“Sherlock Holmes : The Final Curtain” By Simon Reade
Nottingham Theatre Royal

Sherlock Holmes has now retired from sleuthing and lives on the South Coast with his bees, taking in a much slower and less eventful lifestyle, partly due to his rheumatism.

Can old detectives ever retire? Not in the mind of Holmes! Concerned that he might have lost his touch, paranoid that he is an easy target for his enemies. He never believed Moriarty – his arch nemesis – died at the Reichenbach Falls.

There's been a murder on the doorstep of Sherlock's home and he is helping the local police with their discovery.

Then Mary Watson (wife of his former associate Dr John Watson) turns up, telling him she has seen her long-dead son, James, through the window of 221B Baker Street, apparently alive and well, Holmes is determined to solve the mystery and confront his own demons at the same time.

The play is a thriller masterclass acted, in my humble opinion, by two acting legends and a wonderful supporting cast

Robert Powell is Holmes, and I may be biased here but I've been a fan of Mr Powell's for as long as I can remember. "Jesus Of Nazareth", "The Italian Job", "Tommy","Mahler" all the way through to "The Detectives" and "Holby City". Mr Powell has recently celebrated his 74th Birthday and still retains that magic for acting, which I suppose is why he is still in demand for roles like this. He is a joy to watch, as is his co star......

Liza Goddard plays Mary is reunited with Mr Powell for this play and you can tell the chemistry between these two is incredibly natural and relaxed. Liza also has a massive TV and theatre CV and watching these two work is like being a fly on the wall watching two people interact like old friends. But all is not as it seems......

Dr Watson also I feel needs a mention because Timothy Kightley who plays the good doctor is the character who opens this play up and closes it as well as he recites his stories over the BBC Radio service. A wonderful character piece for an excellent actor.

Now I may have hinted that there is a twist in this play and that comes as a surprise, as in all of the best of thrillers. The main twist though I will leave for you to discover because there is also another unanswered twist just before the final curtain comes down!

Directed by David Grindley, he keeps this enigmatic story line brief - the whole play, complete with interval lasts just under two hours, but seems shorter.

I don't know if it's David's idea to have a sweeping curtain moving back and forth whenever there is a change of scene but that is a stroke of genius. The scenes have a fluidity akin to a TV play or film and this curtain sweeping gives just enough time for the scenes to be changed.

Talking of the scenes, Watson's and Holmes' homes are wonderfully created in the 1920's style. designed by Jonathan Fensom.

The play has a certain magic, not just in it's whole feel but physically magic as well. I still can't work out how that table rose from the ground at such close range. Magic!

Loved the stylish and classy costumes of the era, all of which added to the feel of the play and story.

This is a classy production with a wonderful cast which, for me, was over all too soon, such was the enjoyment of this production. So if you love a good thriller with a couple of twists and a clever story, then this is the one for you. plus you get to experience two acting legends still at their best.

“Sherlock Holmes : The Final Curtain” is at the Nottingham Theatre Royal until Saturday 9 June 2018.