Writers: Arthur Conan Doyle and Edgar Allan Poe
Adaptors: James Nicholas and Mark Webster
Directors: Oliver Hume and Mark Webster
In 1841, Edgar Allan Poe wrote what is often taken to be the first true detective story, The Murders in the Rue Morgue. In it, he introduces many of the enduring tropes of the genre – a seemingly 
impossible crime that takes place in a room locked from the inside; the eccentric but brilliant detective who relies on close observation to identify apparently trivial clues and a process of deduction to solve the crime; the reliable friend to narrate the story and feed his, the detective’s, ego; a bumbling police force which is too dull of wit or arrogant to see what matters and what does not. Later, Arthur Conan Doyle took those concepts and hone them further in the character of Sherlock Holmes: both of these characters led the way for Hercule Poirot, Miss Marple, Lord Peter Wimsey, Jonathan Creek and a host of other brilliant characters.
Blue Orange Theatre has taken The Murders in the Rue Morgue and a Holmes story, The Adventure of the Speckled Band, and adapted each into a two-hander featuring Darren Haywood and James Nicholas. In each of the plays, what is immediately striking is the on-stage rapport between the actors: in a small space like the Blue Orange, one is always under scrutiny – each actor truly inhabits his role, acting and – just as importantly – reacting in equal measure. Each play uses the device of a narrator to help set the scene and ensure that the narrative of the story is carried along briskly.
Both plays are presented on a set from Webster and Ben Mills-Wood. They include period items to help set us in time, and, in the case of The Murders in the Rue Morgue, projections are used ingeniously to illustrate the goings on, including some images reminiscent of modern graphic novels.
Presented first is The Speckled Band, adapted by Nicholas and directed by Oliver Hume. Nicholas plays the supercilious detective with a well-judged arrogance. Haywood is superb as Watson, displaying first confusion, then eye-rolling amazement as Holmes dissects the case. He positively preens when Holmes offers a word of praise. A fine soundscape from Nathan Bower supports the storytelling.
After a short interval, we are presented with The Murders in the Rue Morgue. In this, Haywood plays the foppish detective, C. Auguste Dupin, while Nicholas is the friend and narrator. Nicholas also shows quite an array of accents as he plays each of the various witnesses, none of whom can quite agree on all of the details of what they experienced. Clever lighting from Bower helps direct our attention to the witnesses and their testimony.
This double bill provides a masterclass in doing more with less; the focus on the storytelling with minimal frills works well, thanks, in no small part, to the evident rapport between the actors. The stories still stand up today and will repay a visit.
Runs until 4 November 2023
