, https://www.stellartickets.com/o/lifeline-theatre--2/events/miss-holmes-returns,
From Rescripted
‘Miss Holmes Returns’ at Lifeline Theatre, and How to Enjoy the Fall of Empire
September 27, 2022
By: Aaron Lockman
HIGHLY RECOMMENDED
Miss Holmes Returns at Lifeline Theatre is one of those rare shows where the storytelling craft of it — the technical design, the direction, the performances, and the admirable effort and talent of everyone involved — is phenomenally executed with passion and panache, but is also somehow the least interesting thing about it. What really jumped out at me about Miss Holmes Returns were the themes: the things it has to say about fighting for what you believe in, finding the strength in admitting weakness, and how to enjoy the collapse of an empire. This is the rare historical piece that feels blisteringly relevant to the modern day; rarely have I had so much fun at the theater while also feeling so refreshingly validated by a show’s politics and message.
Alan Donahue’s brilliant yet simple set design immediately gives a good first impression. The last show I reviewed at Lifeline, The Man Who Was Thursday, also experimented with giving its London setting a dizzying sense of height — and here the set contains a similar mezzanine level, a bridge gilded with lampposts. The exposed brick of the theater walls is adorned with minimalist wooden windows to evoke a maroon brick cityscape. And in a likely unintentional bit of synergy, the brick walls of the theater stretch out to surround the audience as well, giving the proceedings an invigorating sense of continuity. This story, the set seems to say, is not nearly as separate from our modern world as its nostalgic lamp-light theatrics might indicate.
Christopher M. Walsh’s heartfelt and suspenseful script wastes no time setting up the premise of this adaptation. Immediately, we open on a scene we are all familiar with: Sherlock Holmes (the charmingly acerbic yet introspective Katie McLean Hainsworth), Dr. Watson (played with grace and ferocity by Mandy Walsh), and Inspector Lestrade (the stalwart and likable Linsey Falls) stand over a dead body (the hilarious and versatile Tommy Malouf) as Sherlock examines every detail to figure out what happened. The fact that Holmes and Watson are both women begins as an entirely incidental detail, but it does not remain so. Walsh smartly shies away from the obvious pop-feminist strategy of simply writing a normal, unchanged Sherlock Holmes mystery where the men crack cartoonishly sexist remarks, our heroes lob back some girl-power zingers, and we all die of boredom.
Instead, Miss Holmes Returns takes pains to actually grapple with historical feminist issues pertinent not only to Victorian England, but to our current dishonest decade. It is made clear to the audience at every turn that the gender swap has, at various points, made huge alterations to the Sherlock Holmes canon in accordance with the patriarchal structures of the era. Many Holmes adaptations, particularly those that skew towards the police procedural genre, tend to place Sherlock’s genius and veracity perfectly in accordance with the police’s goals, inadvertently contributing to the false cop-agandistic notion of the police as a social good. Here, however, it’s made abundantly clear that while Holmes and Watson’s partnership with Lestrade is amiable and genuine, the police’s true function of protecting only a certain upper echelon of British society is often at odds with Holmes and Watson’s aim of finding justice for victims and protecting the innocent. Being women in Victorian England fundamentally changes the types of cases our heroes pursue, the way they interface with everyone they meet, and how they are treated.
The inclusion of characters like Josephine Butler (a real, historical feminist activist played with dignity and poise by Julie Partyka) and Priya Singh (a fictional yet all-too-real depiction of a woman of color in Victorian England wrongfully accused of a murder, played with overwhelming empathy by Vinithra Raj as she attempts to do the responsible thing at every turn and is roundly punished for it each time) might have felt out of place in an adaptation that had less to say about the era in which Sherlock Holmes stories take place. Indeed, the juggling of tones here might have proved an impossible task for a lesser creative team. In turns, this play must rapidly ricochet between the suspenseful, the political, and the personal — three seemingly disparate aims that are woven together with precision and style. As is often necessary with a murder mystery, this is an extremely dialogue-heavy script, with lots of clockwork and exposition that needs to be precisely communicated. Director Elise Kauzlaric does incredible work at keeping these long and winding scenes urgent, tense, and exciting. In turns, I felt the character’s pain and fear and heartbreak, righteous anger at the forces our heroes were fighting, and a pressing curiosity to find out what would happen next.
