Holmes for the Holidays is a show that exceeded my expectations in the most delightful way. I consider myself a bit of a William Gillette fan (I’ve been to his castle in Connecticut, and I remember everything from the tour), so my hopes were certainly high for this production.  But this show–a play about a Christmas Eve murder at Gillette’s home–went higher than I ever could’ve imagined.

Adam Woods played his part as the main character, Gillette, perfectly. I was in awe of how he captured this legendary man. My main concern for this play would be that the lead wouldn’t be up to standards, due to the actor’s sick leave during tech week, but he pulled it off extremely well.

All the other actors went above and beyond as well, and they perfectly played a cast of kooky theatre kids. I had no complaints when it comes to the cast.

I also have nothing but praise for the set design. As I mentioned earlier, I’ve been to this guy’s castle, and they captured it so well on set. I was astounded. I can’t stop thinking about it.

Everything about this play was pleasing to me. The cast and crew did their jobs wonderfully. And according to my sources, some of the crew even participated in the play in small ways that were integral to the stories, creating some important offstage effects.

This show was also hilarious. The theatre kid humor definitely made me laugh as well as all of the screams. Every time Gillette or Felix Geisel (Xavier Moxley) screamed I was laughing so hard.

The subversion of expectations in this plan is akin to the critically acclaimed and personal favorite movie of mine, Knives Out. The suspense was built from the start, and the whodunit is unknowable until the very end.

I loved this play and I greatly encourage everyone to see it.

Holmes for the Holidays will be running for two more weekends in the Black Box here at Lincoln Park. For tickets, visit the Box Office, or buy tickets online at lincolnparkarts.org.