'Ms. Holmes & Ms. Watson' Unmasks Comedy and Mystery at Gloucester Stage

Elementary, my dear Watson, hold on to your kittens.

Gloucester Stage presents Ms. Holmes & Ms. Watson - Apt. 2B, a play by Kate Hamill. Taking place in the modern post-pandemic world, Dr. Joan Watson moves in with the eccentric Ms. Sherlock Holmes. They investigate murders, mysteries, and modern social media.

Laughter, gasps, and awe filled the Gloucester Stage auditorium as audiences sat forward and watched Ms. Holmes & Ms. Watson, a crime-filled story of murders, disguises, and surprising revelations. Mystery shows always leave a lasting impression, and Gloucester Stage’s production is a well-acted, well-directed, and sharp commentary on modern media.

Have you heard the saying that opposites attract? As soon as Dr. Joan Watson (Breezy Leigh) steps through the door into Ms. Sherlock Holmes’s (Eryn O’Sullivan) peculiar being, a connection sparks from there. Leigh and O’Sullivan dove headfirst into this dynamic and their characters’ personalities. Together, the pair made a memorable duo.

You have Watson, a grounded woman who thinks realistically, and Sherlock, a whirlwind of unpredictability. Speaking of which, O’Sullivan moves like an agile rabbit - bouncing, sliding across the floor, and striking flexible poses the moment Sherlock hears footsteps approaching.

Stephen Shore and Grace Experience perform as other characters whom Holmes and Watson meet in their detective journey. Shore and Experience each have numerous roles throughout the show, not just one.

Having two roles is always an interesting venture, and the vast personalities that Shore and Experience create for their characters are very impressive. They really accomplish their Jekyll and Hyde talents.

Right when the auditorium first fades to black, Shore appears with an illuminating book to begin the tale. Shore plays Inspector Lestrade, Elliot Monk, and other small roles. While his characters are humorous, Shore also reads well into their motivations.

Experience plays the elderly landlady, Mrs. Hudson, and then later decoys as a dead body for one scene, until she finally transforms into the elegant and captivating Irene Adler, who attempts to flirt with the detectives to her advantage.

Immense credit is due to the technical crew for their incredible work in this show. Gloucester Stage transforms its black box into a new setting for every single show it performs. Books, furniture, and a skeleton sitting by the door are only the beginning of Holmes’s chaotic crime-solving headquarters. There are also chalk outlines on the floor, like crime-solving body tracings.

Since this is a murder-mystery, audiences are treated to witness the literal bloody settings where the cases take place. Blood is spilling everywhere - and that’s no joke!

When Kate Hamill wrote Ms. Holmes and Ms. Watson, it was in 2021, during the still-raging COVID-19 pandemic, but hope was glimmering like light at the end of the tunnel for recovery. The modern touches add realism and relatability. It also provides a humorous insight into what sheltering in place did to the mind when social life had to be put on hold.

Credit is due to director Rebecca Bradshaw, who enjoys mysteries, and liked Hamill’s modern angle in the story. “(The play) speaks to a moment when we lost collective hope - when anxiety and boredom were obnoxiously unprecedented and we were all waiting to start life again,” Bradshaw said.

Bradshaw keeps the energy tight and the comedy sharp. Timing is everything in a show like this, and she makes clever staging choices, like the climax, where audiences sat on the edges of their seats as the detectives uncovered crimes.

Ms. Holmes & Ms. Watson make relevant commentary on the social media world. It asks audiences: What are we really paying attention to — modern technology or reality?

We could all use a comedy right now to make us laugh in these stressful times. Ms. Holmes & Ms. Watson play at Gloucester Stage until Sept. 27. Get your tickets before the detectives have to solve how they all went missing!