It is all led, of course, by Katie McLean Hainsworth as Sherlock Holmes, whose performance is an absolute delight. She gives Sherlock the perfectly strait-laced and neurotic air we are accustomed to seeing, but also lets us see into the cracks. Too many gender-bent adaptations would be afraid to make Holmes anything other than a perfect, badass girlboss who’s unimaginably brilliant in every way and spends her time kicking ass and shooting out zingers. Instead, Hainsworth encourages us to see the cracks in Sherlock’s facade, emphasizing that weakness, vulnerability, and the need to depend on others are all fundamentally human things – and end up being crucial to her success in the narrative.
I don’t know if you’ve heard about this, but Queen Elizabeth II died this month — as it happens, the same week that I saw this show. All over the world we saw nearly every institution on Earth, from the FBI to the West End production of Les Miserables, put out statements on social media bending over backwards to mourn her loss. Many of these institutions fail our elderly citizens at every single turn, and all of them will go out of their way to display an almost comic amount of grief for an unimaginably wealthy woman who not only was the face of an evil empire to many, but who also died at 96, surrounded by family, in her castle that she owns in Scotland. Institutions across the UK ground to a screeching halt without regard to anyone dependent on their help, and anyone in the world who dared to crack jokes at the Queen’s expense was shushed and shamed for being anything less than glowingly respectful.
My point is that while Liz 2 may have overseen the official end of the British Empire throughout her reign, the impacts of British imperialism run deep in nearly every corner of the planet; people are still suffering from it. And so I found immense gratification in a story that not only emphasizes that the warning signs of the empire’s collapse were already there in the Victorian era, but acknowledges the frustration and anger that comes from having to fight against people who, consciously or otherwise, uphold unjust systems, even through acts of good intent like mourning someone’s death. In an era that often feels like the moment before the crash – that potent moment as you are winched slowly towards the peak of a broken, creaking roller coaster – how does one brace for the impact? Well, one does it by relying on the strength of one’s friends, and by ardently and wholeheartedly fighting for what you believe in.
Hainsworth’s Sherlock Holmes begins the show as the detective we’re all familiar with from various adaptations — brilliant, aloof, and socially distant. But throughout the show, she is forced to face directly the horror of the bloody system that Josephine Butler is fighting against. And she is immutably changed by the experience; her aloofness and distance give way to passion and conviction. And that’s a beautiful thing to watch.
From Chicago Theatre Review
‘Villains Beware—She’s Back!’
September 6, 2022
By: Colin Douglas
HIGHLY RECOMMENDED
Amidst the swirling fog and dark shadows of Victorian London, the game is afoot and crimes are being committed once more. And who better to root out the villains, particularly when Scotland Yard’s Inspector Lestrade and the police are all baffled, but none other than Sherlock Holmes. Following the success six years ago of his wonderful, pre-pandemic production of “Miss Holmes,” Christopher M. Walsh has written a brilliant sequel to his first dramatic foray into the Holmes canon.
As in the initial installment, Sherlock Holmes (christened Wilhelmina) is a brilliantly intelligent feminist female, whose observational and deductive powers surpass all her peers. In Walsh’s script, Sherlock is accompanied by her sidekick, best friend and astute accomplice-in-sleuthing, Dr. Dorothy Watson. Together they work with others out of their 221B Baker Street abode to solve a series of heinous crimes that smack of issues, still rampant in 2022.
