Sherlock Holmes The Death and Life *****

Reality and fiction blur in Sherlock Holmes The Death and Life. The game is afoot!

The production opens with a Strand Magazine shareholders’ meeting and there are furrowed brows. Their sales had enjoyed a 65% increase after they had serialised the Sherlock Holmes stories.

However, Arthur Conan Doyle has informed them that he intends to dispense with the celebrated detective. Just why is he killing the golden goose?

We cut to Conan Doyle. He has grown weary of the character, now resenting the arrogance that is one of his defining characteristics. Moreover, despite being a doctor and respected author, he now finds himself known primarily as the creator of Holmes.

A further shift: we are transported to Holmes and Inspector Lestrade discussing a murder case. Lestrade has jumped to an obvious conclusion and an innocent man will doubtless hang. That is, until Holmes deconstructs the bumbling inspector’s detective work, not for the first time presenting him with the analysis which will lead to the apprehension of the real perpetrator.

The domestic scene at Baker Street is next portrayed, Holmes enjoying his starring role, with Dr Watson reduced to the role of sidekick, all under the watchful gaze of Mrs Hudson. Indeed, Holmes’ insufferable nature is testing their patience to the limit.

But Holmes has a nemesis: Professor Moriarty, silently pulling invisible strings that lead to his demise at Reichenbach Falls. His popularity is too strong; the cult of Holmes is largely credited with creating the concept of ‘fandom’. When Conan Doyle kills the character off, some 20,000 Strand subscriptions were cancelled.

Yet the consulting detective simply refuses to stay dead. Fuelled by Conan Doyle’s fascination with spiritualism, Holmes continues to haunt his creator, and the narrative introduces a medium and a vicar, as fiction and reality become increasingly entangled. The consequences of fictional characters assuming ambitions of their own, regardless of the intentions of the writer, are explored.

This Fringe Management production, at Prague Fringe’s intimate Café Míšenská, is a blend of fantasy, fiction and fact. There is a somewhat unexpected existential undercurrent to the piece, but at its heart lies a remarkable performance from Nigel Miles-Thomas.

Miles-Thomas shifts seamlessly from one character to the next, his storytelling and comic timing mesmerising. He delivers the consummate solo performance, a character masterclass, weaving between fact and fiction, holding the audience captivated. Gareth Armstrong’s directing simply affords Miles-Thomas the space to showcase these talents.

A curious and highly entertaining tale – a well-known author trapped by and resenting his synonymity with his own creation. Far from elementary.