The only stage play based on the famous Baker Street detective to ever be approved by creator Doyle, Sherlock Holmes, pits Holmes and sidekick Dr. Watson against their great nemesis Professor Moriarty. Alley artistic director Gregory Boyd directs. Previews began Oct. 10 at the Texas stage.

The rarely-produced Sherlock Holmes was first presented in 1899 as a vehicle for American actor-playwright William Gillette, who played the part for 30 years. Gillette agreed to revise a five-act drama about the exploits of Sherlock Holmes written by Arthur Conan Doyle, but wound up rewriting the script extensively, basing the stagework loosely on the Holmes tales "A Scandal in Bohemia" and "The Final Problem."

The cast of Sherlock Holmes also features Jeffrey Bean, James Belcher, David Born, Bettye Fitzpatrick, Elizabeth Heflin, Paul Hope, Charles Krohn, Philip Lehl, Daniel Magill, John Tyson and Timothy Wrobe.

The design team includes Vince Mountain (scenic), Fabio Toblini (costume), Rui Rita (lighting), with Rob Milburn and Michael Bodeen (sound).

The Alley season continues with Becky Mode's Fully Committed - directed by Joe Calarco (Oct. 17-Nov. 16), Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol - A Ghost Story Of Christmas - adapted and directed by Stephen Rayne (Nov. 28-Dec. 28), David Auburn's Proof - directed by James Black (Jan. 9-Feb. 1, 2004), Suzan-Lori Parks Topdog/Underdog - a co-production directed by Steppenwolf Theatre Company's Amy Morton (Jan. 16-Feb. 15, 2004), William Shakespeare's Twelfth Night - directed by Gregory Boyd (Feb. 20-March 14, 2004), Stephen Adly Guirgis' Our Lady of 121st Street (March 19-April 18, 2004), Yasmina Reza's Life x 3 (April 2-25, 2004) and A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum by Burt Shevelove, Larry Gelbart and Stephen Sondheim - directed by Gregory Boyd (May 14-June 6, 2004). For tickets to Sherlock Holmes at the Alley Theatre, 615 Texas Avenue, call (713) 228-8421. For more information, visit www.alleytheatre.org.