The staging plays in repertory through March 3, 2005, in the Harold E. and Esther M. Mertz Theatre.
Marcia Milgrom Dodge directs the play she co-wrote with her husband Anthony Dodge. The play was adapted from a novel by Nicholas Meyer, who also penned "The Seven Percent Solution." The world premiere off The West End Horror was presented by Bay Street Theatre in Sag Harbor, Long Island. The Asolo run marks the first production outside of New York.
The creative team is comprised of Troy Hourie (settings), Pamela Scofield (costumes), Jim D. Sale (lighting), and Matthew Parker (sound). The acting company, led by the Richard B. Watson as Holmes, includes Asolo favorites James Clarke and Douglas Jones in addition to Wayne Berman on piano, Ken Ferrigni, Deanna Gibson, Aaron Kliner and Arlyn Mick.
"This small troupe of players will divide 34 speaking roles, creating the life and blood of 19th century London in an intimate theatrical setting," according to Asolo. "The time is March 1895. Sherlock Holmes has not taken a case for the past several months, choosing instead to skulk about Baker Street to the consternation of his friend and confidant Dr. John Watson. Then George Bernard Shaw shows up, challenging the master detective to solve the bizarre murder of a theatre critic. Suspects include theatre luminaries and literary figures Oscar Wilde, Bram Stoker, Henry Irving, and even Gilbert & Sullivan along the way. Music, mystery and great fun ensue as Holmes and Watson cross swords with some of the most vital celebrities of the Victorian age."
Asolo producing artistic director Howard Millman said in the production notes, "This play is not your standard murder mystery. It is enormously entertaining and, with its tongue-in-cheek expose of the Victorian age of theatre, it is very well suited to performance on our vintage stage. This play is an absolute delight and wonderful fun as the audience not only tries to solve the crime, but also to determine which of the players is playing whom from scene to scene." To purchase tickets, call the Asolo box office at (941) 351-8000 or (800) 361-8388 or visit www.asolo.org.