Review: The Mystery of the Valkyrie
Expectations were high for this latest offering by the very successful Woodward Productions team (here in association with PowerArts), and it’s easy to see why. An experienced production team, presenting a new Sherlock Holmes play by Michael Futcher at QPAC, with a cast led by the talented Eugene Gilfedder, and promises of a ‘fast-paced dramatic thriller [which] explodes onto the Playhouse stage with extraordinary staging and projections.’
I’m going to start with the many aspects of this show that worked for me. The story is well-written, adopting all of the details that are much-loved by the fans of Conan Doyle’s stories (in all of the various iterations since that first 1887 work). Craig Wilkinson’s video projections were a great idea and often worked really well—particularly in the second half, with Moriarty’s superb library, and for the creation of the fictional Reichenbach Falls. It’s also fair to say that I would have found it difficult to follow the decryption of the initial first act code without the letters and figures ‘on the wall.’
The lighting (David Walters), sound/compositions (Phil Slade), and costumes (Isabel Hudson) were excellent—although I wasn’t completely convinced about the Inspector’s outfit. Sherlock Holmes aficionados will love the twists and turns of the story that Director & Writer Michael Futcher brings and the relationship established by an exceptionally well-cast Holmes and Watson duo. Eugene Gilfedder really is Sherlock Holmes, and Anthony Gooley’s Dr John Watson was suitably endearing and enjoyable. Gilfedder and Gooley are the stars of the show, but special mentions also to Bryan Probets (Professor Moriarty), Darcy Brown (Mycroft), Kimie Tsukakoshi (Irene Adler), and Helen Cassidy (Inspector MacDonald).
Picture: Eugene Gilfedder really is Sherlock Holmes (Credit: Joel Devereux)
But—and there is a big but—there were a number of reasons why I’m cautious about this show. Firstly, stylistically, The Mystery of the Valkyrie appears to draw heavily on Sherlock (the British mystery crime drama series created by Steven Moffatt and Mark Gatiss, which stared Benedict Cumberbatch and Martin Freeman): Valkyrie is ‘text heavy,’ and the stylised details as to how the great detective made key deductions used the same tropes of clocks and rewinding of time as in Sherlock. I heard a number of audience comments on the show being ‘too wordy,’ and I found the use of the ‘rewinding’ to be distracting and often unnecessary. Yes, I know that the original stories were text heavy, and featured explanations as to how deductions were made…but this didn’t work for me in Valkyrie.
Secondly, the show ran long. I am sure we could have saved some time by cutting back on the frenetic set moves, step-climbing and descending, and extended fights and chases. The cast spent too much time moving walls and steps around the set. It did work on occasions, but for most of the time it was distracting, and slowed the pace of the show.
My third observation also relates to pacing or editing. Yes, it was lovely to watch Tsukakoshi’s marvellous operatic lip-synching, but that glorious gold costume could have been admired in the background during Holmes’ conversation in the theatrical Box. Equally, I found that the various chases, fight scenes and running up/downstairs slowed the production down. I’d love to see a few fights and chases removed or cut back, potentially replaced by brief references in the script.
Finally, I’d run this show ‘straight.’ I know that plays such as Jack Flies Again and The Thirty Steps have been successful parodies that are well-loved and commercially successful. But farce is difficult to do, and sustaining such specialised comedy is difficult across a long show. I’d focus on the drama, and not the comedy.
I’m certain that Woodward Productions (and PowerArts) will be able to tweak and improve on this production, as I have a feeling that they may well then have a success on their hands. But some further development is definitely needed before I recommend it.
Verdict: A lot of potential. Further development will strengthen the show, so wait for the next season.
Audience information: The QPAC world premiere of The Mystery of the Valkyrie finishes on 19th March 2023. 15+, loud music, stage cigarettes, smoke haze, drug references, guns and theatrical deaths. Tickets $79-$109 (plus $7.20 transaction fee). 2 hours 40 minutes (including interval).
The reviewer attended the 15 March 2023 performance (7:30pm).
This review first appeared at Nothing Ever Happens in Brisbane.