The Remarkable Mister Holmes, an “over-the-top” musical mystery comedy, arrives on the Laguna Playhouse stage
By MARRIE STONE
Laguna Playhouse’s Artistic Director David Ellenstein has spent a lifetime in the theater. Throughout those many decades, he’s noticed something. Audiences respond best to three things – musicals, comedies and…Sherlock Holmes. Having already staged Holmes & Watson (2018 and 2024) and Sherlock Holmes and the Adventure of the Great Nome Gold Rush (2016), Ellenstein knew audiences’ affection for the great detective. Too bad, he thought, a combination of all three didn’t exist. So Ellenstein, alongside playwright and lyricist Omri Schein, set out to create it. The result is The Remarkable Mister Holmes, which first premiered at North Coast Repertory in 2022 and emerged as the highest grossing play in the theater’s 44-year history.
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Photos by Jason Niedle/TETHOS
Paul Slade Smith plays Sherlock Holmes in “The Remarkable Mister Holmes,” directed by David Ellenstein and now playing at the Laguna Playhouse
From the website’s description: “Dr. Watson has disappeared, and Mrs. Hudson is on vacation. Sherlock is alone. At the Hotel Magnificent, the World Religious Conference is occurring as well as a high-end jewel exhibition. Someone is murdering the religious leaders. Holmes and an unexpected partner must figure out what is going on and put an end to the murder spree.”
This week, the musical hits the Laguna Playhouse stage with Ellenstein at the helm as both writer and director of what he describes as an “over-the-top full out musical comedy murder mystery.”
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Shannon O’Boyle and Paul Slade Smith star in “The Remarkable Mister Holmes”
“It’s like My Fair Lady meets The Producers,” Ellenstein said. “It has the patina of My Fair Lady and a Rodgers and Hammerstein musical, but it’s infused with Mel Brooks’ sensibility.”
Although the iconic Sherlock Holmes occupies center stage, the production doesn’t require any prior knowledge of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s 56 well-known detective stories or his four beloved novels. It doesn’t even require you to know a thing about Benedict Cumberbatch. “Anybody who’s an aficionado will recognize references from the books, but it doesn’t matter,” Ellenstein said. “You don’t have to know anything about Sherlock Holmes to enjoy this show. It’s fun if you do. You’ll get some stuff that other people won’t, but the overall play does not require Sherlock Holmes knowledge to enjoy it.”
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(L-R) Paul Slade Smith, Jason Graae, Pat Towne, Katie Karel, Martin Kildare, Michael Scott Harris and Darcy Rose Byrnes
Composer Daniel Lincoln, alongside Musical Director Alby Potts and lyricist Schein, wrote 18 original songs for the production which are performed by a five-piece live band. “It’s almost nonstop music throughout,” Ellenstein said.
But one of the real “gets” of this production is Sherlock himself. The role is played by Broadway actor and playwright Paul Slade Smith. Playhouse regulars will recognize Smith as the writer behind The Angel Next Door, which first premiered on the North Coast Rep stage in 2023 and immediately thereafter arrived in Laguna. He also penned Unnecessary Farce, which has been performed more than 350 times, and The Outsider, which won two 2023 Helen Hayes Awards.
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(L-R) Shannon O’Boyle, Paul Slade Smith and Martin Kildare
“He’s (Slade Smith) a marvelous performer, and he’s also one of the hottest playwrights in the country at this point,” Ellenstein said. “He had 78 performances of his plays last year around the country.”
The tall and lanky American actor naturally inhabits every British role he plays, including his portrayal of Willy Wonka in the original Broadway cast of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and as Ebenezer Scrooge in A Christmas Carol (Alabama Shakespeare Festival). Other Broadway appearances include My Fair Lady (Jaime), Finding Neverland, Wicked (Doctor Dillamond) and The Phantom of the Opera.
“I’ve never played Sherlock Holmes before,” Smith said. “It’s nice to visit an iconic role that’s been out there forever that I probably always should have had a shot at. It’s fun that this is the version of Sherlock Holmes I get to do.”
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(L-R) Paul Slade Smith, Katie Karel and Michael Scott Harris
Smith said, in some ways, Sherlock releases him from the high expectations of a role like Willy Wonka, where everyone simply wants to see Gene Wilder. “Sherlock Holmes has been played so many times by so many people. We have a similar silhouette, a particular face. Once I have the pipe, it gives me a little more latitude.”
With nonstop music, the role also allows Smith to showcase his vocal chops. “The three shows I’ve done on Broadway, and the three national tours, were all musicals. Musicals have often been my bread and butter,” he said.
Being a playwright brings an added skillset to his acting. “I’ve been acting since I was in my early 20s. It wasn’t until I was in my 30s that I started writing. But I realized, once I became a playwright, I’d sort of been a playwright all along. That’s the brain I would bring into a rehearsal room. My process of figuring out my role as an actor is the same as figuring out the story we’re telling and the arc of a story. My playwrighting just gets me to the questions that I would have as an actor quicker.”
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The cast of “The Remarkable Mister Holmes” has been widely praised for their acting and singing chops
But for audiences, none of these behind-the-scenes questions need matter. The Remarkable Mister Holmes doesn’t require you to overthink and analyze. It’s pure fun for audiences of any age (although eight and older is recommended). It’s a high energy full-out musical comedy murder mystery filled with intricate plot twists, clever wordplay and new music that will leave you laughing.
“The whole cast, from top to bottom, is really strong,” Ellenstein said of the nine performers. “I’m excited to have our Laguna audience see this. They’ll have so much fun.”
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“The Remarkable Mister Holmes” offers the perfect fun escape, and endless laughs and music
The Remarkable Mister Holmes runs through Sunday, March 30. Tickets range from $51-$100. For more information and to purchase tickets, visit their website by clicking here.
Laguna Playhouse is located at 606 Laguna Canyon Road, Laguna Beach.
