It’s always fun to see the tables turned on a predator; to see him hunted, to see him scared. But what happens when that prowler is the chaser of criminals — and a beloved character to boot?
At the Junction, Al Serkal Avenue, this weekend, super detective Sherlock Holmes, whose prowess at catching the bad guys has become somewhat lore, is facing a tough task — catching the person who wants to see him dead.
The plot promises a gripping tell as the legend and his trusty sidekick, Watson, pit wits against a deadly — and cunning — nemesis.
Set in the same time period as Sir Author Conan Doyle’s original — the Victorian era — Sherlock, A Play takes the detective’s story forward. “The challenge — and pleasure — of putting up productions of this sort is always in retaining the essence of classics like Sherlock, while giving it your own treatment,” says director Jimish Thakkar, whose directorial credits include last year’s hit The Miracle Worker.
“The challenge that we relished was taking two very well-known stories by Arthur Conan Doyle — which I believe has never been attempted before in the world — and merging them into a single production, while making sure the mystery and intrigue remained intact. And at the end of the day, the melding of the two stories have to make sense as a story arc to us and ultimately to the audience,” he added.
For thespian Asad Raza Khan, who plays the titular character in the play, the role seemed a bit daunting. After all, the stories have become a permanent fixture on young readers’ favourites list. Plus, big and small screen adaptations, with their star-studded casts that include Robert Downey Jr and Benedict Cumberbatch, have won a legion of fans, and are tough acts to follow. And yet, the call to take on the sleuth was exciting, too. “I was dancing in my head jumping around, and in reality cooly replied to him saying. ‘Yes it would be a pleasure’,” says Raza Khan.
But how does one prepare for the Herculean task? “To prepare for a character which is so lovable one needs to not only understand the history and depth of the character but also how people today perceive him to be,” says Raza Khan. “For my preparation not only did I take inspiration from the text itself but also read all Sherlock plays that I could get my hands on. Furthermore I read a lot of material which fans have shared on their blogs/portals to try and understand what drove Sherlock [the character]! I tried to stay away from the previous versions played on film and TV so as to keep my version pure. However, a lot of my co-actors say the version resembles one interpretation quite [closely]. Coincidence or just two minds thinking alike? You will have to come see the play to [find out].”
And no take on Sherlock would be complete without a twist at the end; watch out for what we’ve been promised is a real humdinger.
The story also comes with a life lesson. “For an extraordinary mind nothing is impossible ... Often the most seemingly complex problems have the most straightforward solutions when seen through the lens of common sense,” explains Thakkar.
Don’t miss it!
Sherlock-A Play runs at The Junction, Al Serkal Avenue, from January 18-20, at 7.30pm. There’s also a 2.30pm show on the 20th. Tickets for the show are Dh100, and part of the proceeds will be donated to charity.
