A Sherlock Carol - review

[Jane Zussman]

Williamston Theatre’s A Sherlock Carol delivers as promised with Mark Shanihan’s Christmas mashup script. Arthur Conan Doyle’s master detective Sherlock Holmes meets Charles Dickens’s Scrooge et al. from the beloved, if overdone, A Christmas Carol. The plot blends old stories and characters into a new mystery. Is Sherlock up to it? 

On a versatile old-timey “brick-and-stone” set enhanced by projections (scenic designer Jennifer Maiseloff; projection design Nathan Zarkowsky) we meet a cranky, depressed, and, dare we say, “Scrooge-like” Sherlock Holmes, kvetching over his loss of identity after the death of his nemesis, Moriarty. “Without a worthy adversary, I am nothing!” 

Williamston favorite John Lepard stalwartly leads the cast as the depressed Sherlock. We learn that many years have passed since the “Christmas conversion” of Ebenezer Scrooge to “good guy” — but now he is dead, murdered? What about the will? John Siebert plays Scrooge's wisely charming ghost, appearing — as spirits before appeared to him — and helping reactivate Sherlock’s deductive magic. 

Rob Roznowski directs this talented cast including an extremely versatile group of four actors portraying dozens of other characters with energy and versatility. Hallie Bee Bard, Samantha Dobrowolski, Patrick Loos and Karam Mawaziini. (Don’t you want to know who Tiny Tim grew up to be?) This is a great showcase for versatility and quick costume identity clues, but can also be a bit confusing - oh, wait - who is s/he now? Perhaps a future community theatre version could perform this script with a “cast of thousands."

Performances for A Sherlock Carol run through December 21, but many performances have limited availability or are completely sold out! They have added two more performances to accommodate those in search of a fun and festive holiday tale. Reserve ASAP
Wednesday, December 10 at 2:00
Thursday, December 18 at 7:30

Remember, Williamston has added Thursday matinees this season. Tickets at https://www.williamstontheatre.org

Jane Zussman

G.L.U.T. List

(Greater Lansing Ubiquitous Theatre)

cell 517-930-0932

JSZu...@gmail.com

http://www.greaterlansingtheatre.net 

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