Writer and Director: Nick Lane
Holmes is back, up against his old nemesis again, in an all-new adventure. Well, sort of. It may come as a surprise to some (or many) that Conan Doyle only wrote four full-length Holmes novels. The rest were a range of short stories, and it is from within a selection of these that writer/director Nick Lane has crafted The Hunt For Moriarty.
Lane has focused on stories that all featured threats to the British Empire (The Adventure of the Bruce-Partington Plans, The Adventure of the Second Stain, A Scandal in Bohemia, The Adventure of the Final Problem, with references to The Adventure of the Naval Treaty and The Adventure of the Priory School), weaving them into a completely new overarching narrative.
In The Hunt for Moriarty, Holmes (Mark Knightly) is pulled into a series of strange events and deaths that all point to treason within the British establishment. As Holmes becomes entangled in this intricate web of chaos and destruction, a single figure emerges to connect them all. The driving question: can Holmes solve these crimes in time to prevent the potential collapse of the British Empire and stop a possible war?
What Lane has created is an intricate and, at times, thrilling story that showcases Holmes at his best. His famed powers of deduction are deployed across multiple mysteries, his ultimate adversary Moriarty (Gavin Molloy) lurks menacingly in the shadows, and his trusted companion Watson (Ben Owora) provides clarity amidst the detective’s racing thoughts.
Watson proves to be the key to this production. Not only does he act as interim narrator – breaking the fourth wall to address the audience directly and update the narrative – but he also regularly delivers essential case summaries. This becomes vital, as the combination of multiple stories introduces a plethora of characters and narrative arcs that can feel overwhelming and occasionally confusing.
Here lies the production’s main weakness: it feels very long. At around two and a half hours, it’s only slightly longer than average, but the pacing makes it feel considerably more. Just when you reach what seems like a natural conclusion, another case materialises, dragging the story in an entirely different direction. Perhaps if Lane had drawn from fewer sources, a tighter and more focused script might have emerged.
This isn’t to say the show isn’t good; it actually is. The cast is uniformly brilliant. With Owora and Knightly commanding centre stage as Watson and Holmes, an ensemble of four other actors brings a further 20 characters to vivid life. In a contemporary twist, Mrs Hudson (Pippa Caddick) has been elevated from housekeeper to become an additional investigative resource for Holmes.
Most intriguingly, Moriarty’s motivations for causing such widespread destruction resonate uncomfortably with today’s world. His quest to destabilise the government and plunge Britain into war for commercial gain sits rather too close to recent news stories about billionaires and their political entanglements.
Ultimately, Holmes fans, if they can overcome seeing the original stories torn apart and reconstructed, should be hugely entertained. Lane has created a sort of ‘Holmes Greatest Hits’ that delivers something genuinely fresh from familiar tales. For everyone else, it’s a caper that will test your powers of concentration and possibly endurance. Apparently, in this world, you can indeed have too much of a good thing.
Runs until 20 September 2025 and continues to tour
