I thought you might enjoy this article about Peter O'Toole in the play Dead Eyed Dicks. I gather he was taken ill and did not appear in the London run. The critic didn't like it much, but I still would have loved to be in Sydney for that performance! I'm not so sure about Sherlock Holmes, but I can imagine him being marvelous as Lord Peter.

http://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1301&dat=19761126&id=nXxXAAAAIBAJ&sjid=R_EDAAAAIBAJ&pg=691,6607989