SHERLOCK HOLMES AND THE 12 DAYS OF CHRISTMAS, Birmingham Rep

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Sherlock Holmes and the 12 Days of Christmas, written by Humphrey Ker and David Reed with original songs by Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Price and directed by Phillip Breen and Becky Hope-Palmer, has the iconic duo of Sherlock Holmes (Ker) and John Watson (Reed) solving a string of mysterious murders on the West End in Victorian England.

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After a stint of solving cases in Germany, Holmes returns to find that a killer is taking out performers in London, with each of them being connected to “The Twelve Days of Christmas” song. But he’s not the only one on the case – in his absence, consulting detective Athena Faversham (a delightful Helena Wilson) has risen to the occasion, being admired by the whole town, including a jealous Watson. 

Photo Credit: Pete Le May

Both fans of Arthur Conan Doyle’s work and of the Christmas season will have plenty to enjoy in this show. Ker and Reed clearly love the world of Sherlock Holmes and there are many references to their famous cases. Most of the pantomime pandemonium comes from Dame Arthur Stone (Cameron Johnson), whose puns and jokes elicit many a groan from the audience.

And have no fear, pantomime fans – there’s a horse, played in a delightfully silly fashion by Chomba S. Taylo (Wifford) and Mia Overfield (Clifford). The character of Faversham also has Watson questioning everything he has ever known, with her home being 112A and her housekeeper being named Mr Judson (eerily similar to Mrs Hudson, played by Margaret Cabourn-Smith), and there is even a reference to the “same set . . . of scales.”

Photo Credit: Pete Le May

The dynamic between Holmes and Watson is an interesting one, as it becomes clear that there is plenty of unresolved tension, to the point in which Watson calls the consulting detective a slut when he finds out he had a companion writing about his adventures in Germany. While Holmes is portrayed as aloof and arrogant, Reed is given more to explore as Watson, who questions his purpose in life when he is not with his “first” consulting detective and is starting to fall for a “new” consulting detective in Faversham, leading to quite the impressive mental breakdown in Act Two. The other characters, especially Inspector Lestrade (John Kearns) are given much less character development, but this is almost to be expected with so many different characters thrown into the work. 

The unexpected return of legendary musical duo Tim Rice and Andrew Lloyd Webber is an interesting choice for this particular show, as the musical moments often feel as though they are part of an entirely different performance. Performers like Susan Harrison, who plays a surprisingly bloodthirsty street urchin named Ernie, as well as Christian Andrews and Andrew Pugsley appear right at home in the musical setting, aided by the choreography by Georgina Lamb.

But numbers sung by Ker and Reed are more out of place than those sung by the West End performers (with the exception of Watson’s heartfelt “Houses Are Not Holmes”, which is reminiscent of Phantom’s “Wishing You Were Somehow Here Again”). There are several little references to other works by the musical pair, including a joke about a version of Hamlet in which all of the characters are singing cats and a stressed-out usher in a red coat that is very reminiscent of the LW Theatre Red Coats, the luxury hospitality team for theatres owned by the company. 

The fourth wall is broken on many occasions, including a segment in which Holmes and Faversham have a “deduce-off” over audience members, ending with a joke about the average appearance of a theatre critic. Moments like these can be funny, but at other times are forced and take away from the building tension of the murder mystery.  There is a particularly uncomfortable scene in which a beggar woman wants a “duffing,” which goes on for a bit too long and involves someone losing their “lip cherry,” a bizarre section that doesn’t really add to the piece as a whole. 

Unfortunately, while separate pieces of the show work, they struggle to come together into a truly cohesive piece. By establishing itself as a play with music and not a musical, there is already a divide between the world of Sherlock and the singing West End performers, making it feel like two different shows are going on at once. The set, designed by Mark Bailey, is quite flimsy, with backgrounds swaying as they are moved back and forth to depict different scenes of Victorian London. The costumes, however, are perfectly over-the-top, including two police officers played by women with overly large moustaches. 

Sherlock Holmes and the 12 Days of Christmas is a curious mix of a classic criminal caper and a mischievous meta musical, with musical and comedic partners joining forces to portray one of the most iconic fictional duos. Ker and Reed have lovingly made a new interpretation of Holmes and Watson in a fun setting, and the music by Lloyd Webber and Price brings the play to a new level. With some more songs woven in and cohesion between different scenes, the show could become a Christmas classic. 

Sherlock Holmes and the 12 Days of Christmas runs until 18 January 2026 at Birmingham Rep. 

Photo Credits: Pete Le May

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