Sherlock Holmes and the Loch Ness Monster

This play was a true team effort and was totally self-penned yet following the traditional themes of a Mummers play. John Burrell started the ball rolling, trying to think of a different slant on the death and resurrection common to all plays. He came up with the idea of a revolting creature which is actually a chrysalis that contains a beautiful creature inside, e.g. a butterfly!! There followed a number of meetings in Mummers HQ, the World’s End in Knaresborough where Stuart brought along his knowledge of the Victorian era and Sherlock Holmes, and the others bent it considerably, the result being one of their most popular plays. If only we had documented some of the ideas that were considered very funny but too risque for a mixed public performance………!! The play finished with an adaptation of “There’s no place like home” – “There’s no police like Holmes”!! The play was first performed at Holmfirth Festival on Saturday, 10^th May, 1986.

This shot, taken at Bradford Festival on 8^th September, 1990, shows Queen Victoria (blindfolded): Martin Ord, The Monster (reeling from Holmes’s “music”) : Doug Child, Fu Man Chu: Vince Doemling, Holmes: Kevin Young, Dr. Watson: Dave Dearlove and John Brown: John Burrell.

The second shot shows The Monster (right): Henry Ayrton, resurrected from its chrysalis as a butterfly whilst Holmes: Kevin Young and John Brown: John Burrell, look on in wonder! Taken at Beverley Folk Festival on Sunday, 17^th June, 1989.

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