For fans of Holmes and anyone who enjoys a solid solo show, this performance of Sherlock Holmes: The Last Act at the Prague Fringe by celebrated actor Nigel Miles-Thomas is a must-see. Written by Conan Doyle expert, David Stuart Davies and directed with precision by Gareth Armstrong, this unfolding tale of how it all came to an end is sure to please.
A nuanced performance that deploys all the skills of an accomplished actor.
We join the famous detective in his Baker Street home where he begins to resolve ‘the last act’ of his epic career. In the course of the investigation, Miles-Thomas assumes the personas of fourteen characters, delineated by their voices, movements and mannerisms. Sound and lighting combine to create moods and locations where his encounters take place. At the forefront of the catalogue of characters is his long-suffering companion and stalwart defender, Dr Watson. But this is 1916 and all Holmes has left are the memories of times spent with Watson, now that his dear friend has died. He vividly recalls how they first met and acquired what has become one of the most famous of London addresses, 221B Baker Street, when Holmes left his Sussex retreat to be at the centre of investigations in London. There were ups and downs in the friendship, but the pair became inseparable.
The famous story of his nemesis Professor Moriarty looms large as he explains the incident at Reichenbach Falls that brought about the man's death and where Holmes decided to fabricate his own disappearance, which he sustained for several years, leading people to assume that he too was dead, until he made a surprise reappearance.
There are many insights into the man himself, who was clearly not always easy to get along with. Sometimes secretive, as in the case of the Hound of the Baskervilles, and at times argumentative and drugged up on cocaine and morphine. Nothing remains hidden in this exposé.
Holmes: The Last Act is a fine story whether you are an aficionado of the man or not, but for devotees of Conan Doyle, this will be a delightful imagining of the scenes from the life of the famous detective. Miles-Thomas’s gives a nuanced performance that deploys all the skills of an accomplished actor to create such a credible character that seems to erase his fictionality.
