A Deeper Look WHICH IS THE REAL SHERLOCK HOLMES? - by Jeffrey Hatcher - Commonweal Theatre
←
→
Page content transcription
If your browser does not render page correctly, please read the page content below
A Deeper Look
WHICH IS THE REAL SHERLOCK HOLMES?
photo: Peterson Creative Photography & Design
by Jeffrey Hatcher
Jeffrey Hatcher—Playwright
Jeffrey Hatcher is one of Min- Regionally, his plays have been performed at Yale
nesota’s premier playwrights. Rep, Old Globe, South Coast Rep, Seattle Rep,
His Broadway/Off Broadway Intiman, Florida Stage, The Empty Space, CTC,
credits include Three Viewings Madison Rep, Illusion, Denver Center, OSF, ASF,
and A Picasso at Manhattan Milwaukee Rep, Repertory Theater of St. Louis,
Theatre Club, Scotland Road Cincinnati Playhouse, Cleveland Playhouse, ATL,
and The Turn of the Screw at Philadelphia Theater Company, Coconut Grove,
Primary Stages, Tuesdays with Asolo, City Theater, Studio Arena and dozens
Morrie (with Mitch Albom) at The Minetta Lane, more in the U.S. and abroad. He is a member
Murder by Poe and The Turn of the Screw at and/or alumnus of The Playwrights’ Center, the
The Acting Company, Neddy at American Place, Dramatists Guild, the Writers Guild, and New
and Fellow Travelers at Manhattan Punchline. Dramatists.
Some articles re-printed with permission from, and gratitude to:
Holmes and Watson—A Closer Look 1
by
Jeffrey
Hatcher Presented by the
Commonweal Theatre Company
April 5 - July 6, 2019
The Characters
WATSON—A former military field doctor and PATIENT 2—The second Holmes is disheveled, rest-
friend of Sherlock Holmes. He used his experience less and exhibits the skeptical nature of Sherlock
in the field to help Holmes solve crimes. As the Holmes. He wears a straitjacket.
person closest to Holmes, Watson is engaged to PATIENT 3—The third Holmes also looks similar
discover which of the three convincing Sherlock to the Holmes Watson remembers, but his head
Holmeses is the real one. is shaved. He does not speak, nor can he appear
DR. EVANS—The man who has taken it upon to hear. His gaze is always forward, as he is in a
himself to solve the case of The Three Sherlock catatonic state.
Holmes. Dr. Evans is the one who requests the aid ORDERLY—One of Dr. Evans’s assistants. He
of Watson. wears an asylum employee uniform.
PATIENT 1—The first of the three Holmes to arrive MATRON—Dr. Evans’s other assistant. She wears
at the asylum and to be interviewed, Patient 1 her own version of the employee uniform, with her
presents the demeanor we expect of Holmes; he hair in a bun.
is brusque and rather forward with Watson. He
wears a jacket, vest and slacks.
Doyle and Holmes by Richard J. Roberts
Scottish In 1887, Doyle first penned his most famous
physician and creation, Sherlock Holmes of Baker Street.
writer Sir By 1891, Holmes stories had become a fix-
Arthur Conan ture of The Strand Magazine.
Doyle was born Other fictional detectives had appeared
in 1859 in Edin- before Holmes, including characters created
burgh, Scotland, by Edgar Allen Poe (“The Murders in the
and educated at Rue Morgue”) and Emile Gaboriau (“L’Af-
a Jesuit prepa- faire Lerouge”). But Holmes captured the
ratory school public imagination like few other literary
in Lancashire, figures have ever done. Doyle himself, how-
England. He ever, quickly became tired of his creation
studied medicine and killed him off in “The Final Problem”
at Edinburgh in 1893. After eight years of pressure from
University, his readers, Doyle wrote The Hound of the
where he was Baskervilles, set before Holmes’s death. This
inspired by the masterpiece only whetted the public’s appe-
brilliant deductive skills of his mentor, Jo- tite, and two years later Doyle resumed the
seph Bell. While in school, Doyle worked as series with “The Adventure of the Empty
a ship’s doctor and later ran his own practice House,” explaining that Holmes had faked
in Portsmouth, England. his own death at Reichenbach. Ultimately,
During these years of study and practice, Doyle wrote a total of four novels and 56
Doyle wrote and submitted several short short stories featuring Sherlock Holmes.
stories to the literary magazines of the day. From 1899 to 1902, Doyle served as a
From Indiana Repertory Theatre Study Guide, Richard J. Roberts, ed.
physician in the Boer War. Upon his2 Holmes and Watson—A Closer Look
Sherlock Modernized
In the theatre world, playwrights like Jef- music, though
frey Hatcher and Ken Ludwig keep the spirit his outlet
of Sherlock Holmes alive. In the cinema, Jef- is through
frey Hatcher also adapted a screenplay from the piano,
Mitch Cullin’s novel Mr. Holmes starring Ian guitar and
McKellen, which told the story of a retired harmonica.
Sherlock and his struggle with early House even
dementia. has that one
Today we see many works across me- close friend in
diums, from board games to theatre, all which he can
inspired by the Sherlock Holmes collection. confide—Dr.
Martin Freeman and Benedict Cumberbatch
Some of these works have appeared as James Wil- as Watson and Holmes in the BBC series.
parodies to the original, such as the British son, House’s
comedy Without a Clue (1988), the Canadi- Dr. Watson. Other references to Sherlock
an series The Adventures of Shirley Holmes Holmes are present throughout the show,
(1996-2000), and the more current series some more obvious while others may slip
Psych (2006-2014). past viewers. The show Elementary is a more
Other takes straightforward adaptation of the detective
include adapta- series, but with Watson depicted as a female
tions that are not named Joan Watson.
so much about Sherlock Holmes has had a huge revival
crime, but still in television and film, reaching out to both
mysterious, such old and new fans, thanks to the moderniza-
as House (2004- tion of the insightful detective. Guy Ritchie’s
2012). Here, Dr. Sherlock Holmes film series, starring Robert
House uses his in- Downey Jr. and Jude Law, is set to release its
credible deduction third movie, which has begun shooting and
skills to solve mys- has a tentative release date [in 2021]. The
terious medical BBC also recently completed its own televi-
cases while, like Hugh Laurie as Dr. House, a Holme- sion series starring Benedict Cumberbatch
Sherlock Holmes, sian character in a hospital setting. and Martin Freeman as the detective duo.
secretly battling an addiction to prescription
drugs. House also finds solace in playing From Milwaukee Repertory Theatre PlayGuide, Jenny Toutant, ed.
Doyle and Holmes by Richard J. Roberts (cont’d.)
return, he wrote The Great Boer War (1900) Doyle died in 1930 from heart disease
and The War in South Africa: Its Causes and at his home is Sussex. The first of many
Conduct (1902), for which he was knighted. Sherlock Holmes societies was founded in
Although Holmes might be considered the 1934, and such organizations still active-
literary icon of empiricism, Doyle was pro- ly debate the finer points of the detective’s
foundly interested in spiritualism. This irony work. Whole books have treated Holmes and
cultivated many of Doyle’s mystic beliefs, Watson as actual historical figures, filling in
such as fairies, psychic powers, and com- gaps and calculating dates from clues in the
munication with the dead. He wrote several stories. Nearly 100 actors have portrayed
books on the subject, including The Coming Holmes in more than 300 films and tele-
of the Fairies (1921), The History of Spiritu- vision programs. Dozens of authors since
