Blackeyed Theatre, in association with South Hill Park Arts Centre Sherlock Holmes: The Valley of Fear brought to life on stage in UK tour –By Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, Adapted by Nick Lane UK Tour: September – November 2022 including Eastbourne’s Devonshire Park Theatre from 6th – 8th October.
It is the Valley of Fear, the Valley of Death. The terror is in the hearts of the people from the dusk to the dawn.
After delighting audiences around the world with their international tour of The Sign of Four, Blackeyed Theatre will now bring to life The Valley of Fear, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s thrilling final Sherlock Holmes novel, in an electric new stage adaptation. This gripping world premiere is full of mystery and adventure, and combines original music, stylish theatricality and magical story-telling for an unforgettable experience.
A mysterious, coded message is received, a warning of imminent danger, drawing Sherlock Holmes and the faithful Dr Watson 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 sees Luke Barton (One Man, Two Guvnors, New Wolsey/Nuffield Theatres UK Tour; Misterman, Liverpool Everyman and Playhouse) and Joseph Derrington (The Importance of Being Earnest, MAC Belfast; Animal Farm, Royal & Derngate Northampton), who played Holmes and Watson respectively in The Sign Of Four, reprise their critically-acclaimed roles as the iconic duo.
The cast also includes Blake Kubena (Vikings, Amazon Prime/History Channel; The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde, Blackeyed Theatre) as Jack McMurdo and Detective White-Mason, Gavin Molloy (The Alchemist, Riverside Studios; Everything Must Go, Lyric Theatre Hammersmith; Eastenders, BBC) as Jack McGinty, Cecil Barker, Inspector McDonald and Moriarty, and Alice Osmanksi (Some Mothers
Do Ave Em, UK Tour; The Entertainer, Curve Theatre/Simon Friend UK tour) as Ettie Shafter, Mrs Hudson, Ivy Douglas and Captain Marvin.
Writer/Director Nick Lane comments, Of all Holmes’ canon, The Valley of Fear isn’t a story I’ve ever seen brought to the stage – possibly because it’s two tales in one, almost – part of it taking place in England, another part in the US. The thrill for me, being a huge fan of crime fiction on both sides of the Atlantic, was in exploring the different tones of the two narratives; points where they mirror one
another, points where they diverge… It was a challenge, but an exciting one. We’ll be working with choreographers and fight directors as well as a composer to create something thrilling and visceral. Thematically, both stories explore loyalty – but to say more about that might give away a twist I’m keen to keep to myself.
As part of Blackeyed Theatre’s aim to make theatre more accessible to wider audiences, Sherlock Holmes: The Valley Of Fear will also be available to stream online worldwide from October. This ‘blended’ theatre provision will support Blackeyed Theatre’s commitment to education and young people, as online access to the digital capture will be included for school groups booking to see the play in-person.
Sherlock Holmes: The Valley of Fear is produced by Blackeyed Theatre in association with South Hill Park Arts Centre in Bracknell.
Performance Dates
14th – 16th Sep Wilde Theatre, Bracknell
Ringmead, Bracknell RG12 7PA
19th – 20th Sep EM Forster Theatre, Tonbridge
212 High Street, Tonbridge, Kent, TN9 IJP
21st – 24th Sep Greenwich Theatre, London
Crooms Hill, London, SE10 8ES
27th Sep – 1st Oct Theatre Royal, Bury St Edmunds
Lancaster Road, Westgate St, Bury St Edmunds, IP33 1QR
3rd – 5th Oct Norwich Playhouse
42-58 St George’s Street, Norwich, NR3 1 AB
6th – 8th Oct Devonshire Park Theatre, Eastbourne 8-10 Compton Street, Eastbourne, BN21 4BW
11th – 12th Oct Key Theatre, Peterborough
Embankment Road, Peterborough, PE1 1EF
13th – 15th Oct Theatre Royal, Winchester
21-23 Jewry St, Winchester, SO23 8SB
27th – 29th Oct Wyvern Theatre, Swindon
Theatre Square, Swindon, Wiltshire, SN1 1QN
1st – 5th Nov Grand Theatre, Blackpool
33 Church St, Blackpool, FY1 1HT
8th – 9th Nov The Drill, Lincoln
Freeschool Lane, Lincoln, LN2 1EY
10th – 12th Nov Lyceum, Crewe
Heath Street, Crewe, CW1 2DA
14th – 15th Nov Royal Spa Centre, Leamington Spa
Newbold Terrace, Leamington Spa, CV32 4HN
16th – 17th Nov The Castle Theatre, Wellingborough
Castle Way, Wellingborough, NN8 1XA
21st – 23rd Nov Arena Theatre, Wolverhampton
Wulfruna Street, Wolverhampton, WV1 1SE
24th – 26th Nov Viaduct Theatre, Halifax
Dean Clough Mills, Dean Clough, Halifax HX3 5AX
