REVIEW: Richmond Hill offers magical, mysterious mashup of Sherlock and Scrooge in Geneseo
Richmond Hill Players’ final play for the 2025 season is a true holiday treat, in every sense of the word.
“A Sherlock Carol” — a comedy/mystery by Mark Shanahan – is a supremely clever, well-crafted, smart, meticulous and affectionate tribute to two of the most famous literary characters ever: both haunted men of Victorian England, Sherlock Holmes and Ebeneezer Scrooge.
Having these two iconic legends interact is kind of like a sci-fi tale where Captain Kirk meets Luke Skywalker.
At the start of the RHP play, wonderfully directed by Joe DePauw, Sherlock Holmes’s arch-nemesis Moriarity is dead and the great detective is depressed. Without his number-one adversary, what’s the point of it all? But, when a grown-up Tiny Tim (the kind, courtly Dr. Timothy Cratchit) asks Holmes to investigate the mysterious death of his benefactor, Ebeneezer Scrooge, the game is afoot.
This charming reimagining of two of the most beloved literary characters (Scrooge in Charles Dickens’s “A Christmas Carol” premiered in 1843 and Holmes battle with Moriarty in Arthur Conan Doyle’s “The Final Problem” fell in 1893) is utterly bewitching, constantly keeping us on the edge of our seats, and seems a hoot for each of the talented actors.
Jackie Skiles, left, and Amanda Wilson in “A Sherlock Carol,” at Richmond Hill Players.
Like a sensitive, commanding conductor, much of the action of “A Sherlock Carol” (set in 1894 London) is orchestrated by Tom Akers as a characteristically confident, brilliant Holmes, but we also see his humanity, modesty and flaws.
In key scenes, we see Akers show off the detective’s unparalleled feats of observation – describing details of a man simply from a worn top hat, and when first meeting Dr. Cratchit, tells where he grew up, where he went to school, and his medical history.
When the relatable, upstanding Jason Schaad as Timothy expresses astonishment, Holmes admits, “It’s an affliction, not a talent.”
While Scrooge is an imposing character most known for being mean and miserly, here – primarily as a ghost – Glenn Kluge embodies Ebeneezer as his post-dream self, after he is transformed into a kinder, gentler man. We learn that this new and improved man (reflecting the generous, selfless spirit of the holidays) became a second father to Tiny Tim.
While Akers and Kluge remain as their singular roles, Schaad and three other actors in this production play a whopping 18 total parts, with their easily easing into the varied characters by simple, seamless changes in costume and/or accent.
Samuel Carrington, left, as Mrs. Dilber, Amanda Wilson as Inspector Lestrade and Tom Akers as Holmes in “A Sherlock Carol.”
Schaad is also Mr. Topper, Ralph Fezziwig and a constable; Amanda Wilson is Emma Wiggins, Fan Gardner, the famous Inspector Lestrade, and Mrs. Windigate; Samuel Carrington is Holmes’s friend Dr. Watson, Mrs. Dilber (hilarious), Henry Burke, and Old Joe Brackenridge; and RHP favorite Jackie Skiles pulls out all the stops as six colorful characters all by herself.
The playwright notes that the show should use a minimum of sets and props, and in fact, most of the action takes place on a bare stage, with only a lamppost in the middle, coiled with holiday greenery.
“This story is meant to celebrate the magic of Christmas, as well as the magic of theatre,” the program director’s note says. And with the copious use of many sound effects, music, lighting effects and narration, “A Sherlock Carol” certainly is magical.
Shanahan is an actor, director, playwright and teacher. He is the author of the Off-Broadway and international hit play A Sherlock Carol (NY Times Critic’s Pick and nominated Best Play 2022 by the Off-Broadway Alliance), the Off-Broadway and regional comedy The Dingdong: Or, Take Me I’m Yours!, A Merry Little Christmas Carol and Agatha Christie’s The Murder Of Roger Ackroyd, adapted in association with Agatha Christie Ltd.
He is also the creator/author of original radio drama for White Heron Theatre and NPR’s Ghost Light Series, featuring luminaries like Christopher Plummer, Judith Ivey, Rhonda Ross and others.
Tom Akers, left, as Sherlock Holmes, with Jason Schaad as Dr. Timothy Cratchit and Glenn Kluge at rear as Ebeneezer Scrooge.
Shanahan is an expert fan of both Holmes and Scrooge (exploring their similarities), and he makes deft use of plot points and characters in both immortal fictional worlds. On the way to solving this mystery, Holmes gets glimpses into Christmases past, present, and future, and a visit to a cemetery late in the story.
As Scrooge learned in “A Christmas Carol,” Holmes learns how to change his life, the need to care for others, and the lesson of forgiveness. I love Shanahan’s reference near the end to this tale’s “wild goose chase.”
“A Sherlock Carol” will continue at the Barn Theatre in Geneseo on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday (Nov. 20, 21, 22) at 7:30 p.m., and Sunday, Nov. 23 at 3 p.m.
Reservations are recommended and can be made by calling the Richmond Hill box office at 309-944-2244 or by visiting the website at rhplayers.com. Late seating is not permitted; no one will be admitted to the theater after the show has started. Admission to all performances is $12.
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