The plot is a delicious series of diabolical deeds and evil episodes, opening with Holmes, Watson and Lestrade standing over a dead body. But the plot continues to unfold, exposing even more nefarious incidents. The suspect in no less than two murders is a nurse named Priya Singh, gracefully played with just right amount of anxiety and apprehension by Vinithra Raj. But there seems to be a larger conspiracy responsible for these crimes, led by a mysterious kingpin, known only as The Professor.
Meanwhile, in a subplot that seems sparked by the recent overturn of Roe v.s. Wade, Miss Singh is part of a group advocating giving women more decisions about their own bodies. They are urging for the repeal of the Contagious Diseases Act. This was a law whereby Victorian women, already collectively looked upon as the lowest members of society, could be arrested if they were even suspected of carrying a sexually transmitted disease. All men, however, were considered innocent victims and allowed their freedom. Olive McGann, a former barmaid, and Josephine Butler, a respected member of society, both group members, enlist Holmes and Watson to help clear Miss Singh’s name.
While the shrewd detective is diligently working to discover the identity of the murderer, her women’s “Knitting Society,” including the vigilant and maternal Mrs. Wiggins, are keeping a watchful eye over Priya Singh, secretly making certain she’s safe and has food and shelter. In the meantime, Sherlock has suddenly found herself the object of a possible suitor. Adam Worthington is a nerdy, socially awkward teacher/tutor, who’s taken an interest in Miss Holmes and shares her passion for botany. She doesn’t quite know how to respond to this attention and their scenes together provide the play’s unexpected humor.
Lifeline ensemble member, director and dialect coach Elise Kauzlaric has guided her talented cast with their fully-realized characterizations, skilled timing and perfect British accents. This production never flags in its energy and always keeps the audience on its toes. As the bodies pile up, and Holmes and Watson race against time, Walsh’s clever script continually surprises, revealing additional information, since everyone in this play is hiding something. Alan Donahue’s gorgeous scenic design is sparse, uncluttered, but intricately detailed. His set is dominated by a set of black, industrial-looking pillars and an elegantly executed wooden bridge that floats high over the stage. There are hidden escapes and stairways that keep the action moving. Diane D. Fairchild’s lighting does exactly what it needs to do. It achieves a mysterious mood, while appropriately focusing the audience’s attention away from certain locales and onto others. And Emily McConnell’s stylish and well-tailored costumes elegantly bespeak each Victorian class of personage. Her palette of deep blacks and browns, along with blood reds and rich maroons, exemplify the feel of a who-done-it.
The entire cast is stunning. Katie McLean Hainsworth is absolute perfection as Miss Sherlock Holmes. Her every move and gesture, as well as her sharp diction and dialect, is precise and faithful to the character. Sir Arthur Conan Doyle would be proud of Ms Hainsworth’s impeccable performance of his creation. Mandy Walsh is brilliant and adds a certain jovial quality and honest empathy to her portrayal of Dr. Dorothy Watson. They team up to make the perfect force for fighting crime and righting wrongs.
Julie Partyka, playing Josephine Butler, is Chicago’s answer to the late English actress, Cathleen Nesbitt. In other words, she’s beautiful and brilliant and, in my opinion, should be cast in every British play in Chicago. Hilary Williams is earnest and heartbreaking as Olive McGann. Annie Slivinski makes her debut at Lifeline in two very different roles. She’s excellent, both as Mrs. Hudson, the demanding and discriminating boarding house matron, at 221 Baker Street, and as the subtle, but ever-protective Mrs. Wiggins. Tommy Malouf also returns to the Miss Holmes series, this time playing three roles and all expertly. His Adam Worthington, however, is the play’s biggest surprise and pleasure. Linsey Falls, last seen in Lifeline’s “Middle Passage,” makes for a humorous, but honestly-portrayed Inspector Geoffrey Lestrade. And Christopher Hainsworth makes Mycroft Holmes as disagreeable and unpleasant as he is strong and conniving. He also plays a seedy Dock Worker whose questionable character adds to the darkness of London’s waterfront.
