By Michele Markarian
Miss Holmes – Written by Christopher M. Walsh; Based on characters created by Arthur Conan Doyle. Directed by Weylin Symes. Presented by Greater Boston Stage Company, 395 Main Street, Stoneham, through April 22.
Dorothy Watson (Brittany Rolfs) is a doctor who has managed to survive the infamous Surgeon’s Hill Riot in Edinburgh, where women scheduled to take their medical exams were harassed and assaulted by a protesting mob. She now works in a female-run hospital in London. Covered in blood from a surgery, she considers the proposal of her suitor, Dr. Michael Stamford (Patrick Varner), who offers “…a chance to put all of this unpleasantness behind you”. A chance meeting with Wilhelmina “Sherlock” Holmes (Marge Dunn) alters the course of Dr. Watson’s life, even as she resists it. The somewhat Asperger-y Holmes has a penchant for solving crime, much to the agitation of her brother, Mycroft Holmes (Alexander Platt). When a woman, Lizzie Chapman (Monica Giordano) comes to Sherlock with anonymous letters warning her to beware of her husband, law-enforcer Thomas Chapman (Daniel Berger-Jones), Holmes’s curiosity is piqued and the adventure begins.
Playwright Christopher Walsh gives us a script where the female protagonists take nothing for granted. As women, they are, as Holmes puts it, “underestimated.” They rely on each other to help circumvent the men in power. Watson has her capable boss to cover for her, Dr. Anderson (the always adept Cheryl McMahon, in one of three roles). Holmes has a trusted circle of female informants she calls her “knitting circle” that she relies upon for underground intel. Holmes’s brother Mycroft has her regularly committed to an institution when she gets too prickly (among other things, Holmes “…does not react well to being touched without permission”). Watson’s intelligence is constantly undermined, even by the man who wishes to marry her. Rather than whine, or lay claim to victimhood, these women persevere by outsmarting the men around them. They are not willing to lay out their charms to the highest bidder, but prefer to live life on their own terms. It’s refreshing.
Set against Katheryn Monthei’s dreamy set design, a series of scrims with photographic images of 19th century London, and augmented with Chris Fornier’s dramatic lighting, “Miss Holmes’ is clever and intriguing, with quick-witted dialogue. The plot twists are surprising, yet plausible (is there anything worse than a mystery that resolves itself out of left field? This well-written play isn’t one of them). Director Weylin Symes keeps the action flowing, with actors moving in and out and around the scrims. The ambiance is enhanced by special effects; at one point I looked up to the stage’s ceiling and saw a swirl of fog. Shadowy, nefarious figures move in the background, prepared to commit crimes of violence.
Dunn shines as Sherlock Holmes. She brings an alertness and resolve to the role, with precise turn of phrase and an impeccable English accent. The quietly menacing, almost charming Berger-Jones lends an attractive creepiness to Thomas Chapman. Varner plays two roles with hilarity and bravado. Rolfs is dignified and steady as Dr. Watson. The friendship between the women is the crux of the piece – together, they make each other stronger and unafraid. As Watson says, when warned of danger in rescuing Holmes from the asylum, “If we don’t help, who will?” Indeed.
For tickets and info, go to: http://www.greaterbostonstage.org/
