Sherlock Holmes at Vienna’s English Theatre
(German summary below)
A suspicious death, a country house and Sherlock Holmes on the case: so far, so reassuringly familiar. Add five actors playing a small population of characters and a wonderfully playful approach to storytelling, and you have Sherlock Holmes: The Valley of Fear at Vienna’s English Theatre.
There are proper laugh-out-loud moments, ingenious bits of physical comedy and transformations so deft that watching the actors change characters becomes a pleasure in itself. A classic detective story gets the caper treatment, with everyone apparently having tremendous fun in the process.
Adapted and directed by Philip Dart, the story begins with a death in an English country house and follows a trail reaching back to Colorado. Holmes and Watson have their work cut out, with Professor Moriarty adding to their difficulties. But alongside the investigation runs another source of entertainment: the business of putting this sprawling adventure on stage.
The framing device places the story in the hands of the fictional Canterbury Sherlock Holmes Society, an enthusiastic amateur troupe whose ambitions require considerable resourcefulness. It gives the production room to enjoy its own theatrical machinery. The telling of the story becomes part of the joke. That approach suits the material beautifully. We can follow the mystery while also enjoying the sheer cheek of the performance.
The cast’s versatility was one of the things I enjoyed most. Thomas Wingfield plays Holmes, with Alex Boorman as Watson, while Emily Ash, Michael Stafford Wells and Robert Rickman help populate the adventure through a succession of roles. Wells also takes on Moriarty, and the doubling extends across the company.
What impressed me was how readily the actors slip from one character into another. Each transformation gives us another person to follow, another comic possibility. There is something particularly satisfying about recognising the performer while immediately accepting the new character.
It takes considerable talent to make this much silliness work. The actors have to keep the story moving, land the jokes and negotiate the changes at a fast pace. Lawrence Evans’s movement direction is an apt credit for a production in which physical storytelling matters so much.
My favourite scene involves a ride on a haywagon, complete with farm-animal antics. That is as much as I am prepared to disclose. Let me simply say that rural transport proves unexpectedly entertaining. I was there to take photographs, but keeping a camera steady while laughing presents its own technical challenges. But that´s the principal appeal of the whole production: a willingness to embrace the ridiculous, supported by performers who know exactly how to make it work.
There is a particular generosity in comedy that commits this wholeheartedly to entertaining its audience. The detective may be taking his deductions seriously, but the production leaves plenty of room for us to laugh.
I came away delighted by the ensemble’s agility and comic invention. Holmes can have the credit for solving the case. For services to laughter, I am still voting for the haywagon.
Sherlock Holmes: The Valley of Fear
Adapted and directed by Philip DartCast: Alex Boorman, Emily Ash, Thomas Wingfield, Michael Stafford Wells and Robert Rickman
Set and costumes: Ken Harrison
Lighting: Nick Richings
Movement: Lawrence EvansUntil 22 December 2026
Monday–Saturday at 7:30 pm
Vienna’s English Theatre, Josefsgasse 12, 1080 ViennaAll photographs: Karin Svadlenak, taken at a dress rehearsal.
Im Tal der Angst bleibt kein Auge trocken
Sherlock Holmes im Vienna’s English Theatre
Ein rätselhafter Todesfall führt Sherlock Holmes und Dr. Watson vom englischen Landhaus bis auf die Spuren einer Vergangenheit in Colorado. In Philip Darts Bearbeitung und Inszenierung von „The Valley of Fear“ wird daraus ein turbulenter Theaterspaß voller Slapstick und überraschender Verwandlungen. Eine fiktive Amateurtruppe, die Canterbury Sherlock Holmes Society, übernimmt die Aufführung – und macht schon das Erzählen der Geschichte zum Vergnügen.
Besonders begeistert hat mich die Wandlungsfähigkeit des fünfköpfigen Ensembles: Thomas Wingfield, Alex Boorman, Emily Ash, Michael Stafford Wells und Robert Rickman wechseln mit verblüffender Leichtigkeit zwischen den zahlreichen Figuren. Rasante Rollenwechsel, präzises Timing und die körperliche Komik, unterstützt durch Lawrence Evans’ Bewegungsregie, sorgen für reichlich Gelegenheit zum lauten Lachen.
Mein persönlicher Höhepunkt bei der von mir fotografierten Generalprobe: eine Heuwagenfahrt mit tierischen Einlagen. Mehr verrate ich nicht – außer, dass Lachen das Fotografieren gelegentlich erschwert. Ein klassischer Krimistoff als herrlich verspielte Gaunerkomödie, getragen von einem Ensemble, dessen Einfallsreichtum und Spielfreude anstecken.
Aufführungen finden in englischer Sprache statt!
All rehearsal photos on Viennacultgram.com are my own.
See more of my theatre photography here. (Available for bookings.)
