Sound and Fury's Sherlock Holmes and The Saline Solution

Review by Frank Lazarski | 21 Aug 2009

Sound and Fury is a troupe of comedic thespians, hailing from Los Angeles. Breaking from their tried and tested ‘fakespearian’ style of performance, this year’s show is a re-imagining of the writing of Arthur Conan Doyle. Sherlock Holmes and The Saline Solution is a delightfully funny, anarchic piece of theatre.

Although scripted, the players—the flamboyantly titled trio of Richard Maritzer, Shelby Bond and Vinny Cardinale—digress and improvise wildly. Their on-stage interaction is something to behold, combining slapstick and pop-culture references with a relentless zeal to perform. Cardinale in particular is wonderful in his role as every supporting character, from the bewigged songstress to the touchy fopp.

The story concerns the death of a member of Parliament and the subsequent meanderings through ye olde London’s seedy underworld in search of clues. Will Sherlock track down the culprit? Or does it even matter?

One is primarily struck by the wit and dexterity of the script. Making use of traditional narratives in Sherlock Holmes stories, the writers have created a play where conclusion or culmination is irrelevant. The story doesn’t matter, because it is the audience’s expectations—rather than their desire for a solution to the tale—which are being played upon. Like in Tom Kalin’s Swoon, any single narrative is eclipsed by the competing voices of many.

This is not a reworking of any one Holmes story, but a study in the myth and mood of Conan Doyle's work. Sound and Fury are to be praised for this original, charming production.