Sherlock Holmes from Screen to Stage : Post-Millennial Adaptations in British Theatre

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This book investigates the development of Sherlock Holmes adaptations in British theatre since the turn of the millennium. Sherlock Holmes has become a cultural phenomenon all over again in the twenty-first century, as a result of the television series Sherlock and Elementary, and films like Mr Holmes and the Guy Ritchie franchise starring Robert Downey Jr. In the light of these new interpretations, British theatre has produced timely and topical responses to developments in the screen Sherlocks’ stories. Moreover, stage Sherlocks of the last three decades have often anticipated the knowing, metafictional tropes employed by screen adaptations. This study traces the recent history of Sherlock Holmes in the theatre, about which very little has been written for an academic readership. It argues that the world of Sherlock Holmes is conveyed in theatre by a variety of games that activate new modes of audience engagement. Read more... Abstract: This book investigates the development of Sherlock Holmes adaptations in British theatre since the turn of the millennium. Sherlock Holmes has become a cultural phenomenon all over again in the twenty-first century, as a result of the television series Sherlock and Elementary, and films like Mr Holmes and the Guy Ritchie franchise starring Robert Downey Jr. In the light of these new interpretations, British theatre has produced timely and topical responses to developments in the screen Sherlocks’ stories. Moreover, stage Sherlocks of the last three decades have often anticipated the knowing, metafictional tropes employed by screen adaptations. This study traces the recent history of Sherlock Holmes in the theatre, about which very little has been written for an academic readership. It argues that the world of Sherlock Holmes is conveyed in theatre by a variety of games that activate new modes of audience engagement Front Matter ....Pages i-viii Introduction: Sherlock Holmes Belongs to Everyone (Benjamin Poore)....Pages 1-22 The Deductionist: Surveying the Character of Sherlock Holmes (Benjamin Poore)....Pages 23-43 The Homeless Network: Sherlock Holmes and Adaptation (Benjamin Poore)....Pages 45-68 The Game is Afoot: Hunting and Playing in Sherlockian Theatre (Benjamin Poore)....Pages 69-101 Playing ‘The Trick’ (Benjamin Poore)....Pages 103-119 The Man on the Tor: Adapting The Hound of the Baskervilles (Benjamin Poore)....Pages 121-155 Collapsing the Frame: Acting, Deception and Metatheatre (Benjamin Poore)....Pages 157-184 Sherlock Holmes Checks His Privilege (Benjamin Poore)....Pages 185-211 Sherlock Holmes as Skeleton Key (Benjamin Poore)....Pages 213-233 Back Matter ....Pages 235-258