Editor's note 5-5-23: An evening performance has been added to the run on May 14 at 7:30 p.m.
Original review
Productions featuring Sherlock Holmes are kind of like “if you build it, they will come.” It’s an undeniable draw, and though you can certainly do it wrong, if you think the Alley Theatre is capable of making that kind of mistake with their current production of Sherlock Holmes and The Case of The Jersey Lily, well, either you’re new in town or you haven’t been paying attention.
Sherlock Holmes and The Case of The Jersey Lily opens with a robbery, before transporting us to 221B Baker Street, where our favorite detective is jonesing for a case. He’s not given much time to lament the fact that his mind is not at use on “the work for which it is built” before a guest arrives. It’s well-known theater actress Lillie Langtry, also known as “The Jersey Lily,” and she’s got a problem. It was she who was robbed in the opening scene, a cache of her personal letters stolen, and now someone is demanding 10,000 pounds or the letters will be made public. The letters, Langtry says, are remnants from a past indiscretion with the Prince of Wales.
Though Holmes admits to Watson that he is suspicious that Langtry is not being all that forthcoming after she leaves, he accepts the case. But barely seconds after declaring that “the game’s afoot,” yet another visitor arrives at Baker Street. This time, it’s Abdul Karim, confidante to Queen Victoria, and though Watson and Holmes assume he’s also there about the letters, it soon becomes clear he has no idea about any letters. And as Sherlock notes, “the plot thickens.”
Oh, and the person who suggested Langtry visit Holmes is none other than her close friend, the dandy of all dandys, Oscar Wilde, who has apparently consulted with Holmes in the past about his work – specifically titles.
If you’re a Sherlock fan, then you’ve probably recognized that Forgette’s play draws heavily from “A Scandal in Bohemia,” the first of Arthur Conan Doyle’s Sherlockian short stories. Forgette mixes in real historical figures, giving real-life stage actress Lillie Langtry (who really was friends with Oscar Wilde and really did have an affair with the future King Edward VII) the Irene Adler role. The additions are clever, with Forgette clearly crafting a crowd-pleaser.
Though there’s a whole lot of talking in this play – Forgette chose to go the “tell, don’t show” route again and again – it still works for two reasons: Director Brandon Weinbrenner’s deft staging and the fact that two of the play’s talkers are two of the best: Sherlock Holmes and Oscar Wilde. And Forgette is not shy to drop familiar lines from both, especially Wilde, much to the audience’s delight.
It’s not exactly special to point out that any production featuring Sherlock Holmes is almost entirely dependent (let’s be reasonable and say 99.8 percent dependent) on who is playing the detective and the Alley’s Todd Waite is a pitch perfect Holmes. Waite’s Holmes is a bit softer around the edges and so confident in his observational prowess that it doesn’t even have that annoying, know-it-all tinge that the character tends to get. He’s also got excellent comedic timing and makes a very amusing older woman.
Speaking of comedic timing, as well as the ability to pull the funniest and most appropriate face for any given moment, let’s mention Christopher Salazar. Salazar is a scene-stealing Oscar Wilde and alone is a great reason to see the show. Salazar tends to travel in a pair with Krystel Lucas’s Lillie Langtry. Lucas’s Langtry is elusive, proud and intriguing.
Though Waite, Salazar and Lucas are stellar, the focus on them means one thing: There’s not nearly enough of Orlando Arriaga’s Dr. John Watson. Outside of the flustered – and admittedly amusing – fanboying Arriaga gets to play, as well as a few moments of the stalwart we’re accustomed to seeing, Watson is mostly written out of the story in the second act tending to a patient (his soon-to-be mother-in-law). It’s particularly disappointing given the flashes Watson Arriaga is able to give us when on stage.
It’s worth noting that most of the actors are tasked with playing multiple characters, either as actual different characters or as characters masquerading as other characters. Throughout the show, Elizabeth Bunch goes from shuffling across the stage to owning it, deferential and effusive to feisty and unscrupulous. Levin Valayil similarly gets to play coarse and amateurish as well as regal and imposing. Like Salazar, both deserve every laugh they pull from the audience.
And finally, there’s the “Napoleon of crime” Professor Moriarty, played by Brandon Hearnsberger. Hearnsberger’s Moriarty is ghoulish and quite menacing, especially in the second act. Hearnsberger and Waite also square off in better-than-expected sword fight in the second act. (Why better than expected? Because the opening robbery was a half-hearted struggle to say the least, resulting in lowered expectations for the fencing match to come.) Though brief, the duel was exhilarating and ended with Moriarty getting the upper hand in a heart-poundingly dramatic way. Credit to Fight Director and Intimacy Specialist Adam Noble for this one.
Scenic Design Lawrence E. Moten III is responsible for a note-perfect, beautifully constructed and most importantly agile set. Lit by Kevin Rigdon, who gets to play with more dramatic lighting choices throughout the show, it’s a loving homage to the traditional view of 1890-ish London, and Baker Street in particular. Sara Ryung Clement’s costumes fit the world Moten has designed like matched puzzle pieces. Though a lot can be said for the costumes, maybe the best example is Salazar’s layered, well thought out ensemble, from the ring on his pinkie and his sparkly, fur-collared coat to his maroon hat and gold-adorned shoes.
