By Eva Trieger
SOLANA BEACH, California — Where there’s a bounty there’s a bounty hunter or two…or possibly three. This fact was made evident in the West Coast Premiere of Jeffrey Hatcher’s sleuth fest, Holmes and Watson. North Coast Rep’s David Ellenstein directed an all Actor’s Equity cast for this exciting and inimitable twist on Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s fictional gumshoe.
However, this show departs from the typical detective story, where Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson collaborate to bring a criminal to justice by analyzing clues, finding artifacts or tracking a killer. The plot of this production follows a serpentine path, and at each twist and turn a red herring is tossed in to confuse the would-be armchair detectives in the audience.
The acting is superb and the collective wealth of talent and experience is daunting. Richard Baird (Watson) has appeared on this very stage 23 times. He has performed all over San Diego, Santa Cruz, in Arizona, Oregon and Chicago. Si Osborne (Dr. Evans) has not only performed on stages here and in Illinois, as well as on television, but has directed a number of plays.
Jacob Sidney (Holmes 1) is a veteran of North Coast Rep and has been seen in theaters in Los Angeles and Seattle.
Drew Parker (Holmes 2) has performed in The Alabama Shakespeare Festival, Virginia Stage Co, and The Waterworks Theater Co.
North Coast Rep’s Associate Artistic Director, Christopher Williams, (shaved his head and) donned his actor’s cap to tackle the challenging role of Holmes 3, a deaf, dumb and blind man who claims he is the Real McCoy. Williams has been on stages in Arizona, California, and Idaho. He has also produced a feature film starring Jonas Armstrong and Ben Kingsley.
J. Todd Adams (Orderly) returns to North Coast Rep, and his credits include the Utah Shakespeare Festival, Great Lakes Theater, Idaho Shakespeare Festival, and Shakespeare Santa Cruz among others. He has also starred in film and television. Rounding out the gifted and cohesive cast, is Alice Sherman (The Woman), debuting at North Coast Rep after a number of roles at The Alabama Shakespeare Festival. She has performed in Los Angeles, the UK and has appeared on television and in film.
Another artfully designed set by Marty Burnett had lighting support by Matthew Novotny. The clever use of a gauzy screen allowed the audience to view the possible scenarios that led to Holmes’ mysterious disappearance, but no spoiler alerts here.
The show, which runs through November 18th, is a fast-paced, quick-witted guessing game. The clues are subtle and the dialogue, provocative. Just when you think you’ve gotten it figured out, a character will throw in a monkey wrench or a smoke rocket, as it were, and you’re back to scratching your head and wishing you had Dr. John Watson’s notebooks filled with his “accounts.”
Tickets are available at northcoastrep.org or by phone at 858.481.1055
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Trieger is a freelance writer specializing in coverage of the arts. She may be contacted via eva.trieger@sdjewishworld.com