Lifeline Theatre returns for their 40th season of extraordinary productions, suitable for audiences of all ages.This is a clever mystery story that features a twist on the popular Sherlock Holmes trope. One needn’t have seen Christopher M. Walsh’s prior production to appreciate this sequel, but audiences will leave the theatre hoping that he’s writing yet another installment. The play is sharp, fast-paced, filled with exciting characters, stimulating dialogue and enough puzzling logic to challenge every audience member to think. In addition to a superb script, all the credit for this captivating production must go to Director Elise Kauzlaric and her talented cast and crew. Do not miss this delightful, stimulating play. And villains beware because Miss Holmes is back again!
From The Fourth Walsh
‘Multi-layered, Cerebral-tickling, Amazing Storytelling!’
September 8, 2022
By: Katy Walsh
HIGHLY RECOMMENDED
A pandemic, the Trump administration, and six years have passed since Playwright Christopher Walsh (no relation) premiered “Miss Holmes”. Walsh has a clever twist on the legendary characters created by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. He has made them female! Walsh imagines Sherlock and Watson as women detectives navigating their profession under the constraints of 19th Century England. I loved the premiere and I was more than excited for this sequel (seeing the original is not a prerequisite to thoroughly enjoying MISS HOLMES RETURNS).
Walsh impressively creates more than a murder mystery. Although he has the traditional body, weapon, intellectual wit and obscure clues of a Sherlock whodunit, he goes deeper and broader. He masterfully weaves in the history of the time period into his tale. He introduces us to the real-life heroine Josephine Butler (played by Julie Partyka) and her campaign to repeal the Contagious Disease Act. This Act allowed women to be accused, arrested and evasively ‘searched’ for sexually transmitted diseases. Walsh uses this unjust law as a backdrop to his characters grappling with relationships and murder. His strong feminist voice is apparent in his character choices, illustrations of gender inequity and commentary on male authority over women’s bodies.
From the start, Sherlock (played by the delightfully quirky Katie McLean Hainsworth) and Watson (played by the steadfast and unflappable Mandy Walsh -no relation) refer to the killer as a ‘victim.’ They explain this preliminary deduction to a bewildered inspector (played by Linsey Falls) by piecing together evidence fragments. Later, they review their intricate findings with a skeptical Mycroft (played by a haughty Christopher Hainsworth). Hidden facts are continually uncovered followed by riveting theories. Walsh’s story is peppered with subtle clues, snappy dialogue and an underground knitting circle with their needles on the pulse of London’s underworld.
MISS HOLMES RETURNS is back bursting with female energy. Director Elise Kauzlaric skillfully takes the helm in this second Sherlock tale. She navigates the ongoing action utilizing every inch of Scenic Designer Alan Donahue’s two story set. The entire ensemble add textured threads to the complicated web Walsh has spun. Tommy Malouf (Adam Worthington/Daniel Burke) charms as the bumbling book nerd crushing on Sherlock. Vinithra Raj (Priya) captivates as a tenderhearted nurse being discriminated for gender and race. Hilary Williams (Olive) delights as Butler’s earnest assistant. Annie Slivinski (Mrs. Hudson) is the snarky housekeeper with a know-it-all demeanor. Everyone has a story or three and Walsh brings them out in this multi-layered, cerebral-tickling, amazing storytelling. During one twist, I got shivers with the unexpected realization. I LOVED IT!
MISS HOLMES RETURNS is the second in what I’m hoping will be an ongoing series. I did find a few breadcrumbs within the telling suggesting Sherlock and Watson have more adventures to come. Fingers crossed! Two notes to Mr. Walsh: less soliloquies and tighter conversations in the final scenes and don’t wait six years for Miss Holmes returns… again!
