Sherlock revisited

Award-winning play takes new angle on tweedy detective

By Jack Hill

Sherlock Holmes, played by Joseph Graves, turns his back on his arch-enemy Moriarty (Mark Edward Waterman), while Holmes' girlfriend, Irene Adler (Heidi-Marie Ferren), looks on.

ADVERSTISMENT

LITTLE ROCK — A clue as to how the Arkansas Repertory Theatre came to book a new play about an old subject - Sherlock Holmes - requires a look no further with your magnifying glass than one of the company's most popular actors, Joseph Graves. He is returning to the theater to portray Arthur Conan Doyle's legendary detective.

"I saw the first production that was done and wanted to do the role of Sherlock," Graves says. "And now I've got the opportunity. It has all of those elements of Sherlock Holmes that those of us who loved the stories admire, and the things that we want to see, plus its own unique and provocative twists.

"And it's not only true to the stories, but also accessible, in that it's very family-friendly too, as far as being able to introduce young people to the Holmes character."

Graves is doing his ninth show at The Rep. His Rep credits are Moonlight & Magnolias, Towns Facing Railroads, Of Mice and Men, Othello, All the King's Men, The Tempest, All My Sons and My Fair Lady.

Robert Hupp, in his ninth year as The Rep's producing artistic director, is calling the shots on the show, the fourth Rep production written by Stephen Dietz. The others are God's Country, Dracula and Private Eyes. Dietz's Sherlock Holmes: The Final Adventure, which premiered in 2006, won an Edgar Award from the Mystery Writers of America.

In shaping it, Dietz sifted through Doyle's 56 Holmes stories, four novels and several stage and screen adaptations.

"Joe brought this play to my attention," Hupp explains, "and I loved it because I'm a fan of Sherlock Holmes, and also because it's very theatrically dynamic. It has the mystery, adventure and humor.

It also has romance, which is exceptionally rare in a Holmes story.

"The playwright took some of Doyle's style. He merged bits of six of the short stories with A Scandal in Bohemia, an 1899 play written by William Gillette, who was one of the great American actors of the day. He wrote it as a vehicle for himself, and toured with it forever. Dietz updated this play, made it more contemporary, as far as scene structure, moving from Holmes' study to Reichenbach Falls, where Holmes and Moriarty have their final encounter."

A love interest for Holmes is a new aspect of Dietz's play.

Heidi-Marie Ferren, a native of the Bentonville area whose family now lives in Searcy, plays opera singer Irene Adler, the mystery woman and the focus of the plot.

"Yes, I can sing opera," Ferren says. "But I don't do so in the play. Not live, at least. I have given up the stage, due to being so heartbroken. The costumes I get to wear are just out-of-this-world, they're so beautiful. What intrigues me about the play is that Holmes and Watson are people you can look up to, not because of super powers, but because of their strengths as human beings."

As Holmes' faithful sidekick (and the play's narrator), Dr. Watson, Colin McPhillamy brings an honest accent to his role. He was born in London, where he grew up the son of Australian parents. (He now holds citizenship in both countries, calling himself "half British and half Australian.") His credits include five seasons at the Royal National Theatre and work at The West End.

"When I was at college in London I used to work at a restaurant on Baker Street," McPhillamy says, "and Holmes' famous fictional address was 221B Baker St. Our restaurant was at 100 Baker St., and we used to get a stream of people, including many Americans, asking where did Holmes live.

We'd say, 'If you have lunch in our restaurant, then we'll tell you!'

"So later, the local council re-numbered the street so there could be a 221B, which is now a museum. I think what's interesting is that the Watson/Holmes team is one of the great crime-solving double acts, going forward to having inspired Batman and Robin. Watson's great talent is to recognize Holmes' extraordinary talent in deduction and intellect."

The friendship between Holmes and Watson, and the years it spans, is one of the things the playwright remarks on, Graves notes.

"There's quite a bit of humor in the play," McPhillamy adds, "but it's not a comedy as such."

Others in the cast are Mark Edward Waterman as Holmes' perennial adversary Moriarty; Jason O'Connell as the King of Bohemia; Michael E. Lopez as Larabee; Sophia Bushog as Madge Larabee; Raven Peters as Sid Prince; and Henry Melhorn, a student at Dunbar Magnet Middle School, as the Post Boy.

The Rep's resident designer, Mike Nichols, designed the multilevel set. Rafael Colon Castanera is production manager; M. Jason Pruzin is sound designer; and Linda Kwallek is properties director. Guest staff are lighting designer Nan Zhang, costume designer Marianne Custer and stage manager Erin Albrecht.

"One of the things that makes this show so much fun for the audience," Graves says, "is that the story is set up pretty clearly in the beginning.

But there are a number of twists and turns, like any good mystery has, so you can watch it on that level, of what's going to happen next, or follow the twists, plus there's a final twist that is truly surprising."

Sherlock Holmes: The Final Adventure 8 p.m. today-Saturday, 2 and 7 p.m.

Sunday; 7 p.m. Wednesday and April 23; 8 p.m. Thursday-Saturday; 2 and 7 p.m. Sunday, through April 27, Arkansas Repertory Theatre, Sixth and Main streets, Little Rock. (April 16 performance sign-interpreted for the hearing-impaired.) Tickets: $20-$35 (501) 378-0405 or (866) 684-3737

Weekend, Pages 76 on 04/11/2008