For Better or Worse

The review of “Sherlock Holmes; The Final Adventure” published in the Western Herald was nearly as predictable as the production itself. John Campbell offers little more than summary and praise to a show that left much less of an impression on myself.

Unfortunately by simply retelling readers what happens he exemplifies the greatest weakness of the show, the script. Watson (Craig Sloan) simply runs about doing exactly what Holmes tells him to, and walks upstage to occasionally narrate. The criminal mastermind Moriarty seems more likely to shoot one of his imbecile henchmen than his corncob pipe-smoking arch rival.

In fairness Campbell does give credit where credit is due; the costumes are great, the sets create elaborate, vast scenes ripe for adventure. The waterfall in the Carpathians where Holmes and Moriarty face-off in an epic final encounter looked spectacular. Mark Wedel's review in the Kalamazoo Gazette rightly notes that while the performance looked fantastic, the sound left much to be desired.

Sherlock (Michael P. Martin) sounded far away and Irene Adler (Marin Heinritz) certainly didn't sound like a world renowned opera singer. The performances were solid, but the acoustic issues were distracting and unnecessary.

Wedel does a better job of pitching the show to readers. He gives fewer boring plot details than Campbell's review, but by being less dynamic, it more accurately describes the show. Even with it's high production value “Sherlock Holmes; The Final Adventure” has flaws in the script that no amount of lighting or acting could mask.