Sidebar: Huge kudos to McLean Hainsworth, M. Walsh, and Hainsworth for the-show-must-go-on professionalism. On opening night, the threesome were intensely pouring over clues as the lighting went awry. For several minutes, house and stage lights kept turning on and off leaving them repeatedly in the dark. The distraction didn’t stop these pros. Oh, the unexpected drama of live theatre!
From the Chicago Reader
‘#1 Victorian ladies detective agency: Lifeline’s Miss Holmes Returns gives a feminist twist to Arthur Conan Doyle.’
September 8, 2022
By: Kerry Reid
RECOMMENDED
Six years ago, Lifeline Theatre unveiled the world premiere of Christopher M. Walsh’s Miss Holmes—a cunning gender-bent take on Arthur Conan Doyle’s Baker Street polymath that predated the film Enola Holmes by several years (though not the young-adult series of novels by Nancy Springer). Now Katie McLean Hainsworth’s Sherlock and Mandy Walsh’s Dr. Dorothy Watson are back to solve more crimes and stir more shit in the patriarchal colonialist cesspool of Victorian London.
As in the first outing, Sherlock and Watson are focused on helping wronged women while risking the wrath of Sherlock’s brother, Mycroft (Christopher Hainsworth), who is some sort of fixer for the deep state of the British empire. While Sherlock isn’t imprisoned in a mental institution at her brother’s behest this time, Mycroft still haunts the edges of the story, and sets in motion a couple of key plot developments.
At the heart of the story, though, is the burgeoning women’s rights movement in England, embodied in the push to overturn the Contagious Diseases Act, which empowered the government to detain and examine any woman accused of prostitution. Were men who frequented sex workers similarly detained? Surely you jest. Did people use the act to wreak vengeance on those women they deemed enemies? Yes—and that also provides a key plot point in Walsh’s somewhat convoluted narrative.
Josephine Butler (Julie Partyka), the head of the Ladies’ National Association, which leads the campaign to repeal the law, seeks out Sherlock’s assistance when one of her nurses, Priya Singh (Vinithra Raj), is suspected of killing Daniel Burke (Tommy Malouf). Burke is a conservative behind-the-scenes man of power and a money launderer (think Steve Bannon) who opposes the repeal of the act while also apparently availing himself of sex workers. Since Priya is Indian, it’s even less likely that she’ll get a fair shake from the deeply racist establishment if she comes forward than a white woman would.
Sherlock and Watson have already examined the crime scene, thanks to long-suffering Scotland Yard Inspector Lestrade (Linsey Falls), whose soft spot for Sherlock leads him to cut a few official corners from time to time. Sherlock has concluded it was an act of self-defense, and gets her “knitting circle” of women (her version of the Baker Street Irregulars) out looking after the on-the-run Priya, while the Mycroft-devised noose (or what his sister calls “the great grinding machine”) of extralegal state power around Sherlock, Watson, and Lestrade grows tighter. The bookish tutor, Mr. Worthington (Malouf), who is alleged by Priya’s pal, Olive (Hilary Williams), to have had a thing for Priya, also seems awfully sweet on Sherlock—which confounds the aloof detective (who is also mistrustful of men for good reason).
The story feels a little overly expositional at times, especially in the first act (by contrast, the revelations in the second act come on at a rat-a-tat pace in Elise Kauzlaric’s staging), but the chemistry between Hainsworth’s Sherlock and Walsh’s Watson, as in the first outing, remains delightful—particularly as the latter tries to explain to her usually perspicacious pal that the men who are seeking her attention may actually be attracted to her for more than her investigative insights. Hainsworth’s habit of nervously flicking her index finger against her corseted midsection suggests not just a constantly roving mind, but also a woman who is, in her own way, trying to tap into her tightly wound emotional core.
Not all the climactic moments felt organically connected at the performance I attended, but I suspect that the rhythms will become more assured over the run. As it is, Miss Holmes Returns offers a blend of fan-service Sherlockiana with a healthy dose of sisterhood.
