Sherlock Holmes and the Great Royal Goose Chase

All of London is buzzing – Queen Victoria’s prized possession has been taken and Inspector Lestrade and his police force (The Bobbies) are poised to find the thief. (“Burglary at Buckingham Palace”) It is rumored, to everyone’s surprise, that this royal treasure is a goose! Yet it is unclear whether the goose they’re looking for is a literal goose or something more elusive and mysterious.

Sherlock Holmes and his trusted mate Dr. Watson while away the afternoon in Holmes’s flat at 221B Baker Street, contemplating their next adventure, when they hear the news of the burglary. Soon an unexpected messenger pays a call (an audience member!) and delivers a mysterious invitation to lunch. Excitedly, Holmes and Watson head out on their next adventure (“I Love A Good Mystery”).

Holmes and Watson arrive at the Café Royale and await their lunch host. To their surprise, it’s a mysterious woman wearing a mask. Holmes sees through the disguise and recognizes her as Irene Adler, world famous songstress. Irene is need of Holmes’s help – she believes her life is in grave danger. And to add to the drama, she believes the person trying to murder her is an aristocrat, the Duke of Wessex. She asks that Holmes and Watson attend her final performance in London that evening as insurance against any wrongdoing. They agree (“I Love A Good Mystery” Reprise).

(Welcome to the Music Hall – Instrumental) Holmes and Watson arrive at the London Music Hall and are met by Inspector Lestrade, who inadvertently divulges clues to the goose chase. Next they are greeted by famous American candy-maker Milton Hershey. Here Hershey tells them that he and Irene are engaged to be married. Finally, the Duke of Wessex (another audience member) arrives at the show accompanied by his fiancée, Lady Mortimer. It’s showtime: Irene performs with a cabaret ensemble (“More Than Meets the Eye”).

At song’s end, the Duke of Wessex suddenly collapses, murdered by a poisoned dart! Everyone’s a suspect (“The Game’s Afoot”). Holmes and Lestrade question the theatre guests about the murder – soon one guest (an audience member) reveals a clue she found. It’s a golden egg! Holmes opens it and inside is a card with a riddle. Lestrade keeps the egg for evidence and takes Lady Mortimer to Scotland Yard for further questioning. Hershey wishes to take his fiancée Irene home, but Holmes asks to question her as well. She agrees. Holmes escorts Irene back to her hotel and suggests that Watson take the concerned Hershey out to the pub for a little relaxation.

Watson and Hershey travel to the doctor’s favorite pub in the lobby of the Savoy Hotel. On the way, Hershey admits that his engagement to Irene is an invention – an arrangement they’ve made to “ward off unwelcome advances” when Miss Adler travels abroad. However, Hershey admits that, though they’ve never even kissed, he is secretly in love with her. The two begin to talk about Hershey’s new venture in the chocolate industry, and that he’s looking for a new and exciting idea. However, he’s at a loss to think of one. Now at the bar, Watson orders a round and makes a toast: “To kisses and chocolate.” This gives Hershey the delicious idea he’s been waiting for! (“A Kiss of Chocolate”) The song features an imaginary sequence in Hershey’s mind: the creation of the Hershey’s Kiss.

Later, Holmes and Irene enjoy a stroll together through London. Irene, shaken by the recent murder, reflects on how her life is not as bright as it may seem. She confides to Holmes that she’s taken some wrong turns in her life which have made her undeserving of good fortune and happiness. Holmes disagrees, and attempts to raise her spirits. (“It’s Never Too Late”)

Holmes deposits Irene at her hotel doorstep and leaves. Irene enters her suite and is immediately set upon my Lady Mortimer. Lady Mortimer, it turns out, is Irene’s sister, Eileen. We find that they’ve been involved in a plot to obtain the golden goose – a valuable golden heirloom stolen by the Duke from their father in a card game many years before. The theft doomed the family and led to the deaths of both their parents. Now, to seek revenge, they have devised every way they know, even going as far as seduction and feigned courtship, to regain their lost family prize and restore their family name and fortune (“Sisterly Love”). However, now it seems someone is playing games with them, hiding mysterious golden eggs around the city intended to lead to the goose. Together they solve the first riddle in the egg which points to Covent Garden. They vow to find the next clue as they hatch a new plan of their own!

