A newly discharged veteran and a consulting detective suddenly find themselves sharing a flat. Thus begins the classic tale of Sherlock Holmes and John Watson — or so it seems. From their first conversations to dismantling a terrorist threat, join the pair as they embark on a journey through love, friendship, and life. A new spin on the classic Victorian series, Watson spotlights the tender humanity hidden within the quintessential whodunnit. The game is afoot, and on the stage Winter 2026!
Why "Watson"?
While many recent adaptations have revolved around Sherlock, we find it endearing to re-establish Arthur Conan Doyle's characterization of John as the narrator — and in turn, as the protagonist. We want to make explicit that Sherlock and John’s friendship is not by chance or magic, but the result of continued efforts in communicating, empathizing, and compromising.
Which of the original Sherlock Holmes cases does Watson adapt?
We've given a sort of modern reframing to A Study in Scarlet, A Scandal in Bohemia, and The Final Problem. Don't think about the last one too hard. There's also a bit of The Greek Interpreter peppered here and there, just to let Mycroft and the Diogenes into the story.
Who runs this account?
Director (she/her) - The Sherlock of the team. Art History student working with scientific illustrations and specimen collections. Loves graphic design, choral singing, and tending to her precious windowsill garden. En/Fr/𒅴𒌵
Writer (he/him) - The John of the team. Electrical Engineering student doing materials science research. Full of surprises, by which I mean random household DIY projects. A musician and composer in his free time... and at work... and in class... En/中文/De
Where are you in the production process?
This project has been a long time coming; the first read-through of our script happened in May 2025. But it was a whole year later when we decided to pitch Watson for our university's 2026-27 season. We've found a venue and production team since, and we'll be casting at our college in the fall!
Besides Watson in the flesh, expect a live recording of our performances à la Starkid... and maybe a cast album? We'll see what magic we can make.
Tags on this page:
#from-the-script -> Pieces of the script that we've shared!
#watson-behind-the-scenes -> Our progress, process, and shenanigans along the way!
#watson-propaganda -> Advertisements, and later on, info about where you can see us!
Nor is she a seductress in any kind of negative or manipulative sense - she has a mutual relationship with a powerful man who then breaks up with her, and afterwards she keeps protection against him in the form of evidence that the relationship existed. She HAS blackmail material, she even waves it at him threateningly because he treated her like shit, but she never even uses it.
Irene Adler is not a thief, femme fatale, or blackmailer. She's just a cool lady that wants to be left alone.
@delphi-star You do recall correctly!! She does not give a shit about that man! She's happily married! She tipped him for being a witness at her wedding!
If your Sherlock Holmes adaptation has a character whose identifying qualities are that she is a seductive criminal in love with Holmes, you have created a character that is basically the literal opposite of Irene Adler and you should name her something else.
She's also -- and I cannot stress this enough -- from New Jersey. IMO this is the single most important detail missing from all the adaptations -- IRENE ADLER IS FROM NEW JERSEY.
Please just once in my life I would like to see this adapted faithfully it would be the funniest fucking thing ever.
“I was at Holmes’s elbow, and I glanced for an instant at his face. It was pale and exultant, his eyes shining brightly in the moonlight. But suddenly they started forward in a rigid, fixed stare, and his lips parted in amazement”
hello! i put this in the comments too, but for the sake of visibility this also gets a reblog. i found the adaptation, it's still on youtube but unlisted, here's the link:
youtube.com/watch?v=dBwyTUNARak
[SHERLOCKED the musical, by isaac haigh]
enjoy! it's a fun watch :)
in a way john watson is a fantasy (what if you had this brilliant enigmatic friend and what if he liked you in particular and what if he offered you the excitement of youth and adventures and a way out of boring society life and all without having to actually give up your status as a gentleman so you could have the best of both worlds) and in a way sherlock holmes is a fantasy (what if someone never got tired of you despite your various strange habits and mood swings and instead of simply tolerating you they genuinely liked you and what if you didn’t have to live alone forever and what if you never had to give up doing the things you love) and of course there’s the most fantastical part of it all (what if you could afford london housing prices)
john: looks like a cinnamon roll, could kill you
sherlock: looks like he could kill you, is a cinnamon roll
mrs. hudson: looks like cinnamon roll, is a cinnamon roll
irene: looks like she could kill you, could kill you
moriarty: ...will kill you
Is this a full on production happening or is this a blog with ideas for a possible musical? Also either way a sherlock musical sounds so cool omg ✨✨
Yes, a full-on production is happening! Thus far, we have:
a) A script with all original music, and
b) A venue, funding, and approximate date!
We know, we still can't believe it either :)
The thing about Sherlock Holmes is that practically every adaptation you can think of has been done in some form. Every scenario, format, medium, it’s all there. He has at least three sisters, in varying levels of evilness. He’s been young, he’s been old, he’s been gay, straight, and aro/ace. He’s been Victorian, he’s been modern, he’s been a doctor, an asshole, a woman, a gnome. He’s been frozen in ice a la Steve Rogers and reanimated in the 21st century. He’s fallen off cliffs and in love. He’s thwarted every criminal known to man. He’s done quite literally everything there is to be done and yet there’s always, always more to write.
Hats off to you, Doyle, my admiration is yours, may you loath your own creation with all the vehemence with which we love him.
