mystery

It’s elementary to enjoy Moriarty at Hale (Review)

| Rachel's Reviews

Growing up my Dad was a big fan of Sherlock Holmes as a character and particularly the BBC Granada series starring Jeremy Brett (if you haven’t seen it it’s fantastic and available to watch on amazon prime) I also am a big fan of The Great Mouse Detective from Disney and the first season of Sherlock as well as other iterations of the character. For these reasons I’ve been highly looking forward to Hale Center Theatre’s latest production of Moriarty (yes I’m aware the official title is Ken Ludwig’s Moriarty but I’m not writing that every time. Sorry Mr Ludwig.) Fortunately for this Holmes-head it did not disappoint.

The biggest standout to this production is the incredible set (set designer Jenn Taylor & Madeline Ashton) that transforms before our eyes with ease. The main set has exaggerated panels that can be folded in and flipped over to use both sides to create different rooms. They even at one point turn the stage into the Reichenbach Falls which are iconic in the Holmes stories. The set almost has a literary quality as if when they flip the panels over it is turning a page in the classic novels (I especially loved a boat that flips around to become a carriage. Ingenious!) This is mainly an adaptation of A Scandal in Bohemia mixed with The Final Problem and a few others added for fun. With this combination the play combines a lot of action and memorable characters like Irene Adler and the villainous Professor Moriarty (as the title of the play implies.)

Director Ryan Simmons has gathered a terrific cast that are just over the top enough to be fun without leaning too far into the camp. It never feels silly or like a comedy but it has a playful energy to it. Adam Packard is endearing as Sherlock and he banters well with Morgan Gunter as his sidekick Dr Watson. Packard also has delightful chemistry with Amber Dodge’s Adler. The Concord Theatricals page for this show says it has 5 actors playing 40 roles but here at Hale they have 7. The ensemble includes Bryan Dayley, Claire Kenny, Danny Kenny, and Bryson Smellie. Dayley is particularly impressive with his elaborate costume changes playing 6 roles including Mycroft Holmes, Inspector Lestrade, and Professor Moriarty all with different accents and personas. I saw him playing the D’Ysquith family in A Gentleman’s Guide to Love and Murder years ago. He’s incredible at playing different roles in the same show.

Even though the program says it is 2 hours I was in my car recording my reaction by 8:30 so it is under 90 minutes. While sometimes I feel cheated by a show with a brief runtime I didn’t mind it here. Where something like Six feels like I’m only getting half a show here it is full experience and nothing feels truncated or not fleshed out enough. Ken Ludwig knows how to put together a crowd-pleasing show and that’s what he does here. I think this is a lot better than his other take on Sherlock Holmes called The Game’s Afoot which is too meta for its own good (I felt cheated out of a Sherlock story with that one.)

The rest of the technical team behind Moriarty at Hale are first rate with costumes that can handle quick changes by Joy Zhu, lighting by Marianne Ohran, and sound by Kristin Tenney to name a few (by the way I love how many women are working on this production at Hale.) Because there is a little bit of romance along with the mystery and adventure Moriarty is also a play that should appeal to both men and women equally making it a great choice for date night.

Because I love musicals so much it might be a surprise to hear that of the 3 shows currently at Hale Ken Ludwig’s Moriarty is my favorite (My reviews for Our Town and Joseph.) It’s a super fun night at the theater that you and your family will love. While it is playing through November 14th I’d get your tickets now as it is sure to sell out. Tickets can be purchased here.

Ken Ludwig’s Moriarty is written by of course Ken Ludwig based on the classic detective short stories by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. It first premiered at the Cleveland Playhouse in 2023.

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‘DIAL M FOR MURDER’ AT PTC IS HALF A GOOD MURDER MYSTERY (REVIEW)

| Rachel's Reviews

There’s no question that the mystery genre is incredibly popular. In fact, I read the other day that Agatha Christie, for example, has been outsold only by William Shakespeare and The Bible. If readers are looking for a murder mystery on the stage Frederick Knott’s Dial M for Murder is now playing at Pioneer Theatre Company. While uneven, particularly in the first act, it should be able to scratch that sleuthing itch for fans of the genre.

The biggest strength of Dial M for Murder lies in the detective Inspector Hubbard who comes in and starts to put the pieces together for the case. In a way he kind of reminds me of Columbo in his unassuming mannerisms. The biggest problem, however, is he doesn’t arrive until Act 2. This leaves us wading through tedious exposition with clues that the inspector ascertains with ease. I honestly think you could just see Act 2 of this play and be perfectly entertained without any of the build up to the murder.

At PTC the cast is all excellent in their roles with Peter Howard standing out as Hubbard. I just wish that we got him sooner because that first act is tough to sit through. I have no idea why Knott felt we needed long scenes of the conspirator Tony talking to the hitman Lesgate. Do we really need to know about their schooling and backstory? No, we just need to know that he’s the guy Tony hires to kill his wife Margot, and here’s where he hid the key. That’s it.

That said, once Hubbard arrives and the story starts going it’s pretty entertaining. At PTC, director Michael John Garces keeps his actors moving across the stage and uses light and shadow well to create mood and atmosphere (lighting by Tom Ontiveros.) The set by James Noone is interesting with a red and chrome feel to everything. I’m not really sure what era they are trying to evoke but it almost had a Tim Burton aesthetic to it at times.

They do make the choice to gender swap the person Margot has had an affair with, turning Mark into a Maxine. Margot is played by Awesta Zarif and Maxine by Lucy Lavely. Zarif and Lavely have believable chemistry and one can understand why Hubbard is initially suspicious of everyone’s stories involving the murder.

The problem is that first act. I know I’ve said it a few times but it really drags the play down. As far as a recommendation goes, it depends on how much you love mysteries. If you are a big fan, the good ingredients, once Hubbard arrives, may be enough to be entertaining. If you are lukewarm on the genre I’d probably pass on this one.

If you get to see it let me know what you think. You can read my first review of Dial M for Murder at the Covey here. The play is going through January 25th at PTC with special ‘pay what you can’ showings on Jan 21st. You can find more information here.

If you enjoy my writing and would like me to review your production I’d love to. I also have a patreon which is a great way to support my shorter logs for shows I don’t get to review. I have some really fun perks. Please take a look here.