At the Fringe, there is one man that saturates the catalogue and that is none other then famous detective Sherlock Holmes. Most of the shows on offer are usually plays or spoken word focusses on the themes of Baker Street but there is one show that is different from the rest and is actually a different format…improv.

The Adventures of Improvised Sherlock Holmes has been a staple show at the Fringe for many years, audiences write suggestions for a title of a story and then the players on stage will then choose one and make it come to life, made up on the spot. The day I went, the narrative was based around Runes.

The show is long form based improv and in the hour it takes you on a journey with the story and ending the show with a conclusion. The day I went, it was focussed on bones being discovered on a beach with runes written on them, two brothers bring picked up onto a cruise ship and them it being revealed it was all one big joke that brother Mycroft had played on Sherlock Holmes.

From an audience perspective, the crowd around me loved it, they were laughing a lot, they were enjoying the magic of improv and the results that were being made up on the spot. From a Sherlock Holmes fan perspective (like myself) the show did not follow the aspects of the detectives books and fell slightly flat. Throughout the show it felt like Dr Watson was far more knowledgeable then Holmes and in the first part when we find out that the player is John I was very surprised because it came across that they were going to be the detective.

The star of the show was the player who was many characters including Mycroft and the friend of Holmes, one of the brothers that was deserted on the island and Mrs Hudson. The one thing that made this player stand out was that throughout they made sure to pick up on tiny mistakes the other players said to create the comedy, they also made sure that the narrative stayed on track. Every character they played was different and defined and that is what made it very entertaining. All the factors you want from a funny improv show.

Another thing that I liked about the show is that they have many costumes to change into throughout and that makes all the difference when you see an improv show. The sound effects are slightly loud so it can be difficult to hear the players at time but it works well with the scenes.

Overall, I would recommend Adventures of the Improvised Sherlock Holmes as it is an entertaining way to spend an hour and if you want an example of good improv then this is it. The story changes every day and I think the players also rotate. However, don’t go in expecting relations to the original detective and just think of it as a crime show.

***’ 3.5 Stars