By SHARON EBERSON
To begin with, descending into the depths of the Stephen Foster Memorial, I was immediately transported into the combined worlds of Dickens and Doyle.
With immersive staging, moody music and heartfelt performances, the meticulously crafted production of A Sherlock Carol brightened a dreary December Sunday.
In reality, the lives of Charles Dickens and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle crossed on this earth only briefly – Dickens died when Doyle was a child – but their timeless characters are well met in Mark Shanahan’s mashup of A Christmas Carol and the Sherlock Holmes canon.
Before Sunday’s evening performance was under way, there was a jolt of 2024 reality.
“I have some bad news and some good news,” Andrew Paul, Kinetic Theatre producer-director, told the audience.
The bad: Cast member Susan McGregor-Laine was too ill to go on (get well soon!). The good: Venerated actress Helena Ruoti would take her place, script in hand.
And so the game was afoot.
The show marks the sixth time Paul has directed David Whalen as Holmes, an artist-character pairing that continues to flourish.
There’s a reason Whalen is constantly working in some of the top regional theaters in the United States, in myriad genres on stage and screen, and aren’t we in luck that he consistently returns to his roots and loyal collaborators in Pittsburgh. Whalen is a consistent leading-man presence, while also being constantly present for his fellow actors. Here, he reigns over the intimate space as a deeply depressed Sherlock Holmes, who has multitudes urging him to snap out of his funk.
The great detective, having survived the Reichenbach Falls, can’t get over the loss of his nemesis, Moriarty. To compound matters, he is hearing and seeing ghosts – anathema to a man of science.
Sherlock is in need of support on Christmas Eve, but he flatly rejects his pal, Dr. Watson (Simon Bradbury), turning down an invitation to dinner. Holmes insists he is no longer on the case, dropping “bah” and “humbug” bombs on anyone in the holiday spirit.
Bradbury and castmates Ruoti, James FitzGerald, Caroline Nicolian, Carolyn Jerz and Joseph McGranaghan play multiple roles, mostly with familiar names from the combined classics.
The title itself opens up the story to encounters, so it is not a spoiler to say that Dr. Tim Cratchit (McGranaghan) shows up at Sherlock’s door, with a case that just might revive Holmes’ will to detect. Cratchit’s benefactor, Ebeneezer Scrooge (FitzGerald) has died, and “Tiny Tim,” as many still call the doctor, suspects foul play.
It’s a mystery to be solved, and an offer Sherlock can’t refuse.
As Sherlock struggles to regain his footing, he is helped by the many people whose lives he has touched for the better.
Nicolian shines as feisty, outspoken women – love interest Irene Adler and Tim’s know-it-all sister Martha, among them – who help to prop up Sherlock.
Not a miser but miserable, Whalen’s emotions are always on his sleeve as he is reminded of those who not only hold him in esteem, but offer unconditional love.
He also gets an earful of the Dickensian admonishment, via FitzGerald’s Scrooge, to get his act together: “Mankind was my business. [The common welfare was my business; charity, mercy, forbearance and benevolence, were all my business.]”
FitzGerald has appeared in more than 30 productions for different incarnations of Pittsburgh Irish & Classic Theatre, founded by Paul and Stephanie Riso, as well as most other professional theaters in Pittsburgh. It was delicious to see him once again in a role he could sink his teeth into, and not his first rodeo in a PICT/Kinetic Holmes production.
In fact, the stage serves as a reunion platform for Bradbury, FitzGerald and McGranagan, all having played roles that orbit around Whalen’s Sherlock. Jerz makes her Kinetic debut as a youthful, bouncy counterpoint to the sometimes heavy proceedings.
Having seen the current production nearly on the heels of Pittsburgh CLO’s A Musical Christmas Carol, and having read every Holmes story many times over, the winking humor of every reference landed mostly as gifts, but also as the kind of groans you appreciate, as a nod to your intimate knowledge of the subjects.
Maestro Douglas Levine, peeking out from behind a structur that hides his keyboard, accompanies patrons to their seats and underscores the entire play with cinematic flair. The scenic design by Johnmichael Bohach and John Sotirakis, with bold outlines of buildings and cobblestone streets, is lit beautifully by Christopher Popwich and sets the mood with a broody graphic novel vibe. Costumes by Kimberly Brown ground the characters in the Victorian London of 221B Baker Street.
To end with, there’s no mystery here. Kinetic Theatre’s has produced a satisfying and seamless criss-crossing of beloved literary characters. Another Holmes success story in the books. Christmas spirits uplifted. Case closed.
TICKETS AND DETAILS
The Pittsburgh premiere of A Sherlock Carol runs through December 22, 2024, in the Henry Heymann Theatre inside the Stephen Foster Memorial, 4301 Forbes Avenue, on the campus of the University of Pittsburgh in Oakland. Monday, December 16, is Dark Night/Pay-What-You-Want. Tickets: https://www.kinetictheatre.org/.
BLACK NATIVITY
While A Sherlock Carol is going on downstairs in the Stephen Foster Memorial, upstairs, in the larger Charity Randall Theatre, the Shona Sharif African Dance and Drum Ensemble is presenting Black Nativity. “Offering a dynamic experience, this is a classic retelling of the story of the birth of Jesus from an African-American perspective, featuring gospel music, African drumming and dancing and passionate acting, directed by Maurice Redwood.” Patrons leaving A Sherlock Carol were drawn to the music and got an enticing peek, through a diamond shape door window, of the lively show. At the Charity Randall through December 22, 2024. Tickets: https://www.theredwoodmediagroup.com/blacknativitypgh.
Leave a Reply Cancel reply