Smart, Funny, Surprisingly Moving
Kate Hamill’s wildly inventive reimagining of Sherlock Holmes tosses the deerstalker hat aside and replaces it with modern anxieties, emotional baggage, sharp feminist humor, and enough rapid-fire dialogue to keep us fully engaged from curtain to curtain. Under the lively direction of Mary Ann Rodgers, the production moves with confidence and comic precision while still making room for genuine emotional connection.
From the moment Adrian Deane storms onto the stage as the brilliant but emotionally unraveling Sherlock Holmes, there’s electricity in the room. Deane doesn’t simply play eccentricity for laughs — although there are plenty of them — but reveals the loneliness and vulnerability underneath Holmes’ chaotic brilliance. Jennifer Le Blanc’s Watson becomes the perfect counterbalance: grounded, compassionate, quietly wounded, and endlessly relatable. Together, the pair create the kind of chemistry that keeps us leaning forward, eager for every exchange.
Jennifer Le Blanc as Dr. Joan Watson, Adrian Deane as Sherlock Holmes – photo credit Robin Jackson
The laughs come quickly and often, but what sneaks up on you is the emotional honesty underneath all the cleverness.
Story Line / Plot
The familiar world of Sherlock Holmes flips into a wildly contemporary, emotionally layered comedy-mystery centered on two damaged but brilliant women trying to survive life, loneliness, and each other in a cramped apartment.
Sherlock Holmes is no elegant Victorian detective here. She’s impulsive, obsessive, socially volatile, and often emotionally unraveling — a woman whose staggering intelligence is matched only by her inability to connect with people in ordinary ways.
Watson arrives carrying wounds of her own. Recently separated and searching for stability, she becomes Holmes’ reluctant roommate and eventual emotional anchor. Watson’s practicality and compassion constantly collide with Holmes’ chaos, creating a friendship that becomes the true heart of the story.
As Holmes and Watson settle uneasily into life together, increasingly strange encounters begin circling their apartment — including the arrival of Irene Adler and the dangerously magnetic Moriarty. What begins as an eccentric detective comedy gradually spirals into a tangled psychological mystery involving manipulation, hidden identities, emotional trauma, shifting loyalties, and emotional dependency.
The plot twists through deception, emotional revelations, detective-story misdirection, and rapid tonal shifts. Hamill intentionally keeps audiences slightly off-balance, blending screwball comedy with darker themes involving trust, abandonment, obsession, and human connection.
Hamill’s script occasionally becomes so clever for its own good, asking the audience to keep pace with whirlwind plotting and rapid tonal shifts. The denouement may leave some sorting through its many twists rather than arriving at a perfectly tidy resolution. Still, Rodgers’ confident direction and the cast’s wonderfully grounded performances carry us through the complexity with charm, humor, and emotional honesty to spare.
Sarah McKereghan’s Irene Adler arrives with confidence and intrigue, while Moriarty’s appearance shifts the evening into darker and more psychologically charged territory. Steve Price’s Inspector Lestrade provides several wonderfully timed comedic moments that drew some of the evening’s biggest laughs.
Visually, the production makes excellent use of The Barn Theatre’s intimate setting. Mikiko Uesugi’s set design supports the fast-moving action beautifully, while Valera Coble’s costumes help establish the production’s playful contemporary tone. Lighting by Frank Sarubbi and sound design by Billie Cox add polish and atmosphere throughout the evening.
Ross Valley Players finds the sweet spot here: a comedy that entertains wholeheartedly while still providing something meaningful to hold onto afterward.
Especially refreshing is how naturally the comedy lands. Nothing feels forced. Rodgers trusts both the material and her cast, allowing humor to emerge organically from character rather than gimmickry. The result is lively, contemporary, deeply human.
Ms. Holmes & Ms. Watson – Apt. 2B is funny, fast-paced, smartly staged, and unexpectedly touching. Exactly the kind of show we love discovering: entertaining enough for a fun night out, but thoughtful enough to stay with you afterward.
Tickets Available Now
Ross Valley Players
Ms. Holmes & Ms. Watson – Apt. 2B
May 15 – June 14
The Barn Theatre, Marin Art & Garden Center
30 Sir Francis Drake Blvd., Ross, CA
Performances:
Thursdays, Fridays & Saturdays at 7:30 p.m.
Sundays at 2:00 p.m.
Tickets: rossvalleyplayers.com
(707) 523-4185
Includes intermission