It may not exactly be deep or something that will resonate with you for years to come, but damn if it’s not enjoyable. The Alley’s production of Sherlock Holmes and The Case of The Jersey Lily is a good time at the theater – entertaining, funny and with just enough suspense to have you fully invested in where the story is going. All in all, a good night out.
Original review
Productions featuring Sherlock Holmes are kind of like “if you build it, they will come.” It’s an undeniable draw, and though you can certainly do it wrong, if you think the Alley Theatre is capable of making that kind of mistake with their current production of Sherlock Holmes and The Case of The Jersey Lily, well, either you’re new in town or you haven’t been paying attention.
Sherlock Holmes and The Case of The Jersey Lily opens with a robbery, before transporting us to 221B Baker Street, where our favorite detective is jonesing for a case. He’s not given much time to lament the fact that his mind is not at use on “the work for which it is built” before a guest arrives. It’s well-known theater actress Lillie Langtry, also known as “The Jersey Lily,” and she’s got a problem. It was she who was robbed in the opening scene, a cache of her personal letters stolen, and now someone is demanding 10,000 pounds or the letters will be made public. The letters, Langtry says, are remnants from a past indiscretion with the Prince of Wales.
Though Holmes admits to Watson that he is suspicious that Langtry is not being all that forthcoming after she leaves, he accepts the case. But barely seconds after declaring that “the game’s afoot,” yet another visitor arrives at Baker Street. This time, it’s Abdul Karim, confidante to Queen Victoria, and though Watson and Holmes assume he’s also there about the letters, it soon becomes clear he has no idea about any letters. And as Sherlock notes, “the plot thickens.”
Oh, and the person who suggested Langtry visit Holmes is none other than her close friend, the dandy of all dandys, Oscar Wilde, who has apparently consulted with Holmes in the past about his work – specifically titles.
If you’re a Sherlock fan, then you’ve probably recognized that Forgette’s play draws heavily from “A Scandal in Bohemia,” the first of Arthur Conan Doyle’s Sherlockian short stories. Forgette mixes in real historical figures, giving real-life stage actress Lillie Langtry (who really was friends with Oscar Wilde and really did have an affair with the future King Edward VII) the Irene Adler role. The additions are clever, with Forgette clearly crafting a crowd-pleaser.
Though there’s a whole lot of talking in this play – Forgette chose to go the “tell, don’t show” route again and again – it still works for two reasons: Director Brandon Weinbrenner’s deft staging and the fact that two of the play’s talkers are two of the best: Sherlock Holmes and Oscar Wilde. And Forgette is not shy to drop familiar lines from both, especially Wilde, much to the audience’s delight.
Todd Waite as Sherlock Holmes, Orlando Arriaga as Dr. Watson, and Krystel Lucas as Mrs. Lillie Langtry in Alley Theatre’s production of Sherlock Holmes and The Case of The Jersey Lily.
Photo by Lynn Lane
Speaking of comedic timing, as well as the ability to pull the funniest and most appropriate face for any given moment, let’s mention Christopher Salazar. Salazar is a scene-stealing Oscar Wilde and alone is a great reason to see the show. Salazar tends to travel in a pair with Krystel Lucas’s Lillie Langtry. Lucas’s Langtry is elusive, proud and intriguing.
Though Waite, Salazar and Lucas are stellar, the focus on them means one thing: There’s not nearly enough of Orlando Arriaga’s Dr. John Watson. Outside of the flustered – and admittedly amusing – fanboying Arriaga gets to play, as well as a few moments of the stalwart we’re accustomed to seeing, Watson is mostly written out of the story in the second act tending to a patient (his soon-to-be mother-in-law). It’s particularly disappointing given the flashes Watson Arriaga is able to give us when on stage.
It’s worth noting that most of the actors are tasked with playing multiple characters, either as actual different characters or as characters masquerading as other characters. Throughout the show, Elizabeth Bunch goes from shuffling across the stage to owning it, deferential and effusive to feisty and unscrupulous. Levin Valayil similarly gets to play coarse and amateurish as well as regal and imposing. Like Salazar, both deserve every laugh they pull from the audience.
The Cast of Alley Theatre’s production of Sherlock Holmes and The Case of The Jersey Lily.
Photo by Lynn Lane
Scenic Design Lawrence E. Moten III is responsible for a note-perfect, beautifully constructed and most importantly agile set. Lit by Kevin Rigdon, who gets to play with more dramatic lighting choices throughout the show, it’s a loving homage to the traditional view of 1890-ish London, and Baker Street in particular. Sara Ryung Clement’s costumes fit the world Moten has designed like matched puzzle pieces. Though a lot can be said for the costumes, maybe the best example is Salazar’s layered, well thought out ensemble, from the ring on his pinkie and his sparkly, fur-collared coat to his maroon hat and gold-adorned shoes.
It may not exactly be deep or something that will resonate with you for years to come, but damn if it’s not enjoyable. The Alley’s production of Sherlock Holmes and The Case of The Jersey Lily is a good time at the theater – entertaining, funny and with just enough suspense to have you fully invested in where the story is going. All in all, a good night out.
Performances will continue at 7:30 p.m. Tuesdays through Thursdays and Sundays, 8 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays, and 2:30 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays through May 14 at Alley Theatre, 615 Texas. For more information, call 713-220-5700 or visit alleytheatre.org. $34-$78.
