Mysterious Circumstances
Reviewed by Deborah Klugman
Geffen Playhouse
Through July 14
In December 2004, The New Yorker magazine published an article by journalist David Grann titled: “Mysterious Circumstances: The Strange Death of a Sherlock Holmes Fanatic.”
Grann wrote about the mysterious death of writer/scholar Richard Lancelyn Green, the co-author of a complete bibliography of Arthur Conan Doyle, and the possessor of extensive collections of Doyleiana and Sherlockiana, which he (the wealthy scion of British-landed gentry who traced their forbearers to 11th century Britain) had been accumulating since childhood. Prior to his death, Green had been engaged in trying to block the auction of hitherto unreleased papers and memorabilia related to Doyle’s estate; his aim was to preserve it in its entirety and have it bequeathed to the British library. At the time, he reported to friends a suspicion that his life was in danger. No one paid much attention till his lifeless body was discovered sprawled across his library floor.
Grann’s article came to the attention of Geffen Playhouse artistic director Matt Shakman, who initiated its option by the Playhouse, then commissioned playwright Michael Mitnick to develop it as part of the Geffen’s New Play Development Program.
Directed by Shakman, Mitnick’s script is a clever weave of three scenarios: the mystery of Green (Alan Tudyk)’s death, which frames his desperate efforts to keep Doyle’s legacy intact; a look back to 1894 at the life of Conan Doyle (Austin Durant), specifically his decision to stop writing Sherlock Holmes stories (because he thought they were trivial), and his heartache over the impending death of his ailing daughter (Helen Sadler); and (played mostly for laughs) the antics and adventures of the fictional Holmes (Tudyk) and Watson (Ramiz Monsef), improbably culminating in their time-traveled investigation into Green’s shocking demise.
First, the good stuff: The production features topnotch tech, launched with the electrifying image of a prone corpse seemingly draped to the rear wall of the stage (projection design by Kaitlyn Pietras and Jason H. Thompson, illusions by Francis Menotti and David Kwong). Set pieces (Brett J. Banakis) assemble and disassemble with a flashy wizardry in keeping with numerous shifts in time and place; elaborated on by the projections, they’re also notable for their meticulous period veracity. Elizabeth Harper’s lighting and Jonathan Snipes’ tasteful and nuanced sound design and original music aptly support the mood of mystery and murder.
What’s missing — despite the plethora of on-stage talent (including several of L.A.’s finest local actors — thank you so much, Geffen Playhouse) — is an emotional trigger to draw us in. The heart of the play is Green’s passion for his life’s work; when he learns that a collection of Doyle’s belongings he longs to preserve for posterity is to be broken up and sold off to various bidders, he weeps. Yet little of the depth of his character’s pain and distress comes across (not, at least, from where I was sitting in this medium-size venue). The problem, I think, lies not with the performer per se but rather that he — and other ensemble members, whose characters lack dimension as well — are upstaged by all the slick machinations of the tech and the clipped and mannered pacing of the narrative. (One exception emerges in scenes involving Durant as Conan Doyle; both his frustrations with his publisher (Leo Marks) and his grieving over his daughter are distinctively and effectively relayed). It’s too bad really, since the material has great potential as a study in obsession and as an example of how our experience of imagination and reality so often intertwine.
Geffen Playhouse, 10866 Le Conte Ave., Westwood; Tues.-Fri., 8 p.m.; Sat., 3 p.m. & 8 p.m.; Sun., 2 p.m. & 7 p.m.; through Jul. 14. (310) 208-5454 or geffenplayhouse.org. Running time: approximately two hours with an intermission.
