PLAYING the world’s most famous detective is anything but elementary, but the talented members of Salisbury Studio Theatre’s youth section certainly rose to the challenge in Tim Kelly’s clever and amusing play, on at the Ashley Road theatre until 27th February.

All the favourite characters are here – Holmes, Dr Watson, Prof Moriarty, Mrs Hudson, Inspector Lestrange – and the stakes are high as our hero cooly gets women out of tight corners, foils his deadly adversary and heads off to the next case unencumbered by romantic ties … but only just!

It all starts in the teeming streets of London as the paper boys and girls shout their wares, match sellers tout for business and the Suffragettes call for votes for women. But all is not as it seems.

A nefarious couple is holding a strange woman prisoner. She is hiding letters to her dead sister from a crown prince, and Moriarty wants the letters to help in his dastardly scheme to start a world war.

Peter Kelly’s direction on a versatile set made sure the action was fast and furious, and with a cast of 23, the audience needed to keep eyes peeled and ears pricked so as not to miss a vital clue to what might happen next.

There were particularly strong performances by Fraser Adams (pictured) as the safecracker Sid Prince, by Jake Pugh as a bemused and natural Dr Watson, by Theo Ward as the gleefully nasty Moriarty (pictured) and by Senan Richmond as a suave and assured Holmes,

But it is an ensemble show, with each character adding to the evening’s entertainment, and several cameos, (by Emma Knowles, Fabia Alexander especially) made a great impression.

It’s great fun and very well done. Entirely worth a visit.

GP-W