From Third Coast Review
‘Lifeline Celebrates 40 years With Miss Holmes Returns’
September 8, 2022
By: Kathy D. Hey
RECOMMENDED
Lifeline Theatre is a mainstay of the arts scene in Rogers Park. They remain after BoHo Theatre moved to Lincoln Square, Theo Ubique moved to the Evanston side of the street, and Wisdom Bridge is long gone but fondly remembered. The talent and stagecraft have always been impressive and remain so with Miss Holmes Returns, written by Christopher M. Walsh and directed by Elise Kauzlaric, who also serves as the dialect coach. This is Sherlock Holmes of Baker Street done with a feminist twist.
Miss Holmes is played by Katie McLean Hainsworth and is perfect in the role. She gives a comic and poignant edge to Miss Sherlock’s imperviousness to emotion. McLean Hainsworth’s body language and clipped posh accent do justice to the witty and intelligent dialogue. Mandy Walsh as Dr. Dorothy Watson is the perfect foil and companion to Holmes’ analytical approach. Walsh also gets some comic lines as Miss Holmes Returns centers around the murder of Thomas Burke, played by Tommy Malouf. He is found with a letter opener in his chest and evidence points to a dark foreign woman.
Miss Sherlock Returns takes place in Edwardian England when Great Britain had colonized India and slaughtered many of the people that lived there. The dark foreign woman is Priya Singh played by Vinithra Raj in a standout performance of steely nerves and tender emotions. Priya is a nurse and works for an organization run by the wealthy Josephine Butler played with gusto by Julie Partyka. Butler’s organization works to repeal an infectious diseases law that is not in favor of women. It is presumed that only prostitutes would spread STDs but more often than not that philandering husbands brought them home to their wives who then were ostracized and subjected to humiliating exams by a male doctor.
This story of Sherlock Holmes has the main character returning from having been committed to an asylum by her brother Mycroft Holmes, played to great sinister effect by Christopher Hainsworth. Mycroft wears a top hat and cape, and appears from the shadows. He also holds the purse strings and being a man, has control over his sister—so he thinks. Sherlock was committed for her obsessive attention to detail and literal elementary means of solving crimes—by seeing them as the table of elements and filling in the elements according to their atomic weight or pertinence as evidence.
Some of the best comic relief comes from the stuffy Mrs. Hudson played by Annie Slivinski. Everything about Slivinski’s posture, facial expressions, and tone are funny in just the right spots. Hillary Williams as the gullible Olive McGann gives a subtle performance as a woman with regrets and a horrible secret in her past. Tommy Malouf does double duty as the dorky Adam Worthington who gives secretarial lessons to the unfortunate women being helped by Mrs. Butler’s organization. He goes from aw shucks Worthington to the sinister Thomas Burke. I would not have known the same actor was playing both roles without reading the playbill. Linsey Falls is wonderful and funny as Inspector Geoffrey Lestrade. He is a hard-nosed cop who has come to depend on Miss Sherlock’s genius and focus on seeing the elements of crime and helping to solve them. His dialect is wonderfully done as a more middle-class person who drops some consonants. Not quite Cockney but definitely not upper crust.
I will not tell much else about the plot because you really should go and see Miss Holmes Returns. The sets for this play by Alan Donahue are up to the fine standard that is a hallmark of a Lifeline play. Donahue created a dark and moody London underworld by the waterfront to the posh home on Baker Street and the bare bones office of Adam Worthington. Emily McConnell’s costumes are spot on for Edwardian England and as character features: Miss Holmes does not wear a bustle and has a distaste for the confining attire that women wear. In case you are wondering what a bustle is—it is padding added to the back of a woman’s dress. It gives the appearance of an exaggerated backside under an extremely corseted waist. Now you know why fainting couches were so popular.
