How wonderful it is to have a new and different Holmes and Watson for the twenty-first century. Kudos to the Old Court Radio Theatre Company and Hosiprog for giving us Jim Crozier and Dave Hawkes as the new "dynamic duo" for this generation. Crozier is the most serious yet eccentric Holmes and Hawkes is a Watson you would love to sit with in a pub and have a good time. Guiding the whole process are producer Dennis Rookard, director Roger Johnson, and the exceptionally talented scripter M J Elliott. Their current offering, a pairing of "The Mazarin Stone" and "The Veiled Lodger" is a delight.

Author Elliott combines all the best aspects of both the play version (The Crown Diamond) and its magazine equivalent, "The Mazarin Stone" in one of the most entertaining recountings of this adventure, and despite the fact that the tale is basically an amalgam of "The Final Problem" and "The Empty House," it is a joy to hear.

The great gem is its companion episode, "The Veiled Lodger." Long one of those exploits rarely dramatized, Elliott has finally restored the story to a semblance of its original form. The only two previous adaptations either put Holmes and Watson into the action at Abbas Parva (recounted by Edith Meiser in the States) or emphasize the extreme spousal abuse angle (told by Roger Danes for the BBC). Even the celebrated BBC author Michael Hardwick would not tackle this case for his series of Carleton Hobbs/Norman Shelley classic radio plays - because of its extreme difficulty in adaptation.

(Elliott has also given us two other tales Hardwick neglected to bring to the air - "The Yellow Face" and "The Three Students;" currently available in Old Court Radio Theatre/Hosiprog productions.)

Compliments must be given to the production team of Rookard and Johnson for fashioning a rich, fast-paced aural scene.

In addition to Crozier and Hawkes as the sleuthing team in "Mazarin" and "Veiled," cheers go to Angie Budd, who serves as announcer, Mrs. Merriiow, and even a Holmesian voice, and to a most Moriarty-like Cyril Bagshaw as Count Negretto Sylvius. (Hopefully he'll return in a version of "The Final Problem".) Lindsay Lloyd excels as the "long-suffering" Mrs. Hudson, and so does Beth Walters as the tragically-disfigured Eugenia Render. Rounding out the superb cast are Jesse Powis as Inspector Edmunds, Dean Hempstead as Lord Cantlemere, and Vince Webb as Sam Merton. The violin interludes are by Michael Patton.

This reviewer is excited at the prospect of a uniquely new and vibrant series of classic Holmesian adventures. I look forward to Rookard and Johnson possibly giving us versions of the seldom-done "Creeping Man", "Man with the Watches", "Lost Special", "Uncle Jeremy's Household", and a new "fleshing-out" of "The Tall Man". All are "crying-out" to be heard by new audiences in the "Old Court" manner.

William Nadel