Sherlock Holmes and the Poison Wood – Watermill Theatre, Bagnor

Me’sha Bryan and Dylan Wood in Sherlock Holmes and the Poison Wood at the Watermill Theatre, Bagnor. Picture: Mark Senior

Sherlock Holmes and the Poison Wood continues at the Watermill Theatre, Bagnor until 16 March 2024.

Star rating: four stars ★ ★ ★ ★ ✩

Purists of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle will undoubtedly question the re-working and contemporising of the famous detective and his sidekick, but what P Burton-Morgan (book and lyrics) and Ben Glasstone (music and lyrics) have done for Metta Theatre is to bring the sometimes archaic notion of Sherlock and Dr Watson into their vision to develop new British musical theatre way beyond the binary.

The result is a chaotically intelligent production which brings Sherlock slap bang up to date, incorporating modern-day topics packed into less than a two-hour show. Sherlock is the product of fame thanks to his partner Dr Amanda Watson (sympathetically played by Me’sha Bryan) who knows the power of social media. The show emphasises the snowball effect of cyberbullying and we discover that Sherlock’s struggles include an eating disorder triggered by his “feeder” mother. The show also incorporates alternative disordered eating in the character of Lestrade (Richard P Peralta), while Moriarty (played by Gillian Kirkpatrick with a Judi Dench steeliness reminiscent of Bond’s Q) is transformed into a mother whose determination for world domination has forced her queer non-binary offspring (EM Williams) to rise up against her. The topic of climate change is also high on the agenda.

This production proudly waves a huge flag for diversity, equality and inclusion and while it is sometimes at the risk of over-egging the narrative, the show has been crafted in such a way that it pulls back nicely with memorable musical numbers against a deep-rooted realism whenever there is a risk that it could become a parody of itself.  There is also a lightbulb moment that once someone has blamed everyone else they can experience the realisation to live their own truth.

Dylan Wood is excellent at balancing the rock star youth of this version of Sherlock with his underlying insecurities (a role shared with alternate Connor Bannister throughout the run) and at this performance, Loren O’Dair bravely and professionally covered the role of Yorri Tramaly (usually played by EM Williams).

Initially, I couldn’t help feeling that the usual demographic of the Watermill might not be ready for such a brave production and that it might have been better to premiere it at a venue that attracts a more diverse and explorative audience. However, despite being in this Berkshire backwater, it has of course launched many innovative productions and maybe that is exactly what the producers intended – to shake up the narrative and bring these topics front of mind in a demographic that might not usually encounter some of these issues in their daily lives. One thing’s for sure, the Watermill never fails to impress on so many levels.

Julie Watterston