Review: The Curse of Sherlock Holmes – A Play in Two Acts By Dhanil Ali
The Curse of Sherlock Holmes
by Dhanil Ali
I am always a bit weary of reading plays which I haven’t seen performed, knowing that simply reading a play silently rarely does the text justice. When I received my review copy of the play from MX Publishing, I didn’t know whether I would want to read it, still having quite the pile of books on my review list. However, since it’s short and it has a lovely cover (yes, I am sometimes incredibly shallow), I decided to read it; and boy, I had no idea what would await me.
The play is about Sherlock Holmes, and Jeremy Brett. It’s about Jeremy Brett being Sherlock Holmes. It’s about Sherlock Holmes being Jeremy Brett. And it is as fantastic as it is heartbreaking.
We all have heard stories about what playing Holmes meant for Brett, and what it did to him. This play is a fictional interpretation of the relationship between the actor and his role. Only a handful of characters appear in the two-acts-long play, but every word they say is poignant, and drives the plot forward. It is difficult to describe, and the reason is not that it’s overly complicated, which it isn’t, at all. It’s very simple, and yet it grips you right from the beginning. I do not want to give away the plot, as each reader should have that experience, and be touched by it, heartbroken, even.
The stage directions help this play to come alive, even if it’s just read, and it is very easy to imagine a performance of the play; only that the characters wear the faces of Brett, Burke or Hardwicke and Porter. It made me desperately want to see a performance of the play, and at the same time it feels as if reading it can be the only true way of performing it, in one’s head. It is a strange and beautiful thing which Ali achieved with this play.
It’s a declaration of love for Holmes and from Holmes just as it is a work which speaks of deep appreciation for Jeremy Brett and his work and dedication. At the same time it carefully explores the troubled mind of the actor. While the text is fictitious, a fact which is obvious right from the beginning, we do feel familiar with the issue – and are therefore much more susceptible to the difficult and sad moments which frame the action.
I cried when I reached the heartbreaking end of the play, feeling glad now that I had read it in private and not seen a performance of it, and closing the book to find a black and white photograph of a pensive looking Jeremy Brett didn’t help much to cheer me up – because was it really Jeremy Brett I was looking at, or was it Sherlock Holmes?
I still would absolutely love to see a production of the play; and I would be prepared and bring tissues. It’s a fantastically written play, with true voices, great stage directions and a whole new take on some of the most important adventures of Sherlock Holmes.
You can buy The Curse of Sherlock Holmes from Amazon USA, Amazon UK, Amazon Germany or Book Depository.
Maria teaches English Literature at Leipzig University, Germany, published a German introduction to Sherlock Holmes and is a fan of all things Holmes – but especially of the Canon stories and Sherlock BBC. Contact her at @stuffasdreams & maria@bakerstreetbabes.com