The show, starring Keern Haslem, Dyllan Storm and Desiree Boothe, was directed by Nora Block.
Seeing as the show's run is over, this review will be a bit of a postmortem examination of the strengths and weaknesses of the performance I saw.
That's not an easy task, and each actor did a stand-up job at letting the viewers into what made these characters tick.
The set, too, had plenty of old-world charm complete with old books, furniture, tea trays, pictures, desks and lamps. It helped the viewer get lost in the story without having anything that made you think, 'Well, that doesn't seem like it belongs there."
I also appreciated how the story was woven with simple tasks that Sherlock would handle a certain way, and then cut to the next scene when Arthur Conan Doyle would handle it an entirely different way. It seemed like each character had at least one of those moments when it was apparent that the story was trying to get you to notice these subtle differences in approaches.
If you missed the show and aren't familiar with the plot, it involves Arthur Conan Doyle purchasing a new place to focus on his writing. At the same time, he's trying to escape the clutches of his creation, Sherlock Holmes, which is both literal and figurative. Once Sherlock catches wind of his possible demise, he seeks out Doyle, his mother and his friend Dr. George Budd.
It was a bit convoluted at times, and part of me wondered if Sherlock was supposed to be a real person or simply one of Doyle's split personalities, or both.
I felt that the fact that Haslem would occasionally switch accents of both characters in the same scene, added to that confusion. Perhaps it was intentional, but I was left wondering if there were parts of the story that was supposed to be Doyle acting as Holmes and vice versa as opposed to just Holmes or just Doyle.
As for the delivery of the accents, the actors did a decent job pulling it off.
While there were times it seemed as if they were being a bit over-the-top with the rolling of their R's, or other similar voice techniques, by and large it was convincing enough without taking away from the immersion.
Part of me wondered if both of Boothe's characters were supposed to have accents, and there was a slight bit of dipping in and out of the accents by all three of the actors, but again, I did not find that it was a distraction.
One thing that I felt did take away a bit from the show was the actors missing their cues on several occasions. While it's nice to have it feel conversational and loose, at times Doyle would speak and Budd would speak over him at the same time. It made for a little confusion as I was left trying to pick up what the character who spoke too soon was trying to say and what the previous statement was, both at the same time.
Mostly, though, the play put some interesting questions in my head such as -- "What happens when an author gets completely lost in his or her character? Is it possible to lose your own personality in favor of your character's? Or "How does this amalgam of author/character affect an author's relationship with those around him/her?"
The end got a bit too confusing, but the attempt at asking these questions and seeing where they go, was an intriguing internal conflict.
The actors all came into the show well prepared and it showed. The staging was clear, the lighting differentiating between the scenes with Sherlock, Watson and Mrs. Hudson vs. Doyle, Budd and Mrs. Doyle.
MAT needed to end the season on a strong note, and I feel they hit enough high notes with this show to consider it a success.
