Review: Sherlock Holmes: The Adventure of the Innsmouth Crown, theSpace @ Surgeons’ Hall

Sherlock Holmes stories will always draw an audience, which explains why a quick glance at the Edinburgh Fringe programme shows a handful of his adventures playing yet again this year. Of course, with so many different tales and adaptations in existence, people are looking for new ways to present Arthur Conan Doyle’s famous detective. That’s certainly just what Innsmouth Crown Productions have attempted with The Adventure of the Innsmouth Crown. The problem is, with so much other Holmes content out there, this one just fails to ignite enough interest to make it stand out.

We begin with Harriet (Erin Frances Speirs) clearing out her recently departed mother’s hospital room, where she discovers she is in fact the granddaughter of Dr Watson (George M. Atkinson). This leads to a collection of taped recordings of her mother interviewing Watson, who recounts the story of the Innsmouth Crown. We then flashback to the events of that investigation before we return first to the recording sessions, and then finally back to where we began. And yes, if that sounds rather convoluted that’s exactly how it feels watching it. Flashbacks within a framing device within a framing device. It’s possible, but requires some strong manipulation, and that is just not present here.

When we get to the flashback elements, neither the narrative nor performances are strong enough to carry it. The story has no great depth; there’s a strange crown, a brief appearance of Moriarty (a multi-rolling Emily Mahi`ai), a whirlwind trip to America and a strange town where all the inhabitants apparently walked into the sea, and then it’s back home again to find out the fate of Holmes. But it’s all too superficial, surface level only, without any depth nor any chance to revel in that Holmes brilliance.

The four strong cast are all clearly competent but fail in the most part to embody their roles. Holmes (Calum Philp) especially comes over more bumbling fool than genius mind, while Watson, the main character throughout, seems rather flat, plodding through it all with a slightly raised voice to suggest things ‘might be a bit frantic dear boy’. The energy required is lacking.

Structurally, it is equally troubled. When we return from the flashback to the first of the two framing devices, there is a mix of framing and flashback played against each other: it is just a bit too much of a mixed bag in how it is presented. And one last complaint. The backstage area is simply a curtained off side panel almost next to the side of the audience, which is perfectly understandable as this is the Fringe after all. However, it’s unadvisable for actors to be whispering together while waiting behind the curtain when the audience is just feet away. We can hear them and it’s a little off-putting at times!

All in all, I’m afraid this is just a disappointment, the script really not giving the four actors much to play with. With plenty of alternative Sherlock Holmes content available, that also means there are more shows to compare, and this one just doesn’t hold up.

Written by Ben M Davies

Directed by Shamama Fatima

Produced by Innsmouth Crown Productions

(note credits found on instagram)

Sherlock Holmes: The Adventure of the Innsmouth Crown plays at theSpace @ Surgeons’ Hall until Saturday 29 August as part of EdFringe.