Stage Review - Miss Holmes (Centerstage Theatre)

Stage Review - Miss Holmes
Presented By: Centerstage Theatre - Federal Way, WA
Show Run: January 31 - February 23, 2025
Date Reviewed: Friday, January 31, 2025 (Opening Night)
Run Time: 3 Hours (including 15 minute intermission)
Reviewed By: Greg Heilman

For the second of my two trips to 221B Baker Street, the infamous home of the world renowned detective Sherlock Holmes, in as many nights this past Friday, I arrived in Federal Way to see the second production of Miss Holmes, the Christopher M. Walsh Holmes and Watson origin story with a female empowerment bent, that I’ve seen this season, I had the advantage (or disadvantage) of already knowing the plot, the twists and turns, and how it all ends, advantage because I could sit back and consider the how and not worry about the what, but a disadvantage because I lose that factor of surprise, of the whole package that’s being delivered by the cast and creative team. This production, directed by Centerstage’s Managing Director Angela Bayer, runs through February 23 in Federal Way and features a cast both of faces familiar to regular patrons of the Knutzen Family Theatre, as well as some making their first appearance on stage there, including Trista Duvall as Miss Sherlock Holmes and Atlas Peek as Dr. Dorothy Watson.

The show takes a different bent on the Holmes and Watson origin story, this one beginning with Sherlock institutionalized and under the guardianship of her brother Mycroft, a high level government official. Upon being released from the asylum, Sherlock is introduced to Dr. Watson by Dr. Elizabeth Anderson, the first woman to qualify as a doctor in England, who feels that Holmes would benefit from the companionship of the more level headed Watson. There’s an air of mystery around Mycroft, and not just that his position within the government is never really disclosed, he does whatever he can to keep his sister under control and has identified Watson as the best way to do it, asking her to report back to him on Sherlock’s actions in exchange for lodging at the Baker Street flat that he owns. The beauty of this story, and what makes it a good Holmes story, is that the air of mystery surrounds almost everyone, not the least of which is Inspector Thomas Chapman of Scotland Yard, whose wife, as the play begins, receives a letter from an unidentified sender warning her that her husband isn’t who he seems, and that she should just look at what happened to his two previous wives to get a better idea of what that means. But between Chapman, the people he spends his time with, and virtually everyone else except for Holmes, Watson, and perhaps Scotland Yard Inspector Lestrade, nobody is who or what they seem. And that’s the beauty of the story, like the Holmes story from the night before, Ms. Holmes & Ms. Watson, Apt. 2B, the audience will think they know whodunit at least a few times during the show, but they won’t know until the end, and half the fun of it all is the getting there.

So, before I get to what is good about this production of Miss Holmes, I feel it necessary to mention the limitations of the play itself that make their way on stage, the challenges inherent in the source material. This production falls victim to the same issue that the previous one that I reviewed earlier this season did, and that’s in its timing and pace. In short, it’s choppy. And it’s long. Opening night clocked in at just about three hours, and for a murder mystery that trades in the currency of suspense, any downtime is lost value. Character development is accomplished at the beginning of the play through short scenes, each just a few minutes long. With Niclas Olson’s scenic design basically a background that is static throughout the show, with set pieces from prop designer Jeffrey Swiney-Weaver rolled on and off to mark scene changes, the cadence of the play is scene, lights out, change, lights up, scene, lights out, etc. If there’s no smooth and quick way to move from one scene to another, there are going to be gaps, and it’s not the fact that these exist, in principle, it’s just that there are so many of them, and while Angela has chosen some fun arrangements of some favorite pop songs from the 70s and 80s as interludes between scenes, those can only do so much. As the show run progresses, this can surely be tightened up, where possible a new scene can be started in the light while a previous one is being cleared in the dark, or the setup time for each scene can be decreased, meaning that it seemed on opening night that once the set pieces were on stage, the actors took their places, and then a few seconds elapsed before the lights came up. Since there are so many of these changes, a few seconds saved on each, and before you know it, a three hour show is down to two and a half hours. Not only that, the pace of the show will improve, and the suspense factor will rise. I will say, though, that regardless of the changes, the set pieces from Niclas and Jeffrey are creative, and with the help of Chelsea “Mo” Moniz’s work with sound, a carriage or taxi that is standing still on stage can gain motion, it’s pretty good work despite the challenges.

