‘Sherlock Holmes and the Adventure of the Fallen Soufflé’ @ Stage West

Photos by Evan Michael Woods; graphic design by Jen Schultes

—Jan Farrington

I hardly think Stage West Theatre—or director Jay Duffer—need my words of praise for the company’s current Holmes & Watson installment (the second show of a trilogy): it’s selling out like cups of Kona Ice on a hot summer day.

Sherlock Holmes and the Adventure of the Fallen Soufflé follows last summer’s sold-out run of Sherlock Holmes and the Adventure of the Elusive Ear—also directed by Duffer, who apparently has mad skills in crackling comic timing. I wouldn’t be surprised to hear from the box office that patrons are already inquiring about tickets for Summer 2026.

What’s the magic? Playwright David MacGregor’s inventive Holmes stories are lively sequels to the stories Watson (aka Sir Arthur Conan Doyle) wrote for us. Yes, we’re still in the flat at 221B Baker Street, London— inhabited by the usual pair, Sherlock Holmes (John MIchael Marrs) and Dr. John Watson (Brian Gonzales) But what’s up with these pretty touches around the ultimate Bachelor Pad—and this negligee lying on the back of an armchair? The duo has become a trio, with the addition of the alluring Irene Adler (Dana Schultes).

She and Holmes—once near-enemies—are now a handsy, cozy item, leaving Watson to harrumph and look to his scribbling as they canoodle in every part of the flat. The banter is fast and funny, the cases are ingenious, and the slightly overheated atmosphere is sexy and hilarious—two fierce, super-smart people only two seconds away from an R rating.

We’re delighted to find Clare Floyd DeVries’ elaborate Victorian set back in its place, enhanced by warm period lighting from designer Tristan Decker. And Jason Jordan’s music, running along with the action like a film score, is as engaging and energizing as it was last summer—a contribution that helps turn this parlor comedy-drama into an action flick, a romance, and a mystery story to savor.

Part of the pleasure lies in watching the same patterns renewed and tweaked for this second play: Holmes and Adler, now crack partners in detection, are a bit bored waiting for their next case, Watson is working on a story, and then….historic figures start slamming through the door. First comes legendary French chef Auguste Escoffier (Jovane Caamaño), and then a prince whose family calls him “Tum-Tum” for his obsession with his next meal, It’s the Prince of Wales, in fact, better-known as “Bertie”—whose critical mama (Victoria) says he isn’t worthy to carry his dead father Albert’s name. We see why he eats.

Also coming aboard is the elusive Marie Chartier (Amanda Reyes), the dangerous daughter of Holmes’ deceased arch-enemy Professor Moriarty. Reyes is new to the role (Kelsey Milbourn played Marie in 2024), but quickly makes it her own, using her Frenchy wiles on everyone, and charming us as her alter-ego, the completely bogus “Duchess of Killarney.” The flirty jigs and lilting brogue are all, of course, part of Marie’s latest caper. What’s she after, and who is she working for?

If you too saw Elusive Ear last summer, Fallen Soufflé might lack some of the element of surprise—you and I already know the general outlines of MacGregor’s style and story-telling. But that’s a pish-tosh minor quibble, and once the play starts rolling, the laughs and plot twists keep us leaning in—and having way too much fun for the Victorian era.

Marrs makes a very believable Holmes, his sharp eyes and black brows taking in everything around him—and even more intense when he’s leaning into a kiss with Irene. Schultes’ Adler (the fiction is that she is “Mrs. Hudson” the housekeeper, for propriety’s sake), who might just be a quicker “deducer” than Holmes himself, maintains a cool, tiger-at-rest manner—that melts into butter when Holmes comes near. Gonzales’ Watson reveals an unsuspected flirtiness this time around, and Chartier’s edges seem softer—though she’s still not to be trusted. Ever.

Caamaño’s Escoffier isn’t just a fine-dining diva—he helps solve the mystery, and cooks from the heart for some of the characters—while maintaining a thick but somehow understandable French accent. (Dialect coach Megan Noble has the cast well in hand, both in English and Franc-lish—even including a prince’s “posh royal” variation of Brit-speak.) Speaking of which, Matthew Minor as Prince of Wales Albert Edward (the future Edward VII) is a fluffy tower of unloved hangry-ness. Silly and sad, his memories of childhood gain our sympathy—though it takes a while before we understand what he and Escoffier are doing in this story!

I will say the weapons count for the show is amazing. Last summer it was mostly swords (and a Special Award for the best femme fencing ever seen onstage); this year the umbrella stand is full of epees and rapiers and (for all I know) a medieval broadsword. There are guns galore, plus a Big Knife brought in by the distraught chef, a set of boxing gloves, and I’m probably forgetting something. (A salute to props maven Lynn Lovett and fight/intimacy choreographer Mitch Stephens.)

Buy your ticket(s) soon if you want to get in on the fun. (Book early if you’d like a seat in the Cafe.) Playwright MacGregor will be in Fort Worth for the June 21 evening performance to talk about his work—and there’s always next summer to look forward to. Long live trilogies!

WHEN: June 12-29, 2025
WHERE: Stage West, 821 West Vickery, Fort Worth
WEB: stagewest.org