This is London Magazine May Edition 2026 - Flipbook - Page 8
Meanwhile the show goes on. For
some reason – possibly to do with the
plot – animals are escaping from
London Zoo, filling the park with exotic
visages. There are hoots, shrieks and
solemn lion faces. There is dancing,
some of it angry and loud. The chaos is
wonderfully theatrical and naturally
distracts from the convoluted narrative.
Holmes’s hated older brother Mycroft (a
bewhiskered Patrick Warner) is a
government minister who has lost some
top-secret plans. Warner also plays
Thaddeus, half-brother to Mary, who
would like to split the mysterious
treasure with her, but dies with an awful
grin on his face following puncture by a
poisoned dart. Even the punctured
Holmes develops the tell-tale grin, but
recovers after realising the poison had
probably gone off. There are more
fisticuffs on the top tier of the Open Air
Theatre’s scaffold-like auditorium, and
Mary, who has to be rescued from the
executioner’s noose, is whisked away in
a birdcage-like air balloon.
If you think this sounds exhausting,
just wait for the climactic interlude when
circus performers strut their stuff. There
is a snake in sequins, a strong man with
bendy dumbbells, self-flipping acrobats
and a truly amazing fire eater, who steals
the show with every appearance.
The odd thing is that, against an
undertow of ridicule for Victorian
arrogance and the baleful influence of
colonialism, the kitschy entertainers
actually help to restore the sense of fun
in the Sherlock Holmes tradition. On a
chilly evening, this show fizzes with
energy. On a warm one, it will seem a
delight.
Sue Webster
TITANIQUE – A THEATRICAL
SPECTACLE
The West End sensation Titaníque is
continuing its remarkable success story,
with producers Eva Price and Michael
Harrison announcing an extension of the
Olivier Award-winning musical comedy
at London’s Criterion Theatre until
January 2027. Alongside the booking
extension, a host of new cast members
are set to join the production, further
cementing the show’s reputation as one
of the capital’s most entertaining
theatrical experiences.
Among the most notable additions is
etiquette expert and podcast host
William Hanson, best known for the
globally popular Help I Sexted My Boss.
Hanson will appear in the role of Ruth
for a limited six-week engagement from
9 June to 19 July. Commenting on his
casting, Hanson described the
production as ‘gloriously bonkers’ and
praised its unique blend of comedy,
spectacle and theatrical chaos. Joining
Hanson are Lewis Francis as The
Iceberg and Nikki Wheeldon as Molly
Brown.
Since premiering Off-Broadway in
2022, the production has enjoyed
international acclaim, with successful
runs in New York, Paris, Sydney and
Toronto, before making its Broadway
debut in 2026 with four Tony Award
nominations.
london.titaniquemusical.com
T H I S I S L O N D O N M A G A Z I N E • T H I S I S L O N D O N O N L I N E • w w w. t i l . c o m • @ t h i s i s l o n d o n m a g
Photo: Mark Senior
SHERLOCK HOLMES Open Air Theatre
As we all know, Sherlock Holmes, the
famous Victorian detective, lived at 221B
Baker Street. You can walk past on any
day and see tourists queuing up on the
pavement to enter this esteemed
address – some dressed in theme with
deerstalker hats and curly pipes. What is
inside is anyone’s guess. Victoriana on
three floors plus gift shop?
Now, however, there’s a better way to
celebrate Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s
creation. Turn left out of Baker Street Tube
and head straight up to Regents Park, past
the rose gardens, to the Open Air Theatre.
This quintessentially English experience
(do dress up warm) offers not just a
cultural outing, but also a hilarious satire
of the English themselves.
Described as ‘a new mystery’ by Joel
Horwood, the play follows familiar
tropes. Mary, a young woman in
distress, calls on Mr. Holmes to
complain that she, the illegitimate
daughter of a British army officer has
been receiving precious jewels once a
year, has no idea why, and her father just
died. Intriguing, obviously. However in
this case, Holmes is lethargic. Only Dr.
Watson, his loyal sidekick, becomes
intensely interested in helping Mary, and
for the usual reasons.
Indeed the play casts Watson –
played by the handsome, if puppyish
Jyuddah Jaymes – as the hero in most
scenes. Dapper in checkered three piece
suit and bowler hat, Watson is both
support to Holmes and his harshest
critic. He is not three steps behind the
genius, he is his rescuer and therapist.
Whereas Joshua James’s Holmes is
characterised by floppy public
schoolboy hair, matching blue silk moiré
waistcoat and trousers, a constantly
grazed face (why does he indulge in bare
knuckle fighting?) and downturned
mouth. He is both camp and sulky.
This may seem a puzzling reversal,
but fans of the detective will recognise
all of Holmes’ latent characteristics,
including opium eating.
Photo: Tristram Kenton
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