Sherlock Gets a Hilarious Makeover in Ms. Holmes & Ms. Watson at Langhorne Players
by Mike McKeon
You would probably be hard pressed to find someone who doesn’t recognize the name Sherlock Holmes. A name synonymous with excitement, adventure, and mystery all rolled into one. I personally, am a huge Sherlock Holmes fan. I remember reading The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, written by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle in 1892, when I was in 7th grade. I absolutely fell in love with the short stories and I read whatever else I could find in the school library related to Sherlock and his trusted companion Watson. I’ve also seen most of the screen adaptations and greatly appreciate the many different interpretations of the characters over the years. Which is why I was very excited when I heard about Ms. Holmes & Ms. Watson - APT 2B by Kate Hamill was being performed at the Langhorne Players in Tyler State Park this past Friday directed by Suki, self proclaimed “Nomadic Theatre Artist”. This show was presented in short story form scene by scene and that small detail made me enjoy it even more.
As the show opens we are introduced to D. Ryan Lafferty who narrates the beginning of the show as one of his several character roles. This scene really pulled you in and was a great beginning. The scenic design by Suki was very spooky and really set the mood. As Lafferty sets the scene he is interrupted by one of the two maids who were behind him preparing the set for the first scene. It was a fun way to break the fourth wall and include the audience in the show. As mentioned above, Lafferty plays several different roles including Scotland Yards finest Inspector Lestrade and Texas tech billionaire Elliot Monk. Lafferty does an amazing job of jumping between accents and making very clear which character is which, even without the great costume design by Nicole Napolitano. Not only was I impressed by Lafferty’s accents, but he was absolutely hilarious as well. He kept the laughs coming throughout the night during our dark mystery adventure.
After the scene is set we are introduced to Joan Watson being shown an apartment for rent by Mrs. Hudson (Morgan Petronis). Petronis also plays several different roles throughout the show. She skillfully goes between the elder Mrs. Hudson and the beautifully clever Irene Adler. I think my favorite character played by Petronis was Irene Adler. Specifically how well Petronis was able to portray Irene Adler’s classic manipulative and seductive personality. This was shown very well during a scene where Irene is taking an opportunity to try and get information while alone with Watson.
Next, Mrs. Hudson introduces Ms. Watson (Caity Brown) to Ms. Holmes (Amy Lewis), or as Mrs. Hudson patronizingly calls her, “Shirley”. Brown and Lewis both do a great job of keeping a high energy together and, in this humble fan’s opinion, they are a good pair to represent the classic duo. Lewis did an extraordinary job of maintaining the emotionless yet logical, genius with complete disregard for all social norms consistently all night. The exact demeanor required of classic Sherlock Holmes. I must say Bravo and well done to Lewis as she will now be listed as my favorite woman version of Sherlock Holmes.
My only critique is that I did not like this play’s interpretation of Watson as far as the world of Sherlock Holmes is concerned. However, this is a disagreement I have with the way the script is written, not this show specifically. So to be clear, Caity Brown as Watson was very entertaining. Brown’s use of physical humor when Watson is assisting Holmes with an impromptu autopsy was absolutely, side splittingly hilarious. You also get some good laughs when you watch Watson reject Lestrade’s multiple advances all night long.
There was also one scene where Sherlock is talking out a theory to the others and some of the stage crew helps. I don’t want to give away too much, but Stage Manager/Producer Terri Bentley makes a funny cameo that I found highly entertaining.
There were several scene changes throughout the night. Through brilliant utilization of props like wall decor and coffee table clutter, properties by Jennifer Hsiao & Terri Bentley, they were able to make the same space look different for each location being depicted. These scene changes were performed by Stage Manager Terri Bentley, Assistant Stage Manager Rosie Karlin, and set crew John Tancini as quickly as possible. The light design spotlighted the stage consistently throughout the performance and the cast could be heard clearly thanks to Lighting & Sound Technician Scott Karlin, along with Sound Designer Christopher D. Root and Lighting Designers Judi Parrish & Liz Minder.
Ms. Holmes & Ms. Watson - APT 2B was a hilarious interpretation of Sherlock Holmes. I urge any and all fans of our favorite detective to go see this show. The show will run again October 8th - 11th and then October 16th - 18th.
You can get your tickets at https://www.langhorneplayers.org
