Following on from his success at the Brighton Fringe with Waiting for Hamlet, a two-hander with Nicholas Collett, Tim Marriott returns to the Rialto Theatre with a solo show that is another world premiere. Co-written with Bert Coules, the BBC’s headwriter on adaptations of the Further Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, he presents Watson: The Final Problem for his company Smokescreen Productions
A grippingly fine display of the art of the monologue
Having played second fiddle to one of the world’s most famous detectives, Dr. Watson now faces life alone following the death of Sherlock Holmes. To quell rumours, and to give his own perspective on events, he decides to reveal all in tales of hidden secrets, betrayals and death. He looks back on his time in Afghanistan and the injuries he suffered, his early meetings with Holmes, the lifelong battle the two of them had with their evil nemesis Professor Moriarty and finally takes us on a journey across Europe to the Reichenbach Falls where it all ends. Or does it?
Marriott is a consummate storyteller and he clearly revels in the opportunity to bring the character of Dr Watson to life. There is a zeal and urgency running through this piece as though the story has to be told before time runs out. Fired with passion he vividly creates images of the locations and intricately unravels the details of events. He conjures up portraits of the other characters but most importantly he reveals the trials, tribulations and triumphs of the Doctor as he delves into his remarkable life.
For aficionados of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, Watson: The Final Problem will be a thrilling new perspective on the life of the great detective and his right-hand man. For all theatre-goers it’s a grippingly fine display of the art of the monologue from one of its outstanding exponents.
