A HOLIDAY CAROL THAT
HITS ALL THE RIGHT NOTES

If you’re looking for a holiday treat, look no further than the delightful production of A Sherlock Carol at the Lyric Stage. Brilliantly directed by Ilyse Robbins, this mash-up of Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s Sherlock Holmes combines wonderful performances with spot-on scenic design and well-done special effects for a generous dose of holiday cheer.

Michelle Moran, Jon Vellante, Paul Melendy, Christopher Chew, Mark Linehan, Leigh Barrett.

Playwright Mark Shanahan cleverly presents characters from Dickens some twenty years after the end of A Christmas Carol, using lines from the original story but placing them in the mouths of different characters and different circumstances. It’s an unlikely pairing that works! It gives us the pleasure of the play itself, but also the satisfaction of recognizing the earlier use of the lines and recalling the context in which they first appeared. It’s a play for the Christmas season, but it’s filled with Easter Eggs that will delight fans of Holmes and Dickens alike. The pacing and wit throughout reflect a well-written script and Robbins’ smart direction.

Mark Linehan and Christopher Chew

A Sherlock Carol picks up after the end of Dickens’ tale, and thus Tim (tiny no more) is deeply grateful to Scrooge, the former miser turned benefactor who saw the error of his parsimonious ways. He paid for Tim’s medical education; Tim is now a physician at a children’s hospital. Scrooge has just died under circumstances that some find suspicious, a valuable blue carbuncle has gone missing, and an innocent man faces prison. Holmes refuses the case at first. His archenemy Moriarty is dead, and Holmes has lost his sense of purpose. In the absence of Moriarty, he thinks he has no opponent worthy of his intellectual skills.

Paul Melendy is perfect as Holmes (as he was as a giant parrot in Featherbaby and in so many other roles). He expresses everything we need to know about Holmes and his evolution (and Holmes does change profoundly in the course of this play) with his ductile facial features and angular agility. This Holmes is not the cold and unfeeling character we often see in this role; he is hyperintelligent but emotionally vulnerable, and thus deeply sympathetic.

Much of Holmes’s comedy and appeal results from his interaction with other characters. Jon Vellante is Timothy Cratchit (as well as guitarist for the carolers); Mark Linehan hilariously plays both characters dearest to Holmes—Dr. Watson and Irene Adler. Leigh Barrett is a memorable housekeeper to Scrooge, and Christopher Chew makes his kinder, gentler Scrooge quite believable. Michelle Moran, like Barrett, Vellante, and Linehan, appears in several roles, including as a handsomely mustachioed Inspector Lestrade.

Michelle Moran and Paul Melendy

As in A Christmas Carol, there are ghosts and portents. Holmes has visions of his past, present, and possible future with impressive effects created by lighting (SeifAllah Salotto-Cristobal), sound (Alex Berg), and lots of stage fog. Erik Diaz makes remarkably effective use of a single door in a frame that is central to his impressive scenic design. Dan Rodriguez brings a light yet festive touch of holiday cheer to the music direction. And one final shout-out to dialect coach Lee Nishri-Howitt; the British accents throughout were convincing and yet fully comprehensible.

Jon Vellante, Christopher Chew, Mark Linehan and Paul Melendy cowering

In the end, A Sherlock Carol lands exactly where it intends: a clever puzzle wrapped in a warm holiday glow. It honors both Dickens and Doyle without straining for reverence, and it reminds us why these stories continue to hold us. Robbins and her team have crafted a production that is brisk, good-humored, and unexpectedly touching. For those seeking a seasonal outing that offers wit along with wonder, this one fits the bill beautifully.

photos by Nile Hawver

A Sherlock Carol
Lyric Stage
140 Clarendon Street in Boston
two hours plus one 15-minute intermission
ends on December 21, 2025
for tickets, ($25-$95), visit Lyric Stage

for more shows, visit Theatre in Boston