Katie Forgette’s Sherlock Holmes and the Case of the Jersey Lily, directed by John Grinston, is a ‘best of’ the original Arthur Conan Doyle short stories about the famous detective, with a few creative licenses taken along the way. Including Mr Holmes, Dr John Watson and Professor James Moriarty and adding some new characters including Oscar Wild and the British Royal Family as well as a shady maid and an even shadier housekeeper, it’s a fun romp with lots of twists and turns along the way.

Neilson Brown and Carlin Hurdis are a strong pairing as Sherlock Holmes and Dr Watson respectively. Nathan Moss and Molly Haddon as Oscar Wilde and his long-time friend Lillie Langtry (the ‘Jersey Lily’) have great chemistry on stage, and both give standout individual performances. Igor Bulanov, Meg Girdler, and Liam O’Carroll are our thoroughly enjoyable villainous trio, as Moriarty, Mrs Tory and John Smyth respectively.

Our story takes place in a variety of settings, including Holmes’ Baker Street apartment, Lillie Langtry’s sitting room, an abandoned gas works and Moriarty’s lair. Different parts of the stage are used to create the different venues and also serve the purpose of creating movement throughout the production. Costuming is very traditional 1890s, with our heroine Lillie Langtry in pastels and bright colours and our villainess Mrs Tory in all black, all the time.

Those who enjoy a good murder mystery will enjoy the many references to classic crime literature and the many twists that come with them.

Purchase tickets to this production here.

Tokay/Topaque | Wine Pairing

Sherlock Holmes is a connoisseur of many things, and that includes wine. He also tends to appreciate an aperitif or dessert wine, and Tokay is one I’ve been wanting to explore for a long time. So here we are!

Originally from Hungary, Tokay is a sweet, full-bodied version of the Muscadelle varietal with prominent honey, toffee and stewed fruit flavours. This type of wine requires both that the grapes stay on the vine for longer in order to develop as much sugar as they can to create those sweet notes, and for the wine to be fortified (have more alcohol added to it) during production. A delicious dessert wine you don’t see much of in Australia, look out for Tokay, the original Hungarian name, or Topaque, the name Australian wine producers are required to label this varietal since around 2019 when Hungary reclaimed the traditional name for only wines produced in-country.

Sherlock Holmes and the Case of the Jersey Lily, Genesian Theatre | Tasting Notes

Aussie Season	5 Nov to 10 Dec 2022, Genesian Theatre
Ticket $	$30-35
Writer	Katie Forgette
Director	John Grinston
Theatre Type & Genre	Murder mystery
See it if you like	Sherlock Holmes, Agatha Christie novels
Other Info	adapted from the works of Arthur Conan Doyle
Wine Pairing	Topaque
Criteria for Wine Pairing	Sherlock Holmes approved