A Working Hypothesis. Joanne Hartstone in co-production with Greenwich Theatre. The Queens - The Red Queen. 4 Mar 2016
After being ushered Down the Rabbit Hole in the cavernous Queen's Theatre, a disheveled man is about to launch into a lecture on criminology and deductive reasoning using old fashioned overheads. It's 1963, and Holmes and his nemesis, James Moriarty, have not been seen since they went over the Reichenbach Falls in a death grapple three years previous.
The lecturer, played by Dominic Accęn, had us deducting Holmes-like what the stranger seated next to us is all about, and that was fun and engaging. Yet just when I experienced rising concern that there wasn't much more to this show than this rumpled man, new, intriguing and surprising things began to happen.
Playwright Alexander Wright has constructed a ripper puzzler of a play. Utilising a high level of audience participation akin to playing games in Grade 4, we were swept along in a dangerous quest. New characters show up and their complicity in the narrative is revealed in good time.
Dominic Accęn has huge stage presence. His character has depth, his performance is intense, and he is quick-footed with audience feedback. Wright's script captures the vernacular of the classic work previously referred to and starting with a mesmerising premise, he maps out an intelligent yet twisted pathway to the solution of the intrigue. It's all silly and earnest, funny and finally sentimental. I can't say much more without a reveal - Sherlock Holmes - A Working Hypothesis is a definite go see.
The Flanagan Collective is associated with the York Theatre Royal and dedicated to a people's theatre. Brought to the Adelaide Fringe by the same mob as the excellent Bunker Trilogy, a trio of shows is also on offer. I didn't care for Bablyon, but I will give Fable a bell.
David Grybowski
When: 12 Feb - 14 Mar
Where: The Queens - The Red Queen
Bookings: adelaidefringe.com.au
