|
Regional Reviews: Phoenix Ms. Holmes & Ms. Watson - Apt. 2B
The story first introduces us to Joan Watson, an American woman who faced a crossroads in her life and finds herself looking for a room to rent in London, so she moves in with the brilliant and wildly erratic female detective Sherlock Holmes. Their reluctant partnership begins when Holmes takes on the case of a dead man found in a seedy hotel bathtub, which soon spirals into additional cases that introduce other familiar characters from Doyle's works, including Irene Adler and Professor Moriarty. As the mystery unfolds, and the cases seem oddly connected, the duo must navigate their clashing personalities, a web of secrets, and a growing, if reluctant, bond. While Hamill's premise is clever and the update engaging, the play struggles at times with consistency of its tone. The plot can be difficult to follow, especially with the fast-paced dialogue and the more surreal or comically exaggerated moments, and not everything truly connects together or makes sense. Hamill's script is filled with wit and invention, but it sometimes feels like it's trying to juggle too many styles, including satire, drama and farce, all at once. The breakneck pace and sharp shifts in tone make it hard for the emotional core of the story to fully land, though the gender-bent dynamic between Holmes and Watson adds a refreshing layer to the well-known duo. Hamill sets the piece right after the COVID pandemic and uses that as a catalyst for why Watson has found herself in this place in her life, which adds a fresh and interesting take on the character. Hamill also finds a way to tie Holmes' cases into the modern view on true crime, where investigative blogs and modern crime podcasts are extremely popular. However, while the character of Holmes is clearly etched out and Watson does have a revealing monologue in act two, Watson is still depicted as a mostly bumbling sidekick which doesn't provide any fresh or fun update or find a way to truly make the character more of an equal to Holmes. The cast of four works hard and shows impressive range. As Sherlock Holmes, Kelen Coleman delivers a manic, brainy performance that captures the character's brilliance and social awkwardness. Coleman is fantastic in the role. Regina A. Fernandez brings warmth and a grounding force as Joan Watson, making her an empathetic counterbalance to Kelen's Holmes. However, Fernandez is often directed to play the character in an over-the-top way, sometimes annoying, other times childish, often throwing herself on the couch or the floor in odd positions. I'm not quite sure what Hamill or director Marcia Milgrom Dodge are going for, but it doesn't exactly work. It also makes the character's fantastic monologue in act two, when she reveals why she left America and which Fernandez delivers impeccably, hard to truly connect to after seeing how the character has been portrayed. In supporting roles, Michelle Duffy is great as a trio of women, including a sultry Irene Adler and a nosey Mrs. Hudson, Holmes' clumsy and chatty landlady, and several other roles. Aaron Cammack is equally good as inspector Lestrade, the American billionaire Elliot Monk, who hires Holmes for a case, and Moriarty. Duffy and Cammack provide strong support and versatility, with shifts in their accents and body language as they move deftly between their characters with clarity and comic flair to depict completely different individuals, which keeps the pace lively and their characters interesting. Marcia Milgrom Dodge's direction keeps the plot moving along but occasionally leans too far into broad caricature and farce, with the added use of cutesy audio clips that become grating. The style in the play and the direction often clashes with the more serious, emotional beats of the story. It's not always clear whether the show wants to be a spoof or a sincere character study, and that ambiguity sometimes muddies the impact. Still, the production design is strong, with a stylized set by Chen-Wei Liao that transforms cleverly into the various locations in the plot, well designed costumes by Lindsay McDonald that reflect each character's quirks and styles, and striking lighting by Amanda Zieve that heightens the mood and mystery in the plot. Ms. Holmes & Ms. Watson - Apt. 2B is a clever, chaotic reimagining of the Holmes legend. Though its structure and tone may appear disjointed at times, its originality, timely themes, and strong cast often make up for the faults in the script. Ms. Holmes & Ms. Watson - Apt. 2B, an Arizona Theatre Company production, runs through June 29, 2025, at Tempe Center for the Arts, 700 W. Rio Salado Parkway, Mesa AZ. For tickets and information, please visit www.arizonatheatre.org or call 833-282-7328. Written by Kate Hamill Cast: *Member, Actors' Equity Association, the Union of Professional Actors and Stage Managers in the United States |
