by Patrick White
Mysteries are looking for solutions, an attempt to put the world in order we are told by Inspector Lastrade (Benjamin Kirk) at the opening of Ms. Holmes and Ms. Watson-Apt 2B, presented by The Two of Us Productions at the Copake Grange. The playwright Kate Hamill is looking to address the historic and ongoing imbalance of roles created for men and women by writing a play that gender flips the father of detective fiction.
Ms. Watson (Leigh Fisher-Troché) is Joan Watson (don’t call her Doctor) who arrives on the doorstep of 221B Baker Street in the spring of 2021 looking for the cheap room listed by Mrs. Hudson (Diane Boice-Yorck) . She is introduced to her new roommate Sherlock Holmes (don’t call her Shirley played by Constance Lopez) who is fencing and playing Rachmaninov very loudly. The two women and most everyone else they encounter in the play explore their relationship and how they define it. Are they mentor/mentee, roommates, lovers, friends?
The Two of Us Productions’ “Ms. Holmes and Ms. Watson-Apt 2B” by Kate Hamill, directed by Stephen Sanborn, at the Copake Grange March 20-29, 2026. 
The Two of Us Productions’ “Ms. Holmes and Ms. Watson-Apt 2B” by Kate Hamill, directed by Stephen Sanborn, at the Copake Grange March 20-29, 2026. 
The Two of Us Productions’ “Ms. Holmes and Ms. Watson-Apt 2B” by Kate Hamill, directed by Stephen Sanborn, at the Copake Grange March 20-29, 2026. 
The Two of Us Productions’ “Ms. Holmes and Ms. Watson-Apt 2B” by Kate Hamill, directed by Stephen Sanborn, at the Copake Grange March 20-29, 2026. 
The Two of Us Productions’ “Ms. Holmes and Ms. Watson-Apt 2B” by Kate Hamill, directed by Stephen Sanborn, at the Copake Grange March 20-29, 2026. 
The Two of Us Productions’ “Ms. Holmes and Ms. Watson-Apt 2B” by Kate Hamill, directed by Stephen Sanborn, at the Copake Grange March 20-29, 2026. 
The game’s afoot and they are quickly investigating a dead body found in a bathtub with the wrists slashed. The play introduces other Sherlock characters with Moriarty and Irene Adler both featured in the climax. There are tons of Sherlock references and case names checked. Although Hamill also gives Watson an affecting monologue about her experience working in a NYC hospital at the height of Covid which Leigh Fisher-Troché handles superbly. Perhaps this is an existential nod to solutions not always being available.
Director Stephen Sanborn keeps everything moving and the plot points clear which is certainly not easy in this anarchic romp on a classic. Constance Lopez supervised the costumes and everyone looked great with some especially eye catching dresses on Irene Adler.
Constance Lopez grabs the lead role and stands tall with great energy, palpable intellect and perfect timing. Leigh Fisher-Troché is great fun to watch as she loses consciousness at the sight of blood and loses patience with everyone calling her doctor. She is the audience’s guide into the skulduggery and we would follow her anywhere. I’m looking forward to seeing her again soon. Benjamin Kirk wins the award for best dialect and strikes a smashing figure of authority all while posing as a bumbling rookie cop. The striking Karissa Payson makes a very convincing Irene Adler and has a great time flirting, pleading and threatening with a terrific voice. Diane Boice-Yorck has a great opening scene as Mrs. Hudson but really lets it rip as the man in the bathtub’s widow. Mason Lowe does a great job playing a thinly veiled multi-billionaire who is noxious through and through. Who knew we would get to see a Trump mask in a Sherlock Holmes play on No Kings Day? Perhaps it’s a clue.
Kate Hamill is an enormously popular actor/playwright who has been one of the top 10 produced playwrights every year for the last decade. She has done a raft of literary adaptations starting with Sense & Sensibility which she wrote and created the role of Marianne in the acclaimed 2014 Bedlam Theatre off-Broadway production. She also created the role of Watson in Ms. Holmes… World Premiere in Kansas. Her other updated, female-centric takes on literary works include Pride & Prejudice, Emma, Vanity Fair, Little Women, Dracula, The Odyssey among others. She could definitely be produced more often in this area.
The Copake Grange is a fine venue for a show with its throwback construction and appeal. Sanborn handles the technical side of The Two of Us and all is handled well except the unit set had to play too many different locations. The sound design was great fun though especially a couple of surprises in the final scene. Their next production in Copake is Man of La Mancha in November.
Ms. Holmes and Ms. Watson-Apt. 2B is being given a very sturdy production by The Two of Us Productions/RARE Inc. at The Copake Grange, with some exceptional acting and more than enough Holmesian Easter eggs to satisfy any Baker Street Irregular.
The Two of Us Productions/RARE Inc. presents Ms. Holmes and Ms. Watson-Apt 2B by Kate Hamill, directed by Stephen Sanborn, at The Copake Grange March 20-29, 2026. Constance Lopez as Sherlock Holmes, Leigh Fisher-Troché as Joan Watson, Diane Boice-Yorck as Mrs. Hudson, Benjamin Kirk as Inspector Lastrade, Karissa Payson as Irene Adler, Mason Lowe as Elliot Monk/Dead Body in Tub.