Review: SHERLOCK HOLMES AND THE PRECARIOUS POSITION at Taproot Theatre

First off, Dear Readers, “Sherlock Holmes and the Precarious Position” currently playing at Taproot Theatre, is not a Holmes story from Sir Arthur Conan Doyle.  It’s a silly little lark with Holmesian characters by Margaret Raether.  The program even says, “Based on the stories of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle”.  Second, do not try and gleam anything from the title.  I’m still not certain what the “Precarious Position” was.  At least, not without really reaching for a connection.  Having said that, this silly little lark was fairly fun, largely due to a cast that was having just as much fun.  So, it’s not brilliant or life changing, but I will go so far as saying it’s gigglelicious. 

Hot off the heels of their latest case, Holmes and Watson (Calder Jameson Shilling and Nathaniel Tenenbaum) are brought a case by their landlady, Mrs. Hudson.  Her friends Minnie and Winnie have been duped by a sketchy employment scheme and want Holmes to find out who’s at the heart of it.  But this simple little diversion may have more behind it.

Raether’s piece is a fast-paced little romp, offering up more physical comedy than a real mind bender of a mystery.  I will say I figured it out relatively quickly and I usually suck at figuring the ends of murder mysteries.  The show feels like it wants to be akin to “The 39 Steps” with two main characters and then two actors (in this case Nathan Brockett and Sophia Franzella) taking on all the rest of the characters with lots of costume changes and high intrigue.  But “The 39 Steps” did it far better.  The antics are still there but the cleverness is not.  Here they rely on some of the lowest hanging fruit for the humor.  Which is not bad, but I’ve seen better.

The set from Mark Lund and costumes from Pete Rush are quite well done.  With an effective turntable to reveal multiple locales (which worked better than that last show I saw with a turntable) they took a small playing area and made it work.  And the staging from director Karen Lund kept the pace going with some wonderful timing. 

But that timing and the fun of the piece must go in large part to this cast.  Brockett and Franzella make the most of their myriad characters even garnering applause after their first scene as the dotty old ladies with some Holmes infuriating banter. 

But this is a Holmes and Watson story, and we have a great duo here.  Shilling is just the perfect amount condescending and likable.  And he seems to revel, as Holmes would, in the game and in being the smartest one in the room.  And then there’s Tenenbaum, one of my favorite actors in town.  He always brings his all to any part and here is no difference.  From the moment he sets foot on a stage, the energy is up and it’s a more wonderful place.  And here, as the defacto narrator of the piece, he owns the audience, even while he’s not the smartest person in the room.

Was I blown away by the show?  No. Was it a fun little romp/diversion for the night?  Absolutely.  And at 90 minutes, it is a little romp that will send you into the street with a smile.  And so, with my three-letter rating system, I give “Sherlock Holmes and the Precarious Position” at Taproot Theatre a gigglelicious YAY-.  Sometimes we just want the light, uncomplicated fluff, and that’s what they are offering.

“Sherlock Holmes and the Precarious Position” performs at Taproot Theatre through June 22nd.  For tickets or information visit them online at www.taproottheatre.org.

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