Review: SHERLOCK HOLMES AND THE 12 DAYS OF CHRISTMAS @ Birmingham Rep

 

★★★ (3 of 5)

Sherlock Holmes is one of those great British folk heroes that defies the decades and indeed centuries alongside such characters as Robin Hood and latterly Doctor Who. He has been the subject of countless movies, television and radio series not to mention the original novels by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle (the first of which appeared in 1887!)  A central pivot in our cultural landscape.  

His stage outings have been numerous too, but this latest interpretation from the pens of Humphrey Ker and David Reed (who indeed don the guises of Holmes and his trusty sidekick Dr. Watson) comes with a twinkle firmly in its eye. 

It appears that there is a murderer on the loose, as performers from the West End of London start dying in mysterious circumstances.  There is only one thing for it,  send for the services of England's greatest detective Sherlock Holmes and his trusty biographer John Watson.  However Sherlock's ability to deduce the most dastardly of crimes is being challenged by a newcomer on the block, Athena Faversham. Consultant detective and maybe a bit smarter than old Sherlock himself!  And so the game is afoot which leads them on a race against time to save future victims that have a connection to the 12 Days Of Christmas. And what of the mysterious agent to whom the clues lead them?

 

The Birmingham Rep has stepped into the Christmas show fray with a gloriously staged homage to Victorian melodrama and music hall.   It is a feast to look at,  designer Mark Bailey has conjured up a world of Victoriana and theatricalia that entice us into the world of Holmes and his contemporaries. The authors Ker and Reed are star turns as the legendary detectives and Ker in particular offers Frankie Howerd-esque asides as the action progresses. They are supported by a fine company of players:  Cameron Johnson chews the scenery as 'Mother Goose' Dame Arthur Stone,  Helena Watson offers some semblance of sanity as up and coming sleuth Athena Faversham,  Susan Harrison is the hilarious all too knowing paper boy Ernie and Margaret Cabourn-Smith offers homely support as Mrs. Hudson.  All the while John Kearns pushes himself nearer to a breakdown as Inspector Lestrade as events go beyond his ability to process. The cast and indeed the five piece band cannot be faulted.

The real problem lies with the script.  Some of it is gloriously silly, and there is even a bit of wit thrown about, but essentially its too messy. The evening struggles to hang together on a series of events which are not linked in any stabilising manner. Seven new songs from the pens of Sir Tim Rice and Baron Andrew Lloyd Webber, whilst serviceable are not likely to be remembered much beyond curtain down (much as their additional material for The Wizard Of Oz more than a decade ago). Lloyd Webber even throws in one of his famous Variations from the hit 1978 album. Some scene trims and in fact, a large amount of re-writing are needed before this show can move forward.  The production does raise laughs, but not enough. With its swear words and bawdy references, I'm not really sure its that family friendly.

 

There is so much to like about this show, but also a sense of missed opportunities and a script that perhaps needs another draft. The Birmingham Rep have a reputation for quality and indeed the production values are first class, but maybe the names of Rice and Lloyd Webber attached to the show (Ker is distantly related to Rice) blinded those involved of the need for further development. Its a case that needs solving.

Rob & Ian 

Production Photos: Pete La May

Tickets can be purchased direct from Birmingham Rep.  The production runs until 18th January 2026.