Writer and director P Burton-Morgan talks to us about their brand new musical Sherlock Holmes and the Poison Wood opening at the Watermill Theatre in Newbury
Tell us a bit about Sherlock Holmes and the Poison Wood
It’s a brand new musical that takes the characters of Sherlock Holmes that we know and love and updates it to contemporary London (a bit like the BBC series with Benedict Cumberbatch) but creating a brand new murder mystery for our eponymous detecting duo, Sherlock and Watson, to solve.
What made you want to make the show?
In February 2022 Ben Glasstone, my composer and co-lyricist and I were casting around for new ideas after our previous musical The Rhythmics was a COVID casualty and got cancelled on the day of its press night (never to rise again sadly.) Ben took a bit of persuading when I suggested Sherlock, but I knew the combination of fiendishly clever wordplay and absurdist humour that is part of our trademark would be a perfect match for Sherlock’s cleverness.
How long has it been from idea to staging, and what did it take to get here?
This has been a wildly fast ride, even for me (and I do write extraordinarily fast) as it’s been 2 years almost to the day from idea to world premiere. Which to be honest is literally unheard of in musical theatre. I think it’s testament to mine and Ben’s collaborative relationship that we could write it so fast (in a year) and we were also blessed by being invited to perform it at MT Fest at The Other Palace in Feb 2023. Not only did this help us iron out some of the dramaturgical kinks (which were of course many in the early drafts) but it was the perfect showcase to then share material with potential venue partners. Paul Hart and The Watermill team immediately saw it’s potential and here we are one year on, about to share the world premiere with… well, the world. So fast. Silly, really. But obviously we’re thrilled. First stop Newbury, next stop West End, Broadway and then Taipei for the international tour. At least that’s the dream.
What’s the rehearsal room like?
Full of laughter and occasional tears (the ballads are real tear jerkers and like so much of my writing I’ve drawn a lot from my own trauma / lived experience so the tears do flow. Mostly mine.) Like Sherlock I have a very hyper focused rigorous and logical mind, with very little time for extraneous nonsense like chatting. So most of the time we run a tight ship, but that’s not to say we don’t all descend into giggles every so often when it’s time to sing about donuts or create a mime sequence of swimming across the Thames that evolves into synchronised swimming. We’re working fast and hard and it’s a really ambitious show to rehearse in 3 weeks, even aside from it being a brand new musical, but generally everyone has a smile on their face. So hopefully we’re all having fun, most of the time.
What can audiences expect?
Expect the unexpected! And also – belly laughs a plenty, ear-worm rock anthems, joyfully fun choreography, mind-melting immersive video projection, stunningly heartfelt performances of human tenderness and vulnerability. And also dancing broccoli.
What’s next for you and Metta Theatre?
Well we have a whole menu of other new musicals in development that we haven’t announced yet (no spoilers) but I can say that they’ll share this production’s commitment to environmental sustainability (both on stage and off) as well as deftly weaving in some contemporary political themes around gender, social media addiction, climate crisis awareness and parent/child dynamics which are really the cornerstones of my writing practice. You might think that would be a stretch for a Sherlock Holmes musical to cover so much ground, as well as serving up a fiendishly intricate plot full of twists and turns and high camp choreography. But I think we pull it off… And if audiences agree then we very much hope to return to The Watermill next year for another brand new musical. Watch this space…
Sherlock Holmes and the Poison Wood plays at the Watermill Theatre 2 February – 16 March 2024, more info and booking here Newbury www.watermill.org.uk/sherlock-holmes
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