Kinetic Theatre’s ‘A Sherlock Carol’ at Carnegie Stage (Wed., 12/17/25)

A SHERLOCK CAROL by Mark Shanahan, with elements of stories by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and Charles Dickens.  Kinetic Theatre. Through December 21.

There is a new holiday classic in Pittsburgh theater, and incredibly, it’s a Sherlock Holmes play. A Sherlock Carol is presented here for the second year by Kinetic Theatre. This unusual pastiche was scripted by New York playwright Mark Shanahan, who borrowed some threads of original Holmes stories … wove them into a story arc inspired by Dickens’ A Christmas Carol … and came up with a tour de farce that’s hilarious but also genuinely touching. The action begins some years after the Dickens tale. London’s great philanthropist, Ebenezer Scrooge, has been found dead in his lodgings—along with signs that he didn’t simply die of old age. It seems a nefarious scheme is afoot. And when Holmes sets out to crack the case, layers upon layers of bizarre crack-ups await the flinty-eyed detective. Kinetic’s production has David Whalen as Holmes, a role he has acted expertly many times. He takes the character to another level in this play. A Sherlock Carol scored a surprise hit last year, but it’s no longer a surprise, because the word is out. Get tickets for this year’s production while you can. 7:30 p.m. At Carnegie Stage, 25 W. Main St., Carnegie. (M.V.) 

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