Displaying items by tag: Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

What’s the big deal about Sherlock Holmes? What is it that makes Sir Arthur Conan Doyle work some of the most well-known mysteries of all time? Sherlock Holmes and his adventures were published over a century ago, yet Doyle's writing has continuously surfaced through time on film, television, and theater. Could it be that Sherlock Holmes is simply a magnetic character that draws you in with his attention to detail, bravery, intellect, and supreme confidence? Or is it Doyle’s swift pen and ability to craft a memorable mystery? Terry McCabe’s adaption of The Hound of Baskervilles at City Lit Theater showcases Doyle’s writing at its finest.

Sir James Mortimer requests the service of Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson after his friend Sir Charles Baskerville dies suddenly from a heart attack. The expression on his face was one of horror. He goes to tell the infamous tale of the hound that haunts the men of Baskervilles and reveals that he discovered paw prints near the scene of the crime. Sherlock finds the tale of the hound ridiculous, but the details of the case interest him enough to investigate. Baskerville’s heir, Henry Baskerville, arrives from America to claim his inheritance with an anonymous note warning him to stay away for Baskerville’s Hall. Out of fear for Henry’s life, Holmes task Dr. Watson to accompany Henry and Mortimer to the Baskerville’s Hall, an isolated mansion surrounded by miles of wild moor. There Dr. Watson encounters shady characters, sounds of horror at night, and an escaped prisoner hiding among the moor. Holmes and Watson uncover it all and in the end discover that the truth was more terrifying than what they’d imagined.

James Sparling (Sherlock Holmes) appears on the stage as an almost spitting image of the great detective. He steps on and off the stage and snatches the audience’s attention with his movement and spot-on delivery. Adam Bitterman (Dr. Watson) reprises the role for the third time at City Lit theater. Bitterman’s talent and experience with the character may very well be the reason why he takes such a vigor command of the role. In this adaption, Bitterman is tasked to narrate and drive the play and does it without skipping a beat.

At a theater that was founded in 1979, City Lit continues to host gripping productions, but the small stage inevitably fails its material. The Hound of Baskerville is a story involving chase, a dark, foggy moor, an isolated mansion, and a vicious hound. These are elements that are left up to the imagination of the audience. Though this doesn’t ruin the production it gives moments of disappointment that makes you yearn to see a hound that’s asleep somewhere far away.

Bitterman’s performance allows the audience to understand why Doyle never wrote a mystery from Sherlock’s perspective. To watch Sherlock as Watson does and anticipate his arrival, wait anxiously for his conclusions, intertwines with the excitement of the mystery. Dr. Watson has never been as alluring as his counterpart, but he also never lost his ability to remain the most relatable character in Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s world.

Through November 10, 2019 at City Lit Theater.

Broadway in Chicago and producers Starvox Entertainment and June Entertainment present “Sherlock Holmes”, starring the often very funny David Arquette in the title role that is based on the shrewd detective in the Sir Arthur Conan Doyle mystery novels.

Now, I like David Arquette, I think he’s a talented comedic and dramatic actor and obviously he has the chops to pull of this role but so many things conspired to make this production an overly long, campy but not funny mess. I’m at a loss to describe them all. 

I’ll just keep it short. First, the stage which was very modern, stark, and cold did nothing to clarify where any of the characters were at any time in the show. The set was accented only by slightly different chairs and red, black and grey lighting changes. Although Arquette, as Sherlock Holmes, struggled to pull off a few laughs here and there with his flamboyant drug using character, everyone else seemed to just be shouting at each other and racing about willy-nilly like the Keystone Cops the whole play, as if pretending to be an old 20’s movie version of the play. Perhaps there may be room to turn Sherlock Homes into a comedy, but the writers missed the mark on this one.

James Maslow, stars as the legendary Dr. John Watson, along with Renne Olstead as the well-to-do-American, Lady Irene St. John. Olstead is best known for her roles as Lauren Miller in the TV sitcom "Still Standing”, and as Madison Cooperstein in "The Secret Life of the American Teenager”.

I honestly think if they cut the show down to 90 minutes from 2 and one half hours, people might have left saying that it was an interesting and modern take on an old classic. However, this cold, campy and dark version of the show did little to satisfy real fans of Sherlock Holmes. The head-scratching crimes were not as engaging as one would have hoped and the laughs not as big. Though nice to see Arquette on the stage, I hope to see him return in a more entertaining production. You can only do so much with the material given. 

This new and original adaptation inspired by Doyle's classic detective tales by playwright Greg Kramer and directed by Andrew Shaver is scheduled to play Chicago's Oriental Theatre (24 W Randolph) November 24 - 29, 2015. For tickets and more show information visit www.broadwayinchicago.com.