Story by Gabe Carlin
Photo by Gordon Friedman
Walking into The Very Little Theatre (VLT) one is immediately taken back to 1890s London—the time of the greatest detective, Sherlock Holmes, and his trusted sidekick, Dr. John Watson.
Dr. John Watson (Achilles Massahos) narrates the beginning of the story, documenting his travels along side Sherlock Holmes (Dan Pegoda), who solves the greatest cases of London. The villain of this story is Professor Moriarty (Jay Hash), a villain that Holmes had been watching for some time, but has never had enough evidence to convict him. Moriarty had many lackeys he hired to help with the job he was working on: Madge Larrabee (Leslie Murray), James Larrabee (Damon Noyes), and Sid Prince (Paul Rhoden). The job is to expose the King of Bohemia’s (David Smith) love affair with Irene Adler (Tracy Ilene Miller), famous Oprah Singer, before they marry.
Each actor fit his or her role well, easily staying in character through out the entire play.
The lighting and sound transported the audience back to 1890s London. The sound production was run off of CDs and tapes from the lighting and sound loft above the audience.
The costumes for the play were realistic for the time period. The director noted that the costume for Irene Adler was made for a 1975 performance of Hello Dolly— and it fit the actress perfectly.
Sherlock Holmes is a great production filled with romance and wit. It will have you laughing, crying, and curious the entire time.
A Brief History of the Very Little Theatre:
The Very Little Theatre started when a band of actors came together to create a theatre group in 1929. In 1939 they moved to a small space near the University of Oregon, which they called the “Pillbox.” It sat about 100 people and was renovated from a drug store (hence the name). In 1934 the VLT moved into the fairgrounds and accepted bids for a new auditorium, which they moved into by 1980.
The VLT is completely member run and the board of directors is elected annually. The board of directors is responsible for raising money for the theatre, deciding on each season’s plays, interviewing and selecting directors, and allowing the theatre to run smoothly.
