Dickens and Doyle team up in ‘A Sherlock Carol’

By Rich Fahey

BOSTON – Through the decades, the works and characters originated by Charles Dickens and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle have been bent, folded, spindled, mutilated and twisted every which way, until they are scarcely recognizable.

But never have the iconic authors’ characters ended up in the same work … until now.

In Mark Shanahan’s wildly clever, wildly funny “A Sherlock Carol,” a mash-up of historic proportions unleashes an almost endless torrent of laughs, thanks to some delightfully over-the-top acting and sharp direction.

The production at the Lyric Stage Company of Boston through Dec. 21, allows two of literature’s most ionic characters – Ebenezer Scrooge (Christopher Chew) and Sherlock Holmes (Paul Melendy) — to be part of a madcap murder mystery wrapped in a holly wreath that takes place on a Christmas Eve in London.

You can’t say enough about that duo and the four other cast members – Leigh Barrett, Mark Linehan, Michelle Moran and  Jon Vellante — who play an endless number of characters culled both from Dickens’s “A Christmas Carol” and Doyle’s canon of Holmes stories.

Instead of “Marley was dead. That much must be understood,” it begins with “Moriarty was dead. That much must be understood.” It is Christmas Eve, 1894, and Sherlock Holmes is down and out at 221B Baker St.

 It has been three years since his chief nemesis, Professor Moriarty, disappeared over the Reichenbach Falls in Switzerland during a final confrontation with Holmes. He has no interest in pursuing evil-doers or celebrating Christmas. “There is no greater fool than one who shouts ‘Happy Christmas!’ in a city throughout which the foulest of mankind lurks ’round every corner.”

His close friend and former roommate, Dr. James Watson (Linehan), has since married and he begs Holmes to join him for the holiday. Holmes refuses.

Holmes is haunted by the spirit of Moriarty, who seems to be lurking around every corner. But suddenly then comes a visit from a mysterious doctor with a strange limp. That very day, the doctor found his benefactor, Ebenezer Scrooge, dead in his home and suspects foul play. He is a fan of Watson’s stories and asks Holmes to investigate.

Intrigued, Holmes decides to show off his deductive powers, and soon we realize Dr. Timothy Cratchit (Vellante) is the one and only Tiny Tim, thriving as an adult and now running the St. Benedict’s Hospital for children. When he tells Holmes that a famous diamond called the “Blue Carbuncle” had been on its way to Scrooge, who recently received a death threat, Holmes agrees to take on the case.

He dons a jaunty scarf. “The game is afoot!”

There is inspired, hilarious cross-gender casting, with Linehan as the songbird Countess, aka Irene Adler of Trenton, N.J., a former flame of Holmes, and Moran as the imperious and clueless Inspector Lestrade from Scotland Yard.

The suspects are aplenty, and Chew’s Scrooge, a buoyant and jaunty spirit since his joyous transformation many years before, will appear from beyond the grave to show Holmes both where he has gone wrong and help him solve the case.

 Along the way, a seemingly endless number of characters from the Dickens novella will appear at one point or another., including Scrooge’s housekeeper Mrs. Dilber, the larcenous Old Joe,  Scrooge’s nephew Fred, and Tim’s sister Martha Cratchit.

Director Ilyse Robbins has enlisted a cast that is lightning quick on their feet and endlessly versatile, led by Melendy as the once cocksure detective who has fallen on hard times but soon is restored to the height of his powers.

Many of the designers who work at the Lyric are accustomed to the theater, where every inch of space is important. Scenic designer Erik D. Diaz’s set heavily employs a walkway over the stage where much of the action is set, and every nook, cranny, aisle. and entrance is used.

The overall setting has two themes: That of a holiday, with the frequent singing of carols and festive wreaths, but a London fog and other noir effects also remind you it’s a murder mystery, albeit one also visited by various spirits.  

And the mysteries  are solved just in time for a joyous Christmas morning.

It works. All of it, especially the mash-up of classic works, characters and writing styles.

“A Sherlock Carol” is a holiday-themed comedic murder mystery wrapped up in a bright bow, a gift that fits one and all and does justice to two iconic characters and the authors who created them.

The Lyric Stage Company of Boston production of “A Sherlock Carol.” Written by Mark Shanahan. Directed by Ilyse Robbins. At the Lyric Stage Company of Boston  through Dec. 21. LyricStage.com.