It s Elementary By Claire Joyce, Junior Helping save Alice Faulkner, portrayed by Rhyan Radabaugh (12), from blackmail, Sherlock Holmes, played by Matthew Curtner (12), used his powers of deduction and observation to prevent Faulkner s letters, which contained information that could hurt the prince of Bohemia, from falling in to Professor Moriarty s hands. Tension was tight during the play as the audience watched the drama unfold. Isaac Graff (11) played Professor Moriarty, who used his criminal network of suffragettes to almost succeed in his plan of stealing Faulkner s letters. Sherlock, being always one step ahead, was not only able to prevent the thievery, but also to save Faulkner from a deadly bomb. During the two months leading up to the play, the actors have spent every afternoon together running through the show again and again. All the hours together created a unique bond between all of them. I m going to miss just the cast the community of it. We are really a family honestly and truly and I am going to miss every single one of those people I see every day, Paige Penry (12) said. After many long weeks of practicing, the crazy week before opening night came. The cast and crew had just a few days more until the big nights, October 6-8. The actors and tech crew pretty much lived at the school during that week, having practices till 7:30 or 8:00pm.
I felt kind of stressed because we had to perfect and get everything exactly how it had to be, but at the same time it s one of the best weeks cause we all hang out backstage and have a good time between the scenes, Megan Morrison (11) of the costume staff said. This chaos led to the polished product, which gave audiences a wonderful showcase of all the talent of the actors and tech crew and resulted in an almost flawless showing of Sherlock Holmes. Pretty much the only hitch was when the door to the set flew off while someone was passing through; however, Lewis Condry (11), who played Dr. Watson, was able to save the scene, asking Sherlock why did you break the door? When Curner flew onto the stage, Condry was able to think on his feet coming up with this response demonstrating his acting skills. I really like the cast honestly. I really like how well connected I ve gotten with everybody, because I m not sure this will happen again in another show, Condry said.
Sherlock Holmes Review By Claire Price, Junior The tale of Sherlock Holmes is truly a classic. There have been many renditions of the mysterious story that have been turned into television shows and movies. Of course it s successful, because who doesn t love a good, suspenseful mystery? Quite a few 2016 graduates made their way back to WHS to watch the talented set of theatre students perform Mrs. Adams version of Sherlock Holmes. The cast and crew certainly did not let anyone down. The cast even managed to act with British accents! Tade Zerbe s British accent was thick and amusing, it certainly stood out to me and those I talked to. The use of accents really brought a sense of authenticity to the play s setting in London, England. The amazing and dedicated Tech crew did a beautiful job designing the delightful set. They had a lot of creativity that was very obviously transferred into their lay out. Comical. Suspenseful. Enticing. The play had me on the edge of my seat towards the end.
A bit of a shout out to Isaac Graff, who did a stellar job as the role of Professor Moriarty. Moriarty is always a favorite character of mine in almost every spin off of Sherlock Holmes. I was very critical of how Moriarty is portrayed, and Graff did a wonderful job capturing the character. When the crowd would hear the famous lines the game s afoot and elementary, my dear Watson, it was easy to tell that everyone felt a sense of connection and familiarity to the story. One could hear a few soft giggles echo off the walls. The classic good versus evil conflict was very enjoyable to watch. The ending of evil seeming to have won, the dramatic irony, and the final few moments of good becoming triumphant were fun and satisfying to follow. I won t lie, I was mildly reluctant at first to give up my Friday night of Netflixing and binge eating junk food to attend a school play. In the end, I was really glad I went. It was a play that would ve been great as something to go see as a family, with a group of friends, or even by yourself. Personally, my favorite scene would have to be when Mrs. Faulkner and Sherlock were tied up in an abandoned warehouse near Plumstead Marshes with a ticking time bomb. When the time was drawing closer and closer to zero, Mrs. Faulkner became more and more frantic,
begging Sherlock to do something. Sherlock then decided to rely on his skill of meditation that he then bragged about. Matthew Curtner, who played Sherlock, then proceeded to make the noise oommmmmmm repeatedly, very rarely pausing to breathe or respond to Mrs. Faulkner. It was perfect comic relief in a tense situation. Last but not least, the unrequited romance that Mrs. Faulkner felt for Sherlock was the perfect cherry on top. Not to mention the almost kiss that was interrupted at the last minute. All in all, the play was amazing and a stellar performance of Sherlock Holmes. Photos by Vishalli Lawrence, sophomore