On Sept. 13, Greenville’s The Warehouse Theatre kicked off its 51st season with a production of “Ms. Holmes and Ms. Watson, Apt. 2B,” directed by Jay Briggs. This new play by Kate Hamill reimagines Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s classic characters, Sherlock Holmes and John Watson, as women in the modern day. Although an enthralling mystery, the show was light-hearted enough to keep audience members laughing throughout.
Set in the spring of 2021, “Ms. Holmes and Ms. Watson, Apt. 2B” sees Joan Watson, played by Meredith Bennett, attempting to reconfigure her life following the disruptions of the COVID-19 pandemic. When she arrives at her new home in London, England, her landlady, Mrs. Hudson, (portrayed by Shelli Delgado) informs her that she will be sharing a common space with her new roommate, the eccentric Sherlock Holmes (Eliza Pagelle).
Holmes, eager to figure out what caused Watson’s closed-off demeanor, drags her along to a murder investigation with police inspector Lestrade (Carter Allen). After quickly solving this case, Holmes and Watson join forces and solve a number of high-profile mysteries together.
This fast-paced play combines engaging mysteries with humor, keeping the audience both gasping and laughing throughout the two-hour production. Alongside its humor, the show also includes touching moments between Holmes and Watson as they navigate their developing relationship, leaving the audience wondering if they may become more than just roommates and friends.
Although the cast was small, the audience got to enjoy a rotating cast of characters as Allen and Delgado expertly handled multiple roles with drastic differences between them. They portrayed a range of characters, including Allen as a hilariously naїve police inspector and an amoral Texan billionaire, and Delgado as the kind and elderly landlady, as well as an alluring and intelligent sex worker.
The show also includes significant audience interaction. In two scenes, audience members sitting in the front receive props to throw at the actors when cued in order to help establish the scene. Although this was fun to witness and the participating audience members seemed to enjoy the absurdity, the length it took to set up this form of audience participation felt like too much time being taken away from the pace of the show with little pay-off, and it distracted from the dialogue that was happening concurrently. While a fruitful effort, the logistics behind this form of audience interaction felt more reductive rather than productive.
Another form of audience participation was in the program, which includes a scavenger hunt of props that are scattered throughout the set, giving audience members the opportunity to closely observe the set and feel engaged from the moment they sit down. Frequent Warehouse Theatre attendees may notice some “easter egg” props from previous shows.
Alongside the acting, the scenic design phenomenally captured the essence of the show. The set, designed by Jenni Baldwin, included several moving pieces, such as shelves that could be easily pushed out of the way and a large door to apartment 2B. The stage itself was also gorgeous, with white and green tiles and red and green flowers adorning the floor. The tiles helped establish the sense of the storyline as a game of chess, while the flowers around the sides created a border for the chess board wherein the story plays out.
Following Sunday’s performance, Pagelle, Delgado, Allen and Briggs held a talkback, which gave audience members a chance to learn more about the production.
Briggs said that artistic director Mike Sablone chose “Ms. Holmes and Ms. Watson, Apt. 2B” as the first show of the season to counter the heaviness surrounding the upcoming presidential election.
“One thing (The Warehouse Theatre) could offer our community in this moment is laughter,” Briggs said, while also noting that The Warehouse Theatre “does not shy away from difficult conversations.”
The lightness of the show was also appreciated by the actors.
“I never get to do shows like this,” Pagelle said. “I keep doing these heavy classical works, so it’s been challenging to do contemporary work that is not necessarily heavy or deep. It’s great. It’s actually very freeing.”
The matinee on Sept. 22 was followed by a free forum conversation about “mystery, our love of classical characters, and the source of our collective obsession with contemporary adaptation” with Clemson Literature Professors Megan Macalystre and Dr. Mary Nestor as well as Furman literature professor Dr. Margaret Oakes.
“Ms. Holmes and Ms. Watson, Apt 2B” runs until Oct. 6. The show is two hours and 20 minutes long, including a 15-minute intermission. Tickets are available online or at the box office.
