Few entertainment tastes better than a well-crafted murder mystery, and Miss Holmes Returns, the sequel to 2016’s Lifeline Theater’s Miss Holmes, fits the bill very well.
Both were written by Ensemble member Christopher M. Walsh and employ one important deviation from the work of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. This deftly provides an opportunity to address issues of our own time, such as race and gender, while also commenting on feminist concerns and Victorian-era farce.
The play opens, aptly, at a crime scene. Daniel Burke (Tommy Maloof) is seen lying on the floor, seemingly stabbed with a letter opener, and a foreign woman fleeing his office. Inspector Jeffrey Lestrade (Lindsey Falls) concludes that the woman is the murderer, but Holmes and Watson have a working relationship sufficient to allow the Inspector time to examine him. Therefore, we believe that women were victims and acted in self-defense.
Holmes and Watson are approached by notorious but well-connected activist Josephine Butler (Julie Partica) and her follower and ex-prostitute Olive McGann (Hillary Williams), and their friend Priya Singh (Vinitra Singh). Rajagopalan) was a nurse and disappeared. The detective and her sidekick/chronicler take the case because they suspect it’s related to Burke’s death, though they don’t know how. But it may have something to do with Butler’s recent allegations: advocating the abolition of laws that allow men to bind women and forcibly test them for diseases without their consent. And a mysterious figure known as “The Professor” could be behind the evil.
The rest of the complex plot is devoted to following clues and unraveling the deception. They have plenty of twists, some less obvious than others, and at least one more murder and a few who aren’t who they are.
Holmes’ enigmatic brother Mycroft (Christopher Hainsworth) makes several appearances to warn his determined sister of her actions. We also meet teacher and plant enthusiast Adam Worthington (Malouf). Mrs. Hudson (Annie Slivinsky) rebukes our heroine, of course, with her affection, and Mrs. Wiggins (Slivinsky), a member of Holmes’s knitting circle, denies Doc and others who are not. I keep an eye out for what’s in place. safe area.
A Lifeline literary veteran, director Elise Kauzlaric keeps the action flowing smoothly with enough tension to keep us hooked. The pace only slows in Act 2, when the dialogue is a bit preachy.
Holmes certainly won’t fall any time soon and will blame himself for his failure. But that’s his one of the charms of the character McLean Haynesworth makes. Despite or due to her superhuman reasoning powers and the seriousness of her aims, she is ignorant of the nuances of human interaction, and her tendency to take everything literally is of no avail. . Walsh’s socially savvy Watson is always there for Holmes when he’s needed most.
Given Lifeline’s intimate scale, the design team does a great job of evoking Victorian settings, fog, and everything else. Alan Donoghue’s scenic design features winding bridges and mottled sidewalks brought to life by Diane Fairchild’s shadowed lighting and Eric Backus’ eerie music and sound design. increase. Emily McConnell’s costumes are at least allusive to the era, but some of them could be more detailed, and it would be nice if Holmes had more than one costume.
You don’t have to watch “Miss Holmes” to fully enjoy “Miss Holmes Returns,” but hearing the original show’s streaming version during the pandemic piqued my interest in the sequel. It’s so much fun and I’m looking forward to the continuation.
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