Jeffrey Hatcher’s Holmes and Watson is a mystery, as one would expect. Sherlock Holmes, solver of crimes and mysteries, is presumed dead — until his friend Dr. John Watson receives word that there are actually three Holmes’s (Holmsi?) in an insane asylum in Scotland, and the good doctor needs to come up from foggy London to identify the true detective. He is greeted by Dr. Evans, and orderly, and a matron and introduced to the three Holmes. Then the real mystery begins.
The play picks up a few years after the “last” Sherlock Holmes story Sir Arthur Conan Doyle wrote to kill off the character in “The Adventure of the Final Problem” published in 1893, when Watson writes that Holmes confronted his arch-enemy Professor Moriarity at Reichenbach Falls and they both plummeted to their deaths. (The character came back to life in 1903 in “The Empty House.”) Watson (Torrey Hanson) meets each one of the Sherlocks. Each one is very different physically and in temper, though all three are prone to violence. Number one (Michaeal Brusasco) seems logical and together, then attacks Watson. The second (Nathan Hosner) is a madman in a straightjacket, and the third (Rob Johansen) is catatonic until hypnotized when he becomes highly excitable and recounts the fall from Reichenbach. The orderly (Ryan Artzberger) and Matron (Jennifer Johansen) parade the Sherlocks in and out of the examining room, remaining with their charges to keep Watson safe. Dr. Evans (Henry Woronicz) helps Dr. Watson figure out which one is the real Sherlock, which turns out to be . . .
A twist. And a couple of new twists and reveals to boot. There is a mention of “the Woman” and bees and Moriarity and Mycroft — all the little details that keep Sherlock superfans (such as myself) smiling in the audience. The scenery designed by Robert Mark Morgan is extraordinary, sliding in and out to create catwalks, while the backdrop is a series of film and slides and lighting that dazzle. The costuming by Devon Painter captures the spirit of the late Victorian era without being too over-the-top. Direction by Risa Brainin keeps everyone moving effortlessly without giving away anything until the very end. It all adds up to an hour and a half of dark and stormy entertainment. Holmes and Watson is a rousing opening for the Indiana Repertory Theatre’s 47th season.
The show runs through Oct. 21. Tickets are available online at IRTLive.com or by calling 317-635-5252.
