Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating * * * *

Cast: Maggie Fox, Sue Ryding.

The eeriness of the London Fog, the sound of a violin playing somewhere down a fashionable street in West London and the inevitable descent into the criminal underworld that stalks and terrorises Victorian England, all trade-marks that make Sherlock Holmes the man to solve even the most heinous of crimes, especially one as dangerous, as perplexing as The Garibaldi Biscuit Affair; this is not a case where Lip Service is just paid to the Gothic, it is dunked completely and raises many current questions.

For Lip Service’s Maggie Fox and Sue Ryding, the Unity Theatre is a bolt hole in the world, their brilliant tongue in cheek versions of well known classic works, of characters given a small dose of anarchy wrapped up in a big ball of wool, is a must for the sheer delight, the well ordered, well written and perfectly crafted quiet revolution they stir in the minds of the audience and Move Over Moriarty is no different. The play is one that fiddles with perception and the questioning of such stiff upper lipped values handed down from Victorian society.

Fear may stalk the music halls of Victorian London, the pea-souper fog thicker than John Watson’s observational skills but in the hands of Sherlock Holmes, the murderous intent designed to cause havoc in the streets, the whispers of malcontent amongst the music hall stars, including the brilliant The Musical Motherless Twins, and the blunt instrument of death is soon to be averted, as the grand-master of detection takes solace in his own peculiar habit, one that knitting needles can only bear fruit.

It is never anything less than a pleasure to see Lip Service’s Maggie Fox and Sue Ryding perform and when they have the wealth of such writing at their disposal that Arthur Conan Doyle gave the nation in his Sherlock Holmes adventures, that pleasure is intensified, exaggerated to the point of beautiful mayhem and perfectly placed withering glances that capture the audiences hearts and their funny bones. Move Over Moriarty is a expression of fun and joy and nobody does it better than Lip Service.

A great night at the theatre provided by two women who are always on top form!

Ian D. Hall