Review: Sherlock Holmes And The Case Of The Christmas Carol by John Longenbaugh. Based on A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens and the Sherlock Holmes stories by A. Conan Doyle. Directed by Scott Nolte. With Terry Edward Moore, Stephen Grenley, Pam Nolte, David Dorrian, Alex Robertson. Now through December 30 at Taproot Theatre.
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| Terry Edward Moore as Sherlock Holmes. Photo by Erik Stuhaug. |
It could have been disastrous, combining A. Conan’s Doyle’s Sherlock Holmes character with the plot/structure of Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol. But Taproot Theatre’s long delayed production of Sherlock Holmes And The Case Of The Christmas Carol by local playwright John Longenbaugh is a clever, well crafted mash up of the two most iconic stories of the 19th Century. It also doesn’t hurt that Taproot has assembled a crack cast and production team to mount this production. It’s not only well acted by a cast led by veteran Seattle actor Terry Edward Moore, (who’s played both Holmes and Scrooge in previous productions at other venues) but smartly directed by Artistic Director Scott Nolte. And, it’s paid off for Taproot. With over two weeks left in the run, this show is Standing Room Only for the remaining performances. Good luck getting tickets!
I don’t need to fill you in on Sherlock Holmes OR the plot of A Christmas Carol, do I? Substitute Holmes for Scrooge and you have the plot of this show; Mr Longenbaugh’s “reboot” of the Dickens classic is structurally faithful to the original. Grumpy Old Man gets visited by three ghosts, Christmas Past/Present/Future and Grumpy Old Man has epiphany and becomes Nice Old Man. The End.
But, the addition/substitution of Sherlock Holmes breathes new life into the classic story and Mr Longenbaugh’s attention to detail and the canons of both Doyle and Dickens, should please fans of both. And, the tweaks to Holmes’ character also add an extra dimension to that character. This Sherlock Holmes is depressed, bitter and facing a mid-life crisis; he feels under appreciated and over whelmed by the demands of his life and he withdraws from society and lashes out at those closest to him: Watson, Mrs Hudson, Lestrade and the Baker Street Irregulars (the street kids who act as Holmes’ leg men). He’s a man in desperate need of a cathartic moment. (Or maybe just a fix of the “Seven Percent Solution”…)
Things to love about this production: It’s well-paced light entertainment suitable for the whole family with colorful costumes by Sarah Burch Gordon and effective sound design by Mark Lund. And, there are some very talented actors/performances in this show, headed by Mr Moore’s canny take on Holmes and supported by the jovial Stephen Grenley as Watson and Pam Nolte as Mrs Hudson. But, I particularly enjoyed the work of several members of the ensemble cast, each of whom played multiple roles. Alex Robertson tackled the part of the Holmes nemesis Moriarty, but was especially effective as the campy Ghost of Christmas Present, bringing a welcome bit of gay frivolity to the role. Aaron Lamb as a Young Holmes and David Dorian and Eric Riedmann also did excellent jobs portraying various different characters in the piece and all are actors to watch for in future Seattle productions.
Minor gripes: This is a big show and demands a lot of stagecraft and magic and would work best in a theater that could cope with set changes. The Taproot’s current home is too small to effectively do too much stage wizardry; the theater has hopes of expanding. Hopefully, a new larger space would allow them to add a bit more pizazz to this show; scenically it is a little dull. And, I have to point out some anachronisms in Mr Longenbaugh’s script. Watson refers to Holmes’ “recreational drug use” and there were a couple of other such examples in the show and maybe it was intentional, but it only made me cringe when I heard them.
Who’s this for? Anyone who can beg, borrow, steal a ticket since it’s SRO. Dickens/Holmes fans looking for a change of pace. Anyone a bit tired of the usual holiday theater chestnuts. It’s a traditional, family show with enough of a twist to delight most audiences.
– Michael Strangeways