Miss Holmes Returns is a fun mystery and a fine way to spend an afternoon or evening. Glenwood Avenue adapted to the pandemic with style. The street is closed off and canopied with seating and several establishments to choose for pre or après theater dining and beverages.
From The Hyde Park Herald
‘Miss Holmes Returns fits the bill for mystery lovers’
September 12, 2022
By: Anne Spiselman
HIGHLY RECOMMENDED
Few forms of entertainment are more delicious than a well-crafted murder mystery, and “Miss Holmes Returns,” Lifeline Theatre’s sequel to its 2016 “Miss Holmes,” fits the bill quite well.
Both were written by ensemble member Christopher M. Walsh and adapted from the works of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle with one significant departure: Both Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Dorothy Watson are women, with Katie McLean Hainsworth and Mandy Walsh respectively reprising their roles. This cannily provides an opportunity to address issues of our own time like race and gender, while also commenting on feminist concerns and travesties of the Victorian era.
The play opens, appropriately enough, on the scene of a crime. Daniel Burke (Tommy Malouf) lies dead on the floor, apparently stabbed by a letter opener, and a foreign woman was seen fleeing his office. Inspector Geoffrey Lestrade (Linsey Falls) concludes this woman was the murderer, but Holmes and Watson, with whom the inspector has a good enough working relationship to allow them inspection time, think the woman was the victim and acting in self-defense.
The game is on when Holmes and Watson are approached by notorious but well-connected activist Josephine Butler (Julie Partyka) and her follower Olive McGann (Hillary Williams), a former prostitute, because their friend Priya Singh (Vinithra Rajagopalan), a nurse, has disappeared. The detective and her sidekick/chronicler take the case because they suspect it’s related to Burke’s death, though they don’t know how. But it may have something to do with Butler’s latest cause: advocating for the repeal of a law that allows men to seize and forcibly examine women for diseases without their consent. And a mysterious person known only as “The Professor” may be behind the evil.
The rest of the intricate plot is devoted to following the clues and unraveling the deceptions. Their are plenty of twists, some of which are less obvious than others, as well as at least one more murder and a couple of people who aren’t who they seem to be.
Holmes’ enigmatic brother Mycroft (Christopher Hainsworth) puts in several appearances with warnings for his determined sister about her behavior. We also meet Adam Worthington (Malouf), a teacher and botany aficionado who seems to take a shine to Sherlock. Mrs. Hudson (Annie Slivinski) is on hand to reproach our heroine, lovingly of course, and Mrs. Wiggins (Slivinski), a member of Holmes’ knitting circle, keeps an eye on things on the docks and in other not-so-safe neighborhoods.
Director Elise Kauzlaric, a veteran of Lifeline’s literary adaptations, keeps the action flowing smoothly with enough tension that we stay engrossed. The pace only lags in the second act when the dialogue gets a little preachy. I also found it too easy to figure out the identity of The Professor, but maybe that’s just me.
Holmes certainly doesn’t tumble right away and berates herself for her failure. But that’s one of the charms of the character McLean Hainsworth crafts. Despite her super-human powers of deduction and seriousness of purpose, or perhaps because of them, she’s clueless about the nuances of human interaction. Her penchant for interpreting everything very literally doesn’t help. Walsh’s socially savvy Watson makes the ideal foil and always has Holmes’ back when she’s most needed.
Given Lifeline’s intimate scale, the design team does a fine job of evoking a Victorian setting, fog and all. Alan Donahue’s scenic design features a curving bridge and mottled pavement brought to life by Diane Fairchild’s shadowy lighting an Eric Backus’ eerie music and sound design. Emily McConnell’s costumes at least hint at the period, though some of them could be more detailed, and it would be nice if Holmes had more than one outfit.
Although you don’t have to see “Miss Holmes” to fully enjoy “Miss Holmes Returns,” listening to the streaming version of the original show during the height of the pandemic is what piqued my interest in the sequel. It’s so entertaining that now I’m looking forward to what comes next.
