Interview: ROSE MORRIGAN of MS. HOLMES AND MISS WATSON APARTMENT 2B at STAGES HOUSTON

BROADWAY WORLD writer Brett Cullum got a chance to talk with Rose Morrigan. She will star in the next STAGES HOUSTON show, MS. HOLMES AND Miss Watson APARTMENT 2B. It is a hilarious romp with a fresh take on Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's legendary detective, and Rose gets to play Sherlock, which is like a dream for any actor! 

Rose has been in Houston for a while and went to Sam Houston to study theater. She has been a beloved house manager at STAGES HOUSTON, THE ALLEY, and THE MATCH. This will be her first starring role at STAGES, and it’s even more exciting when you consider she is part of the transgender community.    

Brett Cullum: So tell me, what is it like to step into the role of Sherlock Holmes, transition him to her, and make the famous detective from Sir Arthur Conan Doyle a woman? 

Rose Morrigan: On our first day of rehearsal, it was made very clear that this is not an act of transferring Sherlock into the 21st century and a woman, but looking at everything from a new angle. What if Sherlock Holmes was always in the 21st century and was always a woman? So there's a nice release! We're not too worried about the previous versions of Sherlock. This is a new invention.

But I think it's interesting how much of that character and their conventions line up, anyway, with how we're taking it. Just the kind of meticulousness, the brashness, the otherness of Sherlock from everyone else around them. I think that translates super well into being the antisocial, intense girl that she is in this show.

Brett Cullum: Oh, great! Well, tell me about what the show is like. 

Rose Morrigan: Yeah, absolutely. So it's set in 2020 or a little bit after. It's very aware of the world that we live in post-pandemic, all of that stuff like social media. The Internet is a big element of the show.

It's a heightened comedy set in the modern day. It's very aware that it's a play. So there are lots of moments where we say pieces aside to the audience. They're all done very tongue-in-cheek. 

We're not pretending that you're being transported into this apartment. You're kind of joining us in playing a little bit.

Brett Cullum: So you break the 4th wall? Is that what you're saying?

Rose Morrigan: In some cheeky ways. Yes, sometimes, absolutely. The show starts with a character talking directly to the audience. Once you get going, it's almost like we continue to nudge you kind of and go, “Hey! You know you're here with us. We're all playing, and we're all pretending at the same time,” and I think that opens the show to be a lot more silly than you would expect even out of a Sherlock Holmes comedy.

Brett Cullum: And it's kind of a small cast, right?

Rose Morrigan: Yeah, four people. So it's very nice and intimate.

You have Holmes and Watson. And then my lovely compatriots, who are playing the other roles, fill in for many different characters all at once.

Brett Cullum: Tell me a little bit about the design! I know the scenic designer Afsaneh Aayani is known for her mind-blowing work with surrealistic theater. She is like an exciting voice here in Houston.

Rose Morrigan: Yes! Without giving away too much of the lead, it's very ethereal in a way that I wasn't expecting in the sense that with the heightened comedy, they're going with heightened colors.

Many moments are monochromatic. So you start associating different locations with a color, and they're taking that idea and running with it. So I think there'll be lots of moments where everything is just kind of basked in a certain color or a certain vibe, and I think this show just doesn't do anything halfway, and that goes with the scenic. It goes with the props without giving anything away. There's a lovely moment where an entire bucket of blood is poured! 

Everything is extra, including the lights, sound, and set.

Brett Cullum: How did you end up getting cast? I mean, what was the audition process like for this?

Rose Morrigan: I worked at STAGES as a house manager for several years before this show. I've been trying to get in with them for a while on stage, so whenever they release their new season, I look at it all, and this year called out to me; I love gender-bendy stuff, of course. But just the playfulness that was with the script!

So, I did a small audition, which got me my call back. And then that's really where it came alive. It was very fast-paced. I was reading with one Watson and then another, and then another. It is that fun environment where what's being asked of you keeps you in a heightened state, and I feel like that. That was the fun of that audition! I felt like Sherlock up there just running around being crazy, nonstop, talking, that kind of thing.

Brett Cullum: What shows have you done before? Tell me some of your favorites, maybe from the past.

Rose Morrigan: Yeah. In a similar vein. My 1st collegiate show at SHSU was NOISES OFF! I will always have a love for farces. Before my curly hair went down, it used just to go up and out, so I think I was often chosen for kind of bouncy, energetic roles.

And I love those kinds of shows just because of the amount of physical prowess and intense coordination that goes into it. It's fun, not just on the acting level, but on the pure “Look what I just did!” level! 

And then another one that I was in called SILENCE by Moira Buffini. Which is a lovely, quiet show. I played a priest who's kind of counseling this young Viking boy who discovers that he's not actually a boy. He was just raised that way. And so that's kind of a more intimate, quiet, thoughtful show, with lots of deep discussions about religion and gender and sex. And so I think those are my two balances. I love both of those a lot.

