Sherlock Holmes: The Musical

Sherlock Holmes: The Musical

Sherlock Holmes - The Musical is a musical based on characters created by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, with music, lyrics and book by Leslie Bricusse. The story concerns a 1901 confrontation between Holmes and his old arch-enemy, Professor Moriarty; Moriarty's brilliant daughter Bella proves to be an even more determined (and beautiful) foe than her father.

The musical opened on 22 October 1988 at the Northcott Theatre, in Exeter, England, and ran for a limited season of five weeks. It then played at the Cambridge Theatre on Seven Dials in London's Covent Garden area from 24 April 1989 to 8 July 1989. During this time there were tube strikes (public transport) which Ron Moody worked into the script through ad-libs.

A revival tour (in a slightly revised version) opened at the Bristol Old Vic on 16 March 1993 with Robert Powell in the title role, Roy Barraclough as Watson and Louise English as Bella Spellgrove.

In April 2013 Leslie Bricusse worked with the Morphic Graffiti theatre company to revise and revamp the show within a Victorian Music Hall setting at Hoxton Hall in London, which is, itself a 145 year old grade II listed Music Hall Theatre. The revised version, entitled 'The Revenge of Sherlock Holmes' included some new material never previously performed. This new version opened to critical acclaim.

Sherlock Holmes: The Musical was at least the second musical to be based on Sherlock Holmes, after Baker Street in 1965. It is also one of over 50 stage productions based on the Holmes character; see adaptations of Sherlock Holmes.