Stage Review - Miss Holmes (Latitude Theatre)
Stage Review - Miss Holmes
Presented By: Latitude Theatre - Seattle, WA
Show Run: August 02 - August 25, 2024
Date Reviewed: Sunday, August 18, 2024
Reviewed By: Greg Heilman
When I read the description for Miss Holmes, the latest production from Latitude Theatre, running on stage at the Center Theatre at Seattle Center through August 25, and saw that this is a gender bending adaptation of the classic genre featuring Arthur Conan Doyle’s Sherlock Holmes, I thought that perhaps it’s something that is just making the detective and sidekick Watson women, and leaning on that to carry and draw attention to it. Thankfully, I couldn’t have been more wrong. Miss Holmes is a smartly written Sherlock Holmes origin story that doesn’t just include the same level of suspense and humor that we’ve all come to expect from these stories, but includes an undercurrent of female empowerment that is subtlety presented and works with the play’s other components to put forth a more layered story that keeps audiences on the edge of their seats awaiting the next twist, turn, or reveal. The Latitude production is directed by Jane Ryan and features a cast of actors that add their own flair to some familiar characters in a show that builds in suspense, intrigue, and quality as it progresses.
All and all, I enjoyed Miss Holmes very much, though I did find it a bit choppy at the outset. Character development in the show requires a series of short scenes, moving from the asylum where Sherlock has been incarcerated at the beginning to the house of Lizzie and Thomas Chapman and other locales, each in short bursts. The start of the show feels like a series of vignettes rather than something that has a smooth flow from scene to scene, and the inconsistent music styles played during the scene changes adds to the choppiness of it all. But about halfway through the first act, the show finds its stride, just in time for the case, and the suspense to start building. Scenes are longer, changes quicker, music seemingly fit for the mood and time of the show, and the flow of the production smooths out as it moves on. At that point, Miss Holmes finds a groove which carries it through to the end. There is a lot to like about the show, and it starts with the design. Erik Furuheim is the scenic designer for Miss Holmes and the show plays to his strengths. Erik has a knack for providing a set that depicts multiple locations in one largesse design, in this case the back alleys of London, Baker Street, the Royal Free Hospital, Bedlam Royal Hospital (the aforementioned asylum), and so many more. His design provides context for each scene without the need for bulky set pieces to be moved on and off stage, only smaller pieces that need to be moved in to change location. Though one critique I have is a simple one, in the area of the set that serves as multiple residences, I’d perhaps suggest changing the one piece of art on the wall to reflect the different locales. A small detail, but one that could add a bit to the level of quality.
The other design aspects of the show are well done, too. Montse Garza’s lighting does provide the right amount to feel like a back alley or a residence, or a hospital. The only exception here is when the group is at Sherlock’s home on Baker Street, when they call for Mrs. Hudson to get the door, or perform some other task, there’s a decent amount of the unlit stage she walks through. Also, on the sound side, the music accompanying the set changes sometimes seems to run a bit long, but again about halfway through Act 1, this seems to be rectified. Otherwise, Charlie Sandford’s sound design is very nicely executed.
Making Miss Holmes work, though, comes down to the cast. Holmes and Watson need to have the characteristics that audiences have been used to seeing since the late 1800s. Sherlock needs to be a tad eccentric, Watson needs to be the counter to his partner’s borderline insanity by being the voice of reason, regardless of whether or not he/she understands what the heck Sherlock is saying. Camilla Kintana as Sherlock and Jesica Avellone are both excellent. Camilla’s Sherlock bumbles and stumbles her way to the bottom of her case, while Jesica’s Watson somehow provides the guardrails that keep both of them from straying too far off the scent or, in Holmes’ case, off the deep end. I like the humor that Jesica brings to her character, and in this origin story she plays a character in two worlds, the pre-detective world as a doctor in residence at The Royal Free Hospital, and the world of Sherlock Holmes. Meanwhile, Camilla is just a joy to watch, her portrayal also providing a lot of humor, but there’s some sheer excellence here as well, especially when she’s sedated at Bedlam, her half conscious Sherlock is wonderful, to take nothing away from her fully aware Holmes of course, it’s an enjoyable performance all around.
All of the other actors in the show play multiple roles, typically one primary character along with a more background one. Take Bjorn Anders, he plays Scotland Yard Inspector Thomas Chapman as well as a hospital orderly. It’s the former, though, where he shines. Bjorn’s inspector is a bit on the shady side, though truth be told everyone outside of Holmes, Watson, and Mrs. Hudson (Caitlin Frances) seems like they have something to hide, which is of course the beauty of this genre, the audience never knows who is guilty, until the big reveal at the end. Bjorn has mastered the shadiness of this character, and his rivalry with fellow inspector Lestrade (Rowan Gallagher) raises even more questions for the audience to work their way through. It’s not clear which side Lestrade is on, nor for that matter Chapman, and it’s a credit to the actors for pulling this off. Chapman’s wife Lizzy, the one who ultimately approaches Holmes after receiving some threatening letters, is nicely played by Lizzy Bennett. The hunt for who has written those letters takes the detective through a number of possible culprits and locations, from Lizzy’s husband’s ex-mother in law Eudora Featherstone, also played by Caitlin Frances, and even back to the asylum where a classically funny performance from Jonathan Swindle as Watson’s colleague Dr. Michael Stamford sets in motion the events which ultimately lead to the solving of the crime.
As an origin story, it’s interesting to watch Holmes and Watson come together, facilitated by Sherlock’s brother Mycroft, played here by Brian Pucheu. Mycroft is another character which is difficult for the audience to make heads or tails of. It could be the stray hair that hangs down over his forehead almost to his eyes, or just his mannerisms, but there’s a quality about Brian’s portrayal that is mysterious. Rounding out the cast is Noah Fletcher as Edwin Greener, petty criminal and frequent partner to Chapman, and in Sunday’s performance understudy Stacey Bush as Dr. Elizabeth Garrett Anderson, the first woman to qualify as a doctor in England and a key part of the what makes this story work beyond just the whodunit piece. The empowerment undercurrent never feels preachy, but rather it feels like an important part of this story, and what makes it more layered than some of the other Holmes inspired stories out there. There’s a subtlety to the message that Camilla, Jesica, and Stacey use their characters to portray.
Miss Holmes isn’t your average Sherlock Holmes mystery. It has all of the ingredients found in the standard detective fare, but it’s layered with a message of female empowerment that makes it an important piece, while still being an entertaining and funny whodunit. It’s great to see Latitude Theatre as one of the new residents at TPS’ Center Theatre and Miss Holmes is a great choice to open at their new home.
Miss Holmes, presented by Latitude Theatre, runs on stage at the Theatre Puget Sound Center Theatre at Seattle Center through August 25. For more information, including tickets, visit https://latitudetheatre.org/index.html.
Photo credit: Elizabeth Ogle
