I had the supreme privilege of recently watching Ms. Holmes & Ms. Watson Apt 2B by Kate Hamill, as performed by Rogue Assembly at the Icicle Creek Center for the Arts in Leavenworth Washington. This fun gender bent, LGBTQ+, modern day retelling of a selection of cases from Sherlock Holmes by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle will leave you in stitches! You will find all of your favorite characters; Sherlock Holmes (Tess Davison), Joan Watson (Caroline Rensel), Mrs. Hudson (Grace Camp), Inspector Lestrade (Andy Meyers), and Irene Adler (Grace Camp) played in unique ways.
No matter how many different ways we tell the cases of Sherlock Holmes, a few things remain true. Sherlock has a brilliant mind that simply sees things others dismiss as trivial, unremarkable, or insubstantial. These skills, just like engineering, mathematics, or any of the sciences are not restricted to a “Y” chromosome. The play even makes fun of some other times Sherlock has been portrayed as a woman with people insisting her real name was Shirley (as in The Adventures of Shirley Holmes 1996-2000 Canadian TV show), or Sherry (likely referring to author Sherry Thomas who wrote the Lady Sherlock series, although Sherlock’s character was called Charlotte in those books).
Similarly, we know that John Watson is a medical professional of some kind often dealing with some form of PTSD. Most famously we’ve seen a gender swap for this role in Joan Watson played by Lucy Liu in Elementary. No matter the iteration John/Joan helps Holmes process thoughts, fight depression, and keep fighting for the right side.
Inspector Lestrade will always be there. Jumping to conclusions, and trying to close their case. While all iterations of Lestrade respect Holmes and his abilities, I have never read or watched an iteration where Lestrade wasn’t more than slightly put off by Holme’s demeaning attitude. Watson has always been there to smooth Holme’s rougher edges, and make sure he can work without losing their ability to work with the police. While I have seen Lestrade gender bent, Rachel Hayward in the television series Watson for one, this play had a male Lestrade who shamelessly flirted with Joan Watson.
Irene Adler. The femme fatale attributed with a wit to match Holmes and Moriarty. Her ability to keep Holmes on a on again off again romance, while always making sure he lets her get away is remarkable. Possibly my favorite iteration of this character is played by Lara Pulver in the BBC’s Sherlock, where we all became “Sher”locked. Recognizing her as the key player that she is in any work involving Holmes is another mark of how careful Kate Hamill was in writing Ms. Holmes & Ms. Watson Apt 2B.
Sherlock Holmes is more than one idea. They are more than one location. They are something that we have been able to take, change, and adapt over and over again. Sherlock Holmes and Watson have ideals that we want our children to have. We want them to look at situations critically, not accept the simple answer if its not the full truth, stand by friends and help them fight their demons, and always land on the side of truth. Things I loved about this play include being true to the characters, a modern post-pandemic telling, the LGBTQ+ positive vibes. While this play is no longer playing in Leavenworth, I would encourage anyone to find a local theatre supporting this work and enjoy.
*Updated April 22 2026 If you enjoyed this article please consider reading the interview we recently did with Director McKenzie Baird! https://www.mediamagpies.com/interview-with-director-mckenzie-baird-ms-holmes-and-ms-watson-apt-2b/