What happens when Scrooge meets Sherlock Holmes? It's elementary

God bless us everyone, for the game is afoot!

What a clever idea to bring Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes, London's greatest detective, into the world of Charles Dickens' "A Christmas Carol."

This is the second consecutive season "A Sherlock Carol" is showing off-Broadway at New World Stages. Having missed it last season, this reviewer was looking forward to some merriment and mystery.

So is it a hit? Is it a holiday classic? Not quite. Written and directed by Mark Shanahan, the show certainly has its moments. Too often, though, it's simply a retelling, with Holmes (Drew McVety) taking over for Scrooge (expect more than one "Bah!"), and Ebenezer (Allen Gilmore) serving as the spirits. Neither heartwarming nor magical, this "Carol" is a festive diversion.

In the play, a now adult Tiny Tim (Dan Domingues) approaches a very dour and angry Sherlock Holmes, asking for his help in trying to determine if there was some foul play in Scrooge's death. Who could have done such a thing? After all, the man saw the error of his ways. For years, he was generous and kind, his heart full of love.

But Holmes doesn't seem to care. He wants nothing to do with the case. He also wants nothing to do with Christmas. He's even mean to his best friend and sidekick, Dr. Watson (Mark Price).

Why is Holmes in a foul mood? It's been three years since Professor James Moriarty, his nemesis, has died — but is he really gone? Holmes feels his presence. Moriarty is "hiding in the shadows," he says. And it haunts him. On top of that, Holmes is struggling to accept that he can go on without his greatest rival.

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McVety does a fine job of playing the angry and gloomy detective. He's brilliant, though, in a scene displaying Holmes' powers of observation and deduction, as he quickly identifies everything about Tim just moments after meeting him. McVety also shines in Act II, when the character finds himself, and the holiday's true meaning.

Who helps him get back on his feet? Why Scrooge, of course, and Gilmore is up to the task. One only wishes he had more to do. He's not on stage enough, but when he is he's having so much fun! His smile is infectious — and so cheerful you want to start singing "Deck the Halls" or "Jingle Bells." (But not "The Twelve Days of Christmas," which at one point Isabel Keating sings as The Countess, a former lover of Holmes.)

Domingues makes us easily believe in Dr. Tim Cratchit's kind nature. Joanna Carpenter is 13-year-old Emma Wiggins, who asks Holmes for help after her father has been arrested. Price makes a fine Watson: a good man who is devoted to his longtime friend. He's even better as Mrs. Dilber, Scrooge's housekeeper.

Linda Cho's costumes and Charles G. LaPointe's hair and wig design deserve applause. Scenic design from Anna Louizos is effective and simple, leaving plenty of room for the actors to move around.

There's a lot going on in "A Sherlock Carol": a precious stone, a goose, an Irish candle maker, a gruff salesman and two Fezziwigs. The pace is not always there, especially in Act I, but it gets better.

And fear not, there are tidings of comfort and joy.

It's elementary, my dear reader.

Tickets for "A Sherlock Carol," playing through Jan. 1, 2023, at New World Stages, 340 W. 50th St., are $58 to $120 and are available by calling 212-239-6200 or by visiting asherlockcarol.com.

Bill Canacci can be reached at bcanacci@gannettnj.com.

This article originally appeared on Asbury Park Press: Sherlock Holmes meets Scrooge in off-Broadway holiday comedy