The next morning, various sellers and street entertainers ready themselves for the daily bustle of the marketplace in Covent Garden. Among them is William, one of Holmes’s most trusted young intelligence agents and the leader of the Baker Street Irregulars. (“Covent Garden”) Holmes and Watson arrive on the scene. Holmes has also deciphered the riddle in the first egg and is here to find the next one. He enlists William’s help to find the egg, giving him “secret instructions” before he goes. Lestrade soon arrives, and questions Holmes and Watson about their presence on the market square. Hershey enters in a frenzy. He is on his way to meet a London confectioner and begin making the protype for his Hershey’s Kiss. Suddenly, a scream is heard. It’s Lady Mortimer (Eileen) who enters holding the crumpled body of Irene. She is dead, apparently murdered by another poisoned dart. This time, Lady Mortimer (Eileen) claims to have seen the culprit and accuses Hershey of committing the murder. Believing it to be a crime of passion, Lestrade arrests Hershey. (“Burglary at Buckingham Palace” Reprise) Hershey protests his innocence and Holmes vows to uncover the truth as William rushes in, holding the second golden egg! End Of Act I.

Act II
(Entr’acte-Instrumental) Back in Covent Garden, later, Irene’s body has been taken to the morgue. The second egg reveals the next riddle. Lestrade proceeds to take Lady Mortimer (Eileen) and Hershey to Scotland Yard for further interrogation. Lestrade confiscates both the egg and the card and leaves with Lady Mortimer (Eileen) and Hershey. Holmes reveals to Watson that his previous “secret instruction” to William was to switch cards in the second egg. Holmes’s fake card will lead Lestrade and others to the RMS Oceanic, a passenger ship docked at Greenwich Pier. There, he hopes to trap the real killer or killers and solve the case. Holmes asks Watson to go to his lab, analyze the poison on the dart, and meet him at the pier first thing in the morning. Meanwhile, Holmes, William, and the Baker Street Irregulars attempt to guess the riddle on the real card (“Yes, Mr. Holmes!”). The final egg that holds the golden goose is hidden in Big Ben! Holmes orders William and the Irregulars to set off and find it!

In Lestrade’s office at Scotland Yard, Hershey continues to profess his innocence in Irene’s murder, reconfirming his love and heartbreak for her loss. Lady Mortimer (Eileen), still trying to frame him for the Irene’s murder, insists he should be hung for the crime. Lestrade, at his wit’s end, wishes to solve the riddle of the second egg. Just as Holmes had planned, they unravel the “fake” riddle and believe the last egg to be at Greenwich Pier. (“The Murder Trio” and “The Murder Trio” Reprise) In the middle of the excitement, one of Lestrade’s bobbies runs in and notifies everyone that Irene’s body has disappeared and is nowhere to be found!

At Greenwich Pier, Watson meets Holmes for their prearranged rendezvous. He reveals to Holmes that the substance on the dart is an herbal sleep inducer called Atropa Belladonna, otherwise known as Nightshade. Holmes’s suspicions are now confirmed. He shows Watson an old press clipping which tells the tragic story of Adler Family. Holmes believes that the murderer will be on the RMS Oceanic.
Aboard the RMS Oceanic: Captain Cameron and several passengers prepare for their exciting cruise to Paris. Among the ship guests is a curious, crook-backed young man. Eileen is also skulking aboard the ship, searching for the final egg and the golden goose (“All Aboard”).

Holmes and Watson board the ship. As it turns out Holmes and Captain Cameron are old university mates. The Captain grants them permission to roam about the ship and look for their suspect. As Eileen continues her hunt for the golden goose she runs into the crook-backed passenger who claims to know her. Eileen dismisses him, and he slinks away. Eileen with the assistance of another audience member, finds the egg. She opens it. But to her dismay – it’s filled with candy! Holmes and Watson, together with the crook-backed passenger surprise her. Holmes produces the golden goose statue (found in Big Ben). Eileen pulls out a revolver and aims it at Holmes. She demands that he hand her the statue. Just then, Lestrade enters with his pistol drawn and pointed at Eileen. But, before he can apprehend her, to everyone’s shock and surprise, Irene enters! She’s alive! She, too, has a revolver and points it at the Inspector. The suspense builds and Holmes hands the statue over to Irene. (“Sisterly Love” Reprise) Irene and Eileen have a lifeboat ready, and they are about to escape when the crook-backed passenger steps forward and announces that he is their baby brother, Lemuel! Instinctively, Irene moves to embrace the crook-backed passenger who disarms her as Lestrade gets the goose. The sisters are apprehended by Holmes and Lestrade and it is revealed that the crook-backed passenger is none other than William in disguise. Suddenly, to add to the hijinks, Queen Victoria enters! The queen admits that it was she who hid the eggs, a game she was playing to sharpen the Royal Police Force. Holmes had shared with her the story of the Adlers, which compelled her to see justice served and return the statue to its rightful heirs. The sisters are both ecstatic and grateful. However, Lestrade steps in and insists they be arrested for the murder of Duke of Wessex. But the Queen disagrees and pardons them both, citing “she never liked the little bastard anyway.” In a final twist, Holmes reveals that the dart poison was not deadly at all, merely a sleeping potion and that, in fact, the Duke is still alive and well!