A Cappies Review of Riverside High Schools production of Sherlock Holmes

By Mai Sparks of Park View High School

Riverside High Schools production of Sherlock Holmes by Tim Kelly was anything but elementary. Within even the first moments of the performance, we could tell that the game was afoot. From the sinister red lighting, to the flush of blue tones, it was clear the audience was in for a night of mystery.

Sherlock Holmes has always been a popular, classic detective tale. His first appearance was in “A Study in Scarlet.” a detective novel written by Arthur Conan Doyle. Of course, also making his first appearance is none other than Dr. Watson, Sherlock’s partner in these novels. Sherlock Holmes quickly became the most famous detective in literature. Sherlock is known for his outstanding abilities in observation, deduction, forensic science and logical reasoning, which proves to be helpful when assisting the Scotland Yard.

During this production, the role of Sherlock Holmes is played by Arman Jaiswal. Jaiswal never fails to keep us on the edge of our seats. He embodies Sherlock in a way we have never seen before, the audience always entrapped by the mystery he battles to solve during this show. Jaiswal’s accent plays such a huge part in his ability to connect to Sherlock Holmes’s character.

In this production, Sherlock finds himself facing a whole ensemble of villains, one that stood out for their outstanding performance was Madge Larrabee, played by Anna Salmon. Salmon was able to display the villainous motives of her character from the moment she stepped on stage, with her voice and body language alone, it was clear to the audience she was up to no good. Salmon’s accent never slipped, nor did her character. She did a wonderful job presenting herself as a manipulative type. The tension between these two actors on stage made for a phenomenal rivalry.

The beautiful steam-punk production really came together with the help of all cast members, Sid prince, played by JoJo Smothers brought a sense of comedic relief every scene he walked into. He never lacked the ability to break the tension with a clever remark or mischievous action, sometimes gone wrong.

The lovely Mrs. Bassick, played by Kaitlyn Lanigan, who brought together the flower woman, and the match saleswoman to mask their dark plans. And of course, Alice Faulkner, whose presence is marked by the distinct scent of jasmine. Played by Simone Dotson, who stunned the audience with her gentle yet powerful stage presence. Dotson plays such a soft spoken character, who still commands the power on the stage and is able to keep up with Sherlock’s quick-witted decisions.

The set design in itself was a wonder to behold, the genius use of a projection on the back of the
set to display their inner thoughts, the contrasting light to distinguish between the courageous
Mr. Holmes and the criminal Professor Moriarty.

The genius ways in which they used three different leveled flats to display different locations, and the simplicity of the props and set pieces they used still managed to capture the classic old London feel. Tech and stage crew really outdid themselves and were able to contribute so many small pieces into this set that really brought it together.  

From the outstanding actors, intricate set design, beautiful lighting, to captivating sound, the audience can deduce that Riverside High School has clearly put an extensive amount of time, effort and heart into this production. Making for a captivating evening for all.