Kate Hamill is one of the most-produced playwrights in America, and her work — witty, female-centered takes on 19th-century English literary characters — have appeared on stage at San Diego’s Cygnet and Scripps Ranch theaters.
Now, after a four-year pandemic-related delay, Hamill has finally arrived at the Old Globe in a funny, well-cast and fantastically costumed staging of “Ms. Holmes & Ms. Watson — Apt. 2B.
It’s a comic take on the Sherlock Holmes stories written by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle from 1880 to 1914. In Hamill’s adaptation, the action has moved from Victorian times to London 2021, where the COVID-19 pandemic is well under way and the crime-solving duo of Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson are women.
Ms. “Sherlock” Holmes is an eccentric loner with extraordinary crime-solving skills but zero friends. She reluctantly agrees to share her Baker Street apartment with Joan Watson, a warm-hearted woman who arrives from America with a broken heart and secret past.
As in Doyle’s stories, Holmes and Watson are quickly enlisted by Scotland Yard to solve a murder, and during the course of the play’s two hours (plus 15-minute intermission) they encounter most of the book series’ secondary characters, including police inspector Lestrade, the brainy Irene Adler and devious Moriarty.
Old Globe resident artist and play director James Vásquez brings his sharp and contemporary comic sensibility to the fast-moving two-act comedy. The story unfolds in the round on Sean Fanning’s chessboard-style stage, with hilarious physical comedy, wacky and weird characterizations and wonderful retro/steampunk costumes by Shirley Pierson.
Melanie Chen Cole’s sound design, which includes clever instrumental takes on contemporary pop songs by Gotye and Ed Sheeran, is excellent. And Amanda Zieve designed lighting.
Natalie Woolams-Torres is the beating heart of the show, with flawless comic reactions to the murder and mayhem her character encounters after meeting Holmes. Old Globe veteran Ruibo Qian digs deep into the aloof and cerebral elements of Sherlock Holmes, with unpredictable, motor-mouth line delivery and a palpable loneliness. Jenn Harris enriches the play with humor and panache in multiple roles. And Nehal Joshi is an endearing Inspector Lestrade and a few other characters.
The only challenge with “Ms. Holmes & Ms. Watson,” like some of Hamill’s other plays, is that it feels long. Because there’s not a lot of plot development in Act Two besides Watson’s revelations about her past, the play could easily be trimmed to 90 minutes.
There’s a reason Sherlock Holmes stories have experienced a popular resurgence in recent years, including the Benedict Cumberbatch-led BBC TV series and multiple plays and musicals. Holmes is an endlessly fascinating character, and who doesn’t love a good mystery? But in this play, it’s the sleuth’s relatable sidekick Watson you’ll enjoy the most.
‘Ms. Holmes and Ms. Watson – Apt. 2B’
When: 7 p.m. Tuesdays and Wednesdays; 8 p.m. Thursdays and Fridays; 2 and 8 p.m. Saturdays; 2 and 7 p.m. Sundays. Through Sept. 1
Where: Sheryl and Harvey White Theatre, the Old Globe, 1363 Old Globe Way, Balboa Park, San Diego.
Tickets: $49 and up
Phone: (619) 234-5623
Online: theoldglobe.org
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