Earlier this month I happened to rewatch the 1976 film, “The Seven-Per-Cent Solution” which I had not seen for many years, and was amazed by the interiority actor Nicol Williamson discovered in the character of Sherlock Holmes. In this story, Holmes teams up with Sigmund Freud – talk about an intellectual buddy adventure – to solve a crime, but what makes the film remarkable is how deeply it explores the fragile psyche trembling just underneath the cool façade of the world’s most brilliant detective. I would argue that this quality is always present in a Sherlock Holmes tale and, is the main reason his character is continually resurrected in countless films, books and plays. And furthermore, this is also why we never tire of seeing him in fresh paradigms. Holmes is an archetype, not a cliché, as much as any persona from the ancient Greeks, William Shakespeare, or David Mamet. And now, with Kinetic Theatre Company’s “A Sherlock Carol,” (2021) you can see this archetype stretched to new dimensions.
Playwright Mark Shanahan drops his Holmes into the Charles Dickens tale, “A Christmas Carol” (1843) and the effect is organic — not forced or tendentious — as the detective is recruited by Tiny Tim to solve a murder. Holmes reluctantly takes the case and steps into the bizarre world of Victorian ghosts, trying to unravel the mystery of how Ebenezer Scrooge was murdered. It’s a compelling whodunit divided into two acts: the first is set mostly in the world of Holmes, and the second in that of Scrooge. In the end it all comes together – with a touch of the film “Gosford Park” – and Holmes is a better man for it; once again cured of his episodic melancholy and back in his deerstalker cap, ready to take on his next adventure.
Aside from the clever plot, credit is due to director Andrew Paul, as the cast of this show is the real story, showcasing the talents of some of the best actors you will see on a Pittsburgh stage. David Whalen gives us a nuanced Sherlock Holmes who appears as a man who used to have a magnificent soul but now — as he fears his great nemesis, Professor Moriarity is dead — is bereft of the defining agon of his life, and floats along without purpose or inspiration. Mr. Whalen’s subtle rekindling of his character’s ethos is convincing: Holmes is as much in search of himself as he is for the killer he ostensibly is tracking down.
It is vivifying to see James FitzGerald – who plays multiple roles, including that of Scrooge – back in the 19th-century, an era he seems to inhabit without effort and with such immersive power. Simon Bradbury, as Watson — plus other roles – is also an actor who steps back in time effortlessly, and with Nietzschean flare. He is equally capable of projecting a Dionysian or Apollonian effect, without completely abandoning either; perhaps this is the secret of his arresting presence.
Filling in at the last minute to replace a sick cast member, Helena Ruoti is superb in her two roles. She appears to want to help Holmes catch the killer, but there is a disturbing aspect to her demeanor, which might be something, or might not. Should we trust her, or is her benign manner really a manifestation of duplicity?
Filling out the cast as excellent supporting characters are Joseph McGranaghan as the adult Tiny Tim, Carolyn Jerz in multiple roles, and Caroline Nicolian, also playing several parts.
Elevating the sonic experience is the live accompaniment of composer/arranger Douglas Levine on piano, and Cara Garofalo on violin, both playing behind the stage as numinous entities coloring the atmosphere aurally. Johnmichael Bohach designed the crepuscular set with a midcentury-cinematic vibe, and Kimberly Brown’s costumes brought a sense of Victorian immediacy to the characters, like an anchor of believability rooting us deeply in the fantastical setting and story.
After a week of attending Pittsburgh Ballet’s exciting “The Nutcracker,” touring the dazzling Phipps Holiday Magic and Winter Light Show, and some exuberant ice skating in Market Square, seeing “A Sherlock Carol” is a fitting way to complete this holiday season, like a mug of hot wassail in front of a warm fireplace in a cozy old house filled with exotic, but familiar friends.
A SHERLOCK CAROL continues through December 22nd, Henry Heymann Theatre, Oakland, $29-61, www.kinetictheatre.org
Please Note: This has been an eventful year for “The Hamlet Machine” column: we’ve covered a wide variety of local cultural offerings, including the Pittsburgh Opera, Chatham Baroque, Pittsburgh Ballet, multiple theater productions, an art memoir, and even the occasional restaurant review. Our goal is to get people out of their comfy pants and into Pittsburgh’s performance spaces. Few cities of our size boast such an immense array of world-class aesthetic entertainment. Our wish for the New Year is that everyone will take a friend to the theater – in any form – for the first time in 2025. And that they will continue to support our gifted performers, directors, writers, designers, craftspeople, and arts institutions. We can’t live so richly without you!
Stuart Sheppard is an award-winning critic, essayist, novelist, and poet who writes “The Hamlet Machine” column for Pittsburgh Quarterly. Follow him: @HamletsMachine.
