It’s Christmas in Victorian London but in the West End, a flurry of performers are suddenly dying mid-scene.
Scotland Yard rules out foul play… until the world’s greatest consulting detective, Sherlock Holmes, discovers an intriguing link to The Twelve Days of Christmas. The game is afoot!
The writers, Humphrey Ker and David Reed (who also play Holmes and Watson, respectively) have a long collaborative history to draw on, including as improvisers, Edinburgh Festival Fringe successes and as part of the sketch troupe ‘The Penny Dreadfuls’.
It’s a madcap adventure that doesn’t take itself too seriously and one in which the audience are quickly swept up by.
Introduce original songs by legendary musical theatre duo Tim Rice and Andrew Lloyd Webber – and a stellar cast – it more than lives up to its promises of being an unmissable, laugh-out-loud festive murder mystery.
Also hunting down the fiend, we are introduced to new female supersleuth Athena Faversham; played supremely by Helena Wilson.
The hapless Inspector Lestrade is well captured by John Kearns while Margaret Cabourn-Smith is suitably bossy as Mrs Hudson, the matriarch of 221A Baker Street. Cameron Johnson plays it large as Arthur Stone and Susan Harrison is a scene stealer as Ernie the Cockney paperboy with menaces!
A well-designed and constructed set, combined with visual gags, makes for the perfect backdrop for this delicious serving of festive fun.
If, like me, your kids have grown out of pantos (and so have you) but you’re looking for a festive feelgood show to kick off your Christmas season, 221b Baker St is the place to be for mischief, mayhem and a Partridge in a Pear Tree!
This is a gem of a play, musical theatre and panto all wrapped into one glorious package, encapsulating the very best of theatre. Anyone would be thrilled to unwrap it this Christmas.
An absolute cracker of a show from start to finish. You’ve plenty of time to catch it. It runs at Birmingham Repertory Theatre until January 18th. Click here for times, tickets and more.
