Preview: Blackeyed Theatre’s Sherlock Holmes: The Hunt for Moriarty

 

A New Hunt for Holmes: Blackeyed Theatre’s Sherlock Holmes: The Hunt for Moriarty

It begins in London, 1901. The British Empire is at war abroad, the monarch’s health is failing, and a shadowy figure is pulling strings at the very heart of government. As power, secrecy and corruption collide, only one detective seems capable of unravelling the mystery.

This autumn, Blackeyed Theatre – one of the UK’s most inventive touring companies – launches a major new production: Sherlock Holmes: The Hunt for Moriarty. Written and directed by Nick Lane, the play reimagines Arthur Conan Doyle’s detective stories by threading several of Holmes’s most intriguing short adventures into one gripping, singular narrative.

For North East audiences, the production arrives at Newcastle’s Northern Stage (23–24 September) and Billingham Forum (25–27 September), offering the first chance to see a world premiere that promises intrigue, danger and – crucially – the return of Holmes’s most enigmatic nemesis.

Holmes in a Time of Upheaval

The production situates Holmes and Dr Watson in the charged political atmosphere of 1901. A series of mysterious events threatens to destabilise monarchy and Empire. At the centre of this conspiracy is a “shadowy figure” whose influence stretches across government and the press: Professor James Moriarty, Holmes’s greatest adversary.

As Lane explains, this isn’t a simple adaptation of one novel but a tapestry woven from four of Conan Doyle’s stories – The Adventure of the Bruce-Partington Plans, A Scandal in Bohemia, The Adventure of the Second Stain, and The Final Problem.

“It was really exciting to create something a little different for our third Holmes collaboration,” Lane says. “We’ve interwoven a handful of Conan Doyle’s adventures into one thrilling tale. Our hope is that, like the stories themselves, The Hunt for Moriarty will keep audiences gripped – and guessing – along with the great detective himself, right to the last.”

 

A Cast of Intrigue

Holmes will be played by Mark Knightley (The Colours, Soho Theatre; The Listening Room, The Lowry), with Ben Owora as the ever-faithful Dr Watson. Pippa Caddick takes on dual roles as Irene Adler and Mrs Hudson, while Gavin Molloy doubles as Moriarty and Inspector Lestrade. They are joined by Robbie Capaldi as Sir James DeWilde and Eliot Giuralarocca as Holmes’s calculating brother, Mycroft.

With original music by Tristan Parkes, fight direction by Rob Myles, and striking design by Victoria Spearing, the production aims to be as atmospheric as it is thrilling.

Blackeyed Theatre: Innovation on Tour

Since its founding in 2004, Blackeyed Theatre has earned a reputation for reimagining classics in bold and innovative ways. Previous productions have included new adaptations of Dracula, Not About Heroes, The Great Gatsby, Frankenstein and two Holmes novels (The Sign of Four and The Valley of Fear).

Resident at South Hill Park in Bracknell, the company has built a touring model that balances accessibility with artistic ambition – bringing mid-scale productions of literary classics to towns and cities that might otherwise miss them.

Why the North East Dates Matter

For Newcastle audiences, The Hunt for Moriarty lands at Northern Stage on Tuesday 23 – Wednesday 24 September 2025 – a fitting venue for a work that combines high-stakes drama with inventive storytelling. Two days later, the production moves to Billingham Forum (Thursday 25 – Saturday 27 September 2025), giving Teesside audiences the chance to encounter Holmes and Watson as they face their deadliest game yet.

These back-to-back North East engagements make the region an early proving ground for the tour, which runs nationally until May 2026. For Holmes devotees and newcomers alike, it’s an opportunity to see Conan Doyle’s world reinvigorated for a contemporary stage.

If You Go

• Sherlock Holmes: The Hunt for Moriarty
  Written & directed by Nick Lane
  Produced by Blackeyed Theatre in association with South Hill Park Arts Centre & Theatre Royal Winchester

• Northern Stage, Newcastle – 23–24 September 2025

• Billingham Forum – 25–27 September 2025

Approx. running time: 140 minutes (incl. interval)
Recommended for ages 11+

More info: blackeyedtheatre.co.uk/shows/sherlock-holmes-and-the-hunt-for-moriarty

Tickets:

Northern Stage: https://northernstage.co.uk/whats-on/sherlock-holmes/

Billingham Forum: https://www.forumtheatrebillingham.co.uk/show/sherlock-holmes-the-hunt-for-moriarty/ 

🕵️‍♂️ Holmes has faced thieves, spies and scandalous royals before. But in Blackeyed Theatre’s The Hunt for Moriarty, the great detective confronts corruption at the highest level – and the one adversary who always seems two steps ahead.