Sherlock Holmes: Murder in Edinburgh
Danish Cultural Institute, Edinburgh Festival Fringe

Group: Frantic Redhead Productions

Natasha Hulugalle

These are walking productions!! Wear comfortable shoes and bring an umbrella… For the adventurous theatre lover this advice must have held all the promise of Nicole Kidman's theatrical viagra extravaganza. To others it was more of an ominous prophecy.

Sherlock Holmes - Murder in Edinburgh is not a superior production, and the acting is often excruciating. This does not mean however that it was an entirely excruciating experience. We followed the company along a very pretty path by the Leith Water. This meant that there were also considerable gaps between each scene, making it easier to forget the sheer awfulness of the performances.

Another plus point was that the performances and content were not offensively awful, merely ill advised. The plot is everything that one expects from a reworked Sherlock Holmes story, apparently inexplicable murder mystery, wronged heiress etc. It is clear though that the plot is not the point of this production. Murder in Edinburgh is basically a tourist attraction. I say this confidently and without fear of reprisal because I was the only person present without a camera.

Nevertheless, Frantic Redhead productions is a bona fide theatre company and this is a theatre review, so something should be written about the performances. Firstly, all actors vehemently subscribe to the Dick Van Dyke school of accents. There was also the confusing inclusion of Chopin in the plot, who acted as a kind of old school charmer who had a special insight into the hearts of women. Patrick Nelson as Sherlock Holmes diligently attempted a stern, no nonsense manner. Ryan Goold as Watson had a tied back thrash metal haircut and wore some heavy silver jewellery.

Sherlock Holmes - Murder in Edinburgh has one selling point: a beautiful location.

6 August to 22 August.

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