‘Sherlock Holmes and the Adventure of the Elusive Ear’ @ Stage West
Graphic by Jen Schultes; photos by Jesse Scroggins
—Jan Farrington
This review may feel a bit short on details—because, though I had a whee of a time at Stage West’s cheeky and hilarious new Sherlock Holmes story, I can’t give away too many clues.
It’s enough to say “get tickets now”—but you may want to stick with me, just to see me struggle to write just enough, but not too much.
Sherlock Holmes and the Adventure of the Elusive Ear is the first in a trilogy from busy playwright David MacGregor. Stage West plans to do the second & third plays (one each) in their next seasons—a painfully slow form of binge-watching. Heading out after the show, someone grumbled, “But I want to see the next one now!”
A phenomenal cast (with the able help of director Jay Duffer) answers the question: Is there any more left to do with this venerable old detective series? It’s been filmed for different generations, given a hipster, high-tech look in the Benedict Cumberbatch iteration (and on TV’s Elementary), and put on stage in various forms. And the answer is, you betcha.
The comedy manages to be intelligent and laugh-out-loud funny—I love scripts that keep you guessing what someone will say next. MacGregor adds engaging new layers to each of the familiar characters, tosses in a trio of unexpected (some of them famous) visitors, and serves up a side order of erotica (in startling variety). Plus there’s a surprisingly intriguing dive into the workings of the visual art world then and now.
John-Michael Marrs makes a fine-tuned and quite amusing Holmes, who (though usually played as a cool, calculating brain with a man attached) is this time handsy and a bit out of control—besotted with roomie Irene Adler, played by Dana Schultes in torchy/formidable mode. The setting is a time somewhat after the Reichenbach Falls incident with Dr. Moriarty. The third wheel at 221B Baker Street is John Watson (Brian Gonzales might be the most vividly realized Dr. W I’ve seen onstage), who points out to the lovebirds that his stories are the only money coming into the household. Holmes & Adler, he suggests, need to get out of their Victorian PJs and find some interesting cases to solve.
No sooner asked than answered: in comes a despairing young painter (Mitch Stephens), a mysterious and impressively fit Lady in Black, Marie Chartier (Kelsey Milbourn), and a notorious and chatty aesthete in velvet, played with the charm knob turned way up by Philip Matthew Maxwell. Comedy, sword fights, and jumping out of windows ensues…and that’s all I’ll say.
The wide, wonderfully detailed set of Baker Street by Clare Floyd DeVries (props by Lynn Lovett) keeps us busy checking details: the bullet-hole “V.R.” shot into the wall, the Holmes hat and pipe (his tobacco’s in the slipper), the ever-present tea service. Tristan Decker’s lighting design glows, and lets in natural light from windows that open to the London street. A cinematic score by film and theater composer Jason Jordan, heavy on punctuation by violin, adds a layer of energy and fun to both the drama and comedy.
Laurie Land’s costumes are excellent, particularly those for Irene and Marie: lovely fabrics and fit, gracefully draped bustles, and for Marie, a clever blend of ladies and gents wear: she’s ready for action, boots, swept-away skirts and all. Milbourn is the show’s dance/intimacy director, and actor Stephens doubles as fight choreographer (with some input, apparently, from Jonathan Carr and the Victorian Fencing Society). And Megan Noble effectively guides the cast into their various accents: British, American, Cockney, French, Dutch—and a variant that might be called absinthe-speak.
Can’t wait for next season’s Sherlock show—but for now, I recommend snagging tickets soon. This one’s pure fun and games.
WHEN: June 6-23, 2024
WHERE: 821 W. Vickery Blvd., Fort Worth
WEB: stagewest.org
