people favour for the mystery side of the stories.
Personally, I find the friendship and detective aspects synonymous: Holmes and Watson’s individual strengths complement each other and thus it’s their partnership that solves the mysteries.
However, the backbone of this adaptation definitely comes across as an exploration of their friendship, not to mention Ash and Harry’s.
This is not to say that Lesley Hart’s script does not demonstrate the mystery too because it does, often very well, but make no mistake – this is a character piece.
In fact, there is a further complementary dimension to Ash and Harry’s sub plot which I will not give away.
While it’s really refreshing to see an interpretation that explores an often-overlooked side of Conan Doyle’s work, this character focus might not be enough for everyone whilst conversely all these parallels might prove overwhelming!
‘A Study in Lipstick, Ketchup and Blood’ is an admirable, bold exploration of a classic text and thus I see why OVO were keen to collaborate with the Pitlochry Festival Theatre.
There is a lot going on in this production and it moves quickly – make sure you are fully awake so that you don’t miss anything!
I’m still mulling over what defines a Holmes mystery as special and as I love to come away from a play with a question, I thank them for this show.