Between the changes, though, Miss Holmes is a show that does everything right. Led by Trista Duvall as Sherlock Holmes, the cast does well with pace, delivery, and movement, to deliver this mystery in an exciting way. The way the cast performs makes those breaks in the set changes that much more of a challenge because of the interruption of their momentum, but it also makes it worth investing the time. Trista is an excellent Holmes, her posture is loose, dialogue quick, she’s clearly intelligent, but at the same time a bit off. It’s not a stretch to think she could end up in an asylum, but it’s never clear whether that part of her personality is real or an act, and that’s part of the brilliance of Trista’s performance. She also handles the physical aspects of the role very well, and she’s called on to do that quite a bit, muscling her way out of more than one situation. My favorite scene from Holmes, and Trista delivers this beautifully, is when she is in the asylum, and drugged almost to the point of being unconscious, her timing and delivery while still keeping the heart of the character in mind is uncanny. Watson, meanwhile, is more level headed, curious, but wary of Holmes. She’s also honest to a fault, and Atlas Peek does a nice job with the character, she’s a wonderful counter to Trista’s off the wall portrayal of Holmes. Speaking of counters, or opposites, Mycroft, brother to the brilliant craziness, or is it crazy brilliance, that is Sherlock Holmes, and played by Varun Kainth, is every bit the dapper Englishman, dressed, thanks to costume designer Morgan Morgans, to the nines and every bit exuding his social station. Varun once again shows his versatility in the kinds of roles he can play. Each play is another challenge for Varun that he is more than up to. I continue to enjoy watching his growth as an actor.

No Holmes story is complete without the frustrated landlady Mrs. Hudson, who is played perfectly by Amy Anderson, who also plays the aforementioned Dr. Anderson. Each role is on the smaller side, but especially with Dr. Anderson, the character’s importance cannot be understated, especially as it pertains to her relationship and relative influence on Watson. Inspector Lestrade is also a regular, and here he’s in good hands with Tim Takechi. Like Varun, Tim continues to impress me with the kinds and varieties of roles he takes on, and his ability to manage the pace that suspense requires is a new capability he’s added to his repertoire. Lestrade is seemingly at odds with his colleague, Inspector Chapman, played by Mathaeus Anderson, who seems to always have his thug friend, Edwin Greener (Sascha Latham) hanging around. There is a lot of mystery around Chapman, and Mathaeus is solid in the role, though at the beginning of the play, when wife Elizabeth, played by Lesley Gordon, reads that letter of warning from the aforementioned unknown sender, his character ratchets up the anger just a little too quickly and a little too much for the situation. And I like Lesley as Elizabeth, she’s a great femme fatale in this role and as the one who brings this crime to Sherlock, she’s good at getting the audience to root for her.

The supporting cast is solid as well, and there are some very good performances in this group. Eudora Featherstone, mother of Inspector Chapman’s late wife is played by Sally Brady, but it’s Ben Stahl as her nephew Reginald who steals the scenes that the pair are in. His failed attempts at being his aunt’s gatekeeper are funny, and his general portrayal very enjoyable. Enjoyable is an understatement for Sascha Latham, but not as Edwin Greener, Inspector Chapman’s resident thug, but rather as the asylum superintendent. His high, squeaky voice, his absolute dedication and enthusiasm to his work in questionable mental health practices, and his overall characterization is entertaining and extremely funny. Also in the supporting cast is Van Lang Pham as Dr. Stamford, who has been trying to convince Watson to marry him for years. Van has one of the most laugh out loud moments in the show, when Atlas’ Watson calls upon him to help spring Holmes from the asylum. Finally, Christina Ramirez and Nathan Cardenas round out the cast as Peggy/Martha and orderlies, respectively.

The Centerstage Theatre production of Miss Holmes is the tale of two shows. On the one hand, it’s a well performed Sherlock Holmes origin story, with an undercurrent of female empowerment, told by a superb cast that handles their roles with pace and suspense, presenting the right amount of twists and turns that keep the audience engaged and guessing right up until the end. On the other hand, the play is the victim of a choppy script that stops that flow right in its tracks by requiring too many scene and set changes, and causes Miss Holmes to run long and feel longer. When looking at whether Miss Holmes is something worth seeing despite the length of it, though, I’ll stand by my opinion that yes, getting through those gaps in momentum is well worth what is waiting in between them.

The Centerstage Theatre production of Miss Holmes runs on stage in Federal Way through February 23. For more information, including ticket availability and sales, visit https://centerstagetheatre.com/.

Photo credit: Michelle Smith-Lewis