A collection of historic reviews and articles on Sherlockian theatrical performances from contemporary newspapers.

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Sherlock Holmes (William Gillette)
1906
May 28 - June 2: Grand Theatre, Leeds, England
June 4 - 9: Grand Theatre, Hull, England

(Information above on performance dates is derived from newspaper archives and is therefore likely to be incomplete.)

“SHERLOCK HOLMES” AT THE GRAND

If “Sherlock Holmes had been a new play entirely, the audience which overflowed the Grand Theatre last evening could not have followed it more eagerly than they did. We question if the play has ever excited so much enthusiasm in Hull as it did last night. The immense company of people simply “hung” on the enthralling conflict between the great detective and the Napoleon of Crime, Professor Moriarty. The piece was presented with power.

That so capable an actor as Mr Henry Renouf should give us an effective impersonation of Sherlock Holmes was a foregone conclusion. Cool, collected, restrained throughout, Mr Renouf missed no points. Mr W.F. Stirling’s character study in the part of Moriarty was an exceedingly fine piece of work. The scene in Sherlock Holmes’s apartment, where the two men are pitted against each other, and in which Holmes baffles the Professor in his endeavour to possess himself of his revolver, was so tensely played that it raised the audience to a high pitch of excitement.

All the other parts were well played. Vera Longden did full justice to the part of Alice Faulkner. Miss Violet Lewis was excellent as Madge Larrabee, and the Misses Mima Austin, Rosalie Notrelle, and Constance Howard helped the action considerably.

Hull Daily Mail, Tuesday 5 June 1906
found at www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk