one4review | On 22, Aug 2025

For over a century now, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s stories of the celebrated master detective Sherlock Holmes have continued to inspire generations of writers to ask questions about the man. Bakers Street Ladies, a new one-woman production from Lexi Wolfe seeks to answer one particular question about the man – how was he viewed by the women in his life?

For anyone nerdy about the Holmes cannon (I hold my hand up to this), it’s an interesting question as what in Victorian times he’d have referred to as “the fairer sex” never really make much of an impact on Holmes’ life outside of being instigators of his various investigations.

Wolfe explores how Holmes might have been seen by a few of the women he did leave an impact on with the thoughts of three different characters – his housekeeper Mrs Hudson, Dr. Watson’s long-suffering wife and the only women to ever get the better of the great detective Irene Norton (née Adler). Wolfe moves between each of the three characters with ease, each with their own distinct mannerisms (and accents) and perspective on the great detective. From the offset Wolfe is clearly a talented actress and storyteller and the audience were hooked on each monologue throughout.

Holmes fans are notoriously obsessive and any coming to see the show will see Wolfe’s knowledge of the original texts are deep and her ability to recreate an authentic voice for the characters, down to the little Victorian exclamations and expressions, is masterly. But even more than that, Wolfe breathes life into each character, exploring their inner worlds in a way not seen in the original stories, but which feels very in keeping with them. Minus a final twist which some purists might find a step slightly too far, it all feels like it would fit perfectly in with Doyle’s original works.

If you are a fan of the Baker’s Street busybody himself then you will undoubtedly find a lot to love and a lot to think about in this extremely well constructed bit of theatre.

*****
Reviewed by Tom M
Annexe at theSpace @ Symposium Hall
19:05 to 20.05
Until 23rd August