It’s elementary, my dear Watson, that Sherlock Holmes is a icon of detection and puzzle solving. From 1886 to 1927, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s stories grew into novels and were reborn as movies, plays, and television shows as time and technology progressed. More recently, other permutations such as Enola Holmes (his little sister) and Miss Holmes (what if Sherlock was a woman?) have riffed off Sherlock’s enduring popularity. Playwright Kevin Cirone was inspired by his father’s love of the mystery genre and his own curiosity to morph the Sherlock style with film noire gumshoe detective plot twists to create His Girl Watson: A Sherlock Noir, onstage now at Alleyway Theatre.

A 2025 Maxim Mazumdar Award winner, His Girl Watson puts Sherlock in touch with Josie Watson, doctor who served briefly in World War II and now working in a Boston, MA, hospital. Of course crime is a foot. And there’s some hospital skullduggery. And there’s the heart-breaking stories that happen in hospital emergency rooms every day. And we can’t forget the mobsters, international hijinks, false identities, and rigged sports betting. All this in two hours plus an intermission.

Josie Watson was played by Anna Fernandez who was outstanding as the compassionate doctor and amateur sidekick to Holmes. Gregory Gjurich as Holmes was a delight: he had the steely gaze that you expect from Holmes that warmed to a twinkle in key moments. The rest of the cast (Jacob Albarella, Lex Cueva, Sara Kow-Falcone, and Josh Wilde) played multiple roles and had many quick changes in costume and persona.

Jonas Harrison’s scenic design put a wall of file drawers and map files at the far end of the theatre, and metaphorically, drawers opened and papers fluttered out as Holmes et al were pondering next steps. I did love the cobblestone painted floor that helped give that dim and grim “a crime is going to happen here” vibe to the Boston street scene. Danielle Rosvally’s fight direction had Fernandez landing some printing solid punches and director Robyn Lee coached convincing British speak from Gjurich and Sam Spade growls tempered with some Bah-ston vowels from Fernandez and the others.

Yes, there’s a lot here to unpack. Perhaps there’s too much: the roots of a really interesting story are deep here, but there are too many layers piled on to keep a sharp focus on what is unfolding. The other distraction is the staging: I do like the versatility of Alleyway’s space and the inventive ways directors and scenic designers reconfigure the stage and audience seating. This particular arrangement was so rectilinear that sightlines were blocked by the backsides of set pieces and depending on where you sat, you missed facial expressions and character details.

His Girl Watson: A Sherlock Noir is onstage to June 27: find details and tickets at https://www.alleyway.com/.