"Sherlock Holmes and the Adventure of the Elusive Ear," show #930

Kicking off the 2026 Good Company Players’ 2nd Space season is David MacGregor’s Sherlock Holmes and the Adventure of the Elusive Ear. This cozy, crafty mystery is helmed by Denise Graziani, who lets the comedy breathe and expositional reveals intrigue. The structure of a Sherlock Holmes tale is a time-tested source for entertainment, whether on the page, stage, or screen, and Graziani’s staging of the stellar cast fits this production perfectly.

Gordon Moore takes on the titular role with a knack for Holmes’s humor opposite an equally comedic Henry Montelongo as Dr. Watson. The two parlay well with quips, insults, and a naturally cadenced rapport the two experts in their respective fields share. Moore and Montelongo give theatrically sound humanity to the stalwart team, adding nuance and relatability to these often adapted characters. Complementing the duo is Jessica Knotts as Irene Adler, companion to Holmes and equal in terms of intelligent investigator. Moore and Knotts have fun with the flirty nature of the relationship while giving equal attention to the discerning both roles deliver when solving the case at hand. 

(Gordon Moore (Sherlock Homes); Photo source: Good Company Players)

Alex Vaux and Brian Rhea do a dynamite job in portraying the two historical figures in the play, with Vaux as Vincent Van Gogh and Rhea as Oscar Wilde. Vaux’s boorish, pathetic Van Gogh is expertly played as likeable and comedic rather than one-note dopey. Rhea dons an absolutely fabulous garb and cape (costume design by Ginger Kay Lewis-Reed) and delivers a flashy Wilde, delivering the wit and wisdom with ease. Abbygail Williams rounds out the cast as villainous extraordinaire, Marie Chartier, and executes her purpose in the plot and character development with solid adversarial strength opposite Knotts’s Irene and Moore’s Holmes. 

Placed in a beautifully decorated and designed set by David Pierce, the welcoming, homey vibe of a Holmes story is felt from the moment the audience enters the theater, and is illuminated with superbly calibrated balance between intimacy and brightness by Joielle Adams’s lighting (assistant lighting designers are Benjamin Geddert and Andrea Henrickson). One can’t go wrong with a Sherlock Holmes…story, and this one in particular is genuinely entertaining and well-suited for the stage. The cast, crew, and team have furnished a production worth investigating for yourself, so I encourage to go do so, and see the mystery unfold in a most entertaining way.