Sydney review - Sherlock Holmes and the Case of the Jersey Lily: a great yarn and very entertaining

By Paul Kiely

Sherlock Holmes and the Case of the Jersey Lily

By Katie Forgette

Directed by John Grinston

A Genesian Theatre Production

Genesian Theatre

420 Kent Street, Sydney

Season: 5 November – 10 December 2022. Bookings: www.genesiantheatre.com.au

Duration: 140 minutes (20 min interval)

Photo by Craig O'Regan

The great sleuth Sherlock Holmes is at it again. Is there no case he cannot solve? Can his adversary Professor Moriarty finally chalk up a win against Holmes and Watson? And will Sherlock let his affections for a client cloud his judgement for once?

These and other issues make ‘Sherlock Holmes and the Case of the Jersey Lily’ a very watchable and entertaining play. Writer Katie Forgette has filled the story with some big-name celebrities of late Nineteenth century London: the flamboyant dandy Oscar Wilde; popular actress Lily Langtree; even ’Bertie’, Prince of Wales is implicated in the plot.

There is an appealing mix of fiction and real-world events in this story that keep the audience engrossed. It all starts when Sherlock’s (Neilson Brown) friend Oscar Wilde (Nathan Moss) visits him with Lily Langtree (Molly Haddon). Lily has had some intimate love letters between herself and the future King of England (Edward VII aka ‘Bertie’) stolen and she is now being blackmailed to the tune of Ten Thousand Pounds. Non-payment will result in their publication in every newspaper in the world.

A further complication develops when Queen Victoria’s attendant Abdul Karim (Gunjeet Singh Chattha / John Grinston) advises Sherlock that a necklace gifted to Lily by Bertie needs to be returned to the Crown.

Giving feigned support to Lily is her trusted housekeeper Irma Tory (Meg Girdler). She is also an associate of petty criminal John Smyth (Liam O’Carroll) and the infamous Professor Moriarty (Igor Bulanov), the brainwave behind this extortion plot.

Smitten by the beauty of Lily is the recently engaged Dr John Watson (Carlin Hurdis), Sherlock’s loyal assistant.

Katie Forgette has written a wonderful script. The dialogue between characters is sharp and witty, enabling the actors to weave their personality traits into their performance. Director John Grinston has choreographed stage movements perfectly and used the creative team to embellish this production to a higher standard. The sets (Tom Fahy) are detailed, lighting (Mehran Mortezaei) shows appropriate mood swings and costumes (Susan Carveth) depict the period so well.

The seven scene changes occur effortlessly as we move from Holmes’ Baker Street residence to the home of Lily Langtree; then Moriarty’s underground office and the dungeon-like gas works where Lily is held captive.

All the characters are well cast. Each actor has an opportunity to shine. Some maintain their heroic posture (Sherlock, Lily, Watson) while others thrive in their villainous roles (Tory, Smyth and Moriarty). Oscar Wilde is in a category of his own, having flippant disregard for the social norms of the day.

“Some indiscretions are more youthful than others” Oscar proclaims whilst defending Lily’s predicament. He also advocates to “forgive your enemies – nothing annoys them so much”.

But the take-away line for the night belongs to Sherlock Holmes: “You can see but you do not observe”.

Besides some interesting and surprising revelations in the story, there is dancing, a sword fight and a dream sequence in the staging. And to see the formidable Mr Holmes become vulnerable to feelings of love, adds an appealing humanising element to his aura.

Whether you are familiar with Sherlock Holmes or have never heard of him, this production of ‘Sherlock Holmes and the Case of the Jersey Lily’ is a great yarn and very entertaining. It will appeal to all ages. A fine production indeed!