Brett Cullum: Yeah, it's a far distance between NOISES OFF and SILENCE - physical comedy farce and deep-thinking drama.

Rose Morrigan: Deep thinking, violent show.

Brett Cullum: Can we talk a little bit about you personally?

Rose Morrigan: Yeah, absolutely.

Brett Cullum: Okay, Rose Morrigan. You are an out and proud trans woman. Can you tell me a little bit about that part of your identity? 

Rose Morrigan: I think what's lovely about trans people is that every single journey is so unique and different. And I find that especially to be so in my case. It was one of those things I always kind of knew, but I wasn't able to really accept myself until I was about 18 years old when I moved out of the house, and I came out as a trans woman. But I didn't physically transition for another six to eight years.

And then, when I was in my early twenties, that's when I finally made the decision to get on hormones. All of the people around me empowered that, so I think mine was a journey of knowing who I was and coming out very early. But it took being down here in Houston, in Montrose, around so many other lovely Trans people. And that's when I was finally able to take action and start my journey fully. The way that I wanted to start it.

Brett Cullum: Are there any challenges associated with it? I mean, you're an artist, and you do theater. Were there any challenges associated with that and transitioning?

Rose Morrigan: Absolutely; as a performer, there's always a temperance of knowing that you might not get a role for so many reasons. I think it was very difficult. I worked very consistently throughout my college years, and I think a lot of that was due to a skill that I had worked on and honed, but also… I'm 5 foot  5 inches. I had big, curly hair, and I wasn't physically transitioning. There was a very specific kind of male role that I fit into. 

These past five years after I graduated in 2020, that was already a difficult entrance into the theater world. I've had a lot of long, deep conversations with artistic directors and casting directors.

I could see, even if maybe those parties wouldn't say this. I could see the difficulty they were running into as “an early in their transition” trans woman.

They could see the male roles I could fit into. I was giving a good performance in female roles, and I think when you live in both areas, it's hard for someone to pick you because there's almost always a clear choice for them.

Hopefully, with this show, I feel like I'm really starting to come into my own. I'm kind of discovering what kind of women I portray on stage and where I comfortably fall. But I also think it's just a matter of time with the world. Casting trans people is not something that has been integrated into theaters. I don't think there are systems or vocabulary yet that make it easy to become commonplace.

Brett Cullum: Historically, we're in an interesting place, and I'm so thrilled to see you here at STAGES HOUSTON doing a role like this because it is important. It's something that should just come naturally to the theater. We have this history of gender-bending that goes back to Shakespearean times. There shouldn't be a limit on what you can audition for for anybody!

Rose Morrigan: Especially with this show, I think it's so important because many people will be coming in with expectations of, oh, it's “Miss Sherlock.” They're already preparing themselves. What's beautiful about the show is that if it were a cis-gendered or transgender Miss Holmes, the plot wouldn't change. Not even the flavor. It just comes down to when I read the script, I went, “Oh, I know exactly what kind of girl this is, and on top of that, I know exactly what kind of trans girl you know, there's a very certain kind of energy I'm pulling for her, and I don't think that it changes the direction of the show one way or the other. I think it just colors her in a different way. 

Brett Cullum: I truly hope a lot of theaters start to notice that when you're doing any show, you can cast a trans person. Whether it’s a trans man, a trans woman, or someone who is non-binary, it’s a conversation that is long overdue in theater. There's been a lot of fight over gender and what is appropriate for roles and things like that. We're overdue to have a little bit more fluidity in theater, and I'm so glad to see it. When I was growing up, playwrights,  production companies, and artistic directors really put a limit on how you could cast a show. And I'm so glad to see STAGES being at the forefront of this and taking that on. We're very proud of you for doing this and putting yourself out there, Rose! You're doing amazing work for the community, and we'll all be there to support you. 

Rose Morrigan: Thank you. I really appreciate that. You do not want to miss this one, especially this version of Sherlock Holmes. She's she's something else! I'll say that.

Brett Cullum: WAIT! Let me ask you just real quick before we go. Do you go by Sherlock in the show? 

Rose Morrigan: Yes, in fact, it's a very clear point, which I think works fun enough with my trans identity! Her birth name is Shirley, but she will not be referred to as Shirley. She does not like that name. She does not register. She is Sherlock, and that's that. And that's something that I can very much sympathize with.

MS. HOLMES AND MS. WATSON - APT 2B runs at STAGES HOUSTON starting on October 25th and closing on November 17th. STAGES has a parking garage attached to the facility, and there is parking around the neighborhood. Several restaurants are within walking distance.  

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