Review: Sherlock Holmes – The Last Act, Fringe 2024

Sherlock Holmes: The Last Act is a one-man play written by Arthur Conan Doyle expert David Stuart Davies. 

The original play toured for years and even won an award at the Edinburgh Festival in 1999. This version is performed incredibly well by Nigel Miles-Thomas and is in the Assembly Rooms’ “Drawing Room” venue, which seems fitting.

Nigel Miles-Thomas plays 14 different characters, and it is a testament to his skills that at no point is it challenging to work out which Holmes’s character is speaking.

Tone

The Last Act is a little sad.

The play is set after Holmes has retired but has been lured out of seclusion to attend Watson’s funeral. How could that be anything other than sad?

It’s sad also because Holmes never could rid himself of his drug-enhanced inner demons. There’s never any doubt that we’re dealing with a super intelligent man, but it’s also clear that the Great Detective regrets the general damage all the drugs have done. He’s off his game; he knows it and hates it. 

The Last Act is, therefore, about regret. It’s not only about regret, though. It’s also very much about friendship and loyalty. It’s about living life with a purpose and doing the best you can.

There is drug use in the play.

What to expect

There’s no costume change as Nigel Miles-Thomas visits his dozen or so characters, just voice changes.

Holmes reminisces about how he met Watson and then some of their cases together. The format works like a ‘Best of’ montage or an abridged version of the Adventures of Sherlock Holmes and Watson.

It helps to know the stories. You don’t need to be a Holmes expert, but if you at least have a passing familiarity with the techniques used and know about Reichenbach Waterfall, the Professor of Crime, and Irene Adler, then all the better.

The Drawing Room might well be a fitting venue given how much time Holmes and Watson spent in one together in Baker Street as they puzzled out crimes, but this is not my favourite Assembly Rooms venue. It’s a little hot and cramped, and you’ll almost certainly have less than a perfect view of the front of the room. That said, so many Fringe venues are far worse. I suppose it’s part of the charm.

Overall

I’d recommend The Last Act to all Sherlock Holmes fans. The play does justice to the iconic stories, even if it might not present the consulting detective in the greatest light.

I would not bring restless pre-teens who might not appreciate the acting skills on display or who will not likely have had time to read the books (or see any of the appropriate TV episodes) 

Ultimately, if you’re still considering it at a ‘one-man theatre show’, I’d encourage you to pop The Last Act on your Fringe to-do list.