“A Sherlock Carol”
A holiday comedy by Mark Shanahan
By Elizabeth Hulsbrink
What do you get when you mix a legendary detective, a few Christmas ghosts, and a dash of Dickensian sparkle? A Sherlock Carol, naturally—a charmingly absurd mash-up which feels like someone shook a snow globe a little too hard and out tumbled Sherlock Holmes and Ebenezer Scrooge, brushing off the fake snow and immediately stumbling into a brand-new mystery. Packed with cheeky jokes, warm fuzzies, and enough holiday mischief to make even Moriarty (who is most certainly dead) crack a smile, this mystery-comedy invites viewers to sit back and enjoy the delightfully bonkers collision of two classic worlds.
A Sherlock Carol is a theatrical combination of characters and elements from two beloved classics: A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens and the detective stories of Sherlock Holmes by Arthur Conan Doyle. The story is set in Victorian-era London, on a completely bare stage except for one street lamp, wrapped in Christmas garland. It begins when an adult Tiny Tim, now Dr. Timothy Cratchit (played by Jason Schaad), comes to Sherlock Holmes (played by Tom Akers) with a request: investigate the mysterious death of Ebenezer Scrooge (played by Glenn Kluge).
As Holmes starts poking around Scrooge’s mysterious demise, the show quickly becomes more than a classic whodunit—it turns into a festive ghost romp, complete with time-hopping spirits who drop in to mix up the mystery with plenty of holiday chills and thrills. But it’s not just about solving a mystery. The play also pulls in the heart of both classics. Here, Holmes has to deal with some ghosts of his own: past failures, doubts, and hard lessons that echo the transformation Scrooge went through years before.
Here's how it worked- “Actor One” played by Jason Schaad, perfectly curated four distinctly different characters for Holmes to interact with: including Dr. Timothy Cratchit (as mentioned earlier), Mr. Topper, Ralph Fezziwig, and Constable Bradstreet. “Actor Two” played by Amanda Wilson, thoughtfully crafted four more characters: Emma Wiggins, Fan “Fannie” Gardner, Inspector Lestrade and Mrs. Windigate. “Actor Three” played by Samuel Carrington, masterfully assembled another four characters: Dr. Watson, Mrs. Dilber, Henry Burke, and Old Joe Brackenridge. And “Actor Four” played by Jackie Skiles, delightfully stitched together an additional six characters: Caroler, Elderly Woman, the Countess of Morcar, Martha Cratchit, Mary Morstan, and Abby Fezziwig! Whew! In order to pull it all together, each actor wore simple head-to-toe black, then added one or two additional items (think- hat, cane, scarf…) depending on the character they were portraying, changed their voice and gate, and voilà! New character!
Directed by Joe DePauw, this holiday comedy came to life in only the way Joe DePauw can- with magic. From the playbill, DePauw said, “The playwright indicated to use a minimum of sets and props and employ suggestive costumes to tell this story, so that is what we have done. The audience will be able to use their imaginations through most of the show, including locations, props and costumes. The story is meant to celebrate the magic of Christmas, as well as the magic of theater.”
I have to admit, my favorite “magic trick” of the night came courtesy of Lighting and Sound Designer Jennifer Kingry and Operator Dana Skiles. With what looked like a simple flip of a switch, they whisked the audience from indoors to outdoors and back again, letting us trail the characters seamlessly through every setting.
Additional staff include Stage Manager Elizabeth Shaffer, Crew Sally Hamer, Set Builders Mike Skiles and Jim Skiles, and Costumer Suzanne Rakestraw. This production can best be described as a crown-pleasing holiday comedy fit for the whole family. Thoroughly enjoyable from start to finish!