SHERLOCK HOLMES AND THE ADVENTURE OF THE ELUSIVE EAR – Written by David MacGregor; Directed by Heather Beasley. Produced by Miners Alley Performing Arts Center (1100 Miners Alley, Golden) through November 10. Tickets available at 303-935-3044 or minersalley.com.
Sherlock Holmes has met his match!! And he loves it. This latest saga in the Holmes catalog of cases takes place later in his life after he and actress Irene Adler have found each other and are living together on Baker Street, much to the chagrin and embarrassment of Dr. Watson. But what a delightful threesome they make. Working together to solve crimes to make enough money to keep the wolves from the door. Watson puts a great emphasis on finding interesting cases to solve so he can write about them so they can pay the rent. While Holmes and Adler seem content to just be together and indulge in a little hanky-panky.
But as fate would have it, good cases seem to fall in their lap and, once again, the game is afoot. But for this one they don’t even have to leave their delightful flat on Baker Street. And what a homey place it is in which they live. The resident set designer Jonathan Scott-McKean and Set Dressing pro Samantha Piel outdid themselves in creating this lovely Victorian habitat complete with the bits and bobs that one picks up on a well-lived and well-traveled life, as well as the signature props from the Holmes history. It is comfortable, colorful, and charming.
Vincent Van Gogh comes a-calling asking for help to find the “elusive ear” that he chopped off. Despite the stories that circulated as to why he would commit such self-destruction, the truth was he yearned to give his lady love a “piece of himself,” but then lost it in the hubbub the act created. The lady love in question, Marie Chartier, shows up herself but not to help look for the ear. She has a devious long-term plan regarding Van Gogh’s art, not his heart. She also has her own personal ax to grind with Holmes but chooses to use a rapier instead of a hatchet. In a charming twist, the ear is found in the most unexpected place and the truth comes out (somewhat) about the devious Marie. Along the way, Oscar Wilde also shows up to share a bon mot or two and a little opium with Watson.
The actors in the company are having so much fun telling this story and invite the audience into the parlor to join in the festivities. It is a little odd to see your old favorite Holmes behaving as a young man in love, but it also makes him more human and likable, less stuffy than usual. Christian Ray Robinson finds all the levels of this familiar character and makes them his own. He may be a new lover, but he is also a serious detector of the facts and analyst of the clues. Just a little less serious this time around; I very much like this new Holmes. The reason for the changes is the beautiful and equally talented Irene Adler, played with a whimsical sense of humor and a down-to-earth outlook on life and moralities, even in Victorian days. Colleen Lee is beautiful, smart, and an excellent swordswoman. She creates a totally new environment in which the familiar characters of Holmes and Watson live. Denver favorite Chas Lederer gives a rousing portrayal of Watson, fussy over bills, embarrassed over the behavior of his flat-mates, and bewildered by this turn of affairs.
The historical figures introduced into the script are given authentic life by John Wittbrodt as a scruffy desperate Van Gogh and Ryan Omar Stack as an outrageous and colorful Wilde. What a pair of opposites they are! The evilness herself Marie Chartier is a new character brought to active and devious life by Erika Mori. One can only hope that she will show up in the continuing adventures of Holmes, as his villains so often do.
This is not a play that will change the world, but it’s a jolly good way to spend an enjoyable evening laughing with friends on the stage.
A WOW factor of 8.50!!