Following UK-wide success in 2023, Blackeyed Theatre is reviving its acclaimed Sherlock Holmes: The Valley of Fear in Spring 2024, including a three-week London premiere at Southwark Playhouse Borough. Adapted by Nick Lane from Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s fourth and final Sherlock Holmes novel, The Valley of Fear is crammed full of adventure, mystery and one or two rather brilliant deductions. This thrilling show makes a much-anticipated return in a production combining stylish theatricality, original music and gripping storytelling.
When Sherlock Holmes receives a mysterious coded message, warning of imminent danger, he and the faithful Dr Watson are drawn into a tale of intrigue and murder stretching from 221B Baker Street to an ancient, moated manor house to the bleak Pennsylvanian Vermissa Valley. Faced with a trail of bewildering clues, Holmes begins to unearth a darker, wider web of corruption, a secret society and the sinister work of one Professor Moriarty.
Adapted by Nick Lane and with original music composed by Tristan Parkes, The Valley of Fear stars Bobby Bradley (Macbeth, Donmar Warehouse; Hedda Gabler, National Theatre; Encounters With the Past, Hampton Court Palace) as Holmes, Joseph Derrington (The Importance of Being Earnest, MAC Belfast; Animal Farm, Royal & Derngate) as Watson, Blake Kubena (Vikings, Amazon Prime/History Channel; The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde; UK tour), Gavin Molloy (The Alchemist, Riverside Studios; Everything Must Go, Lyric Theatre Hammersmith; Eastenders, BBC) and Alice Osmanski (Some Mothers Do Ave Em, UK Tour; The Entertainer, Curve Theatre/UK tour).
Artistic Director of Blackeyed Theatre Adrian McDougall comments, I’m thrilled to bring this fabulous adaptation back to the stage this Spring. It just happens to coincide with our 20th birthday, and it’s fitting that Sherlock Holmes: The Valley of Fear is such a joyous (and thrilling) celebration of theatre. The production has so much in it to enjoy, from the performances to the design to the ingenious script, which manages to condense the novel’s two narratives into an exciting, stylish piece of theatre. I’m looking forward to audiences once again revelling in the opportunity to solve this epic mystery!
Sherlock Holmes: The Valley of Fear is produced by Blackeyed Theatre in association with South Hill Park Arts Centre in Bracknell.
