Another visit to what is becoming one of our favourite venues, New Theatre in Cardiff (also see review of Son of A Preacher Man), this time to see Robert Powell and Liza Goddard in what is billed as a final mystery for Sherlock Holmes. Set in the early 1920s, there are some great lines about the “new” recording and broadcasting service by the BBC, even though audience numbers were extremely small. Dr Watson was as enthusiastic as ever, and the retired Sherlock wants something to do other than look after his bees.
This was an interesting role for Liza Goddard as Mary Watson, the estranged wife of Dr Watson, whose character seems to be less than straight-forward in all the later versions of Sherlock Holmes though this is not reflected in original Arthur Conan Doyle’s original stories.
Professional performances by all the cast, as you would expect, including supporting players, and a clever scene-change device as the outer curtain moves slowly across the stage to show the next scene. It is an interesting story leading to some quite unusual sound and light effects – there is even a Magic Consultant, John Bulleid, listed in the programme – and more questions in the final moments. Not all serious, some funny dialogue and one-liners, so altogether an entertaining evening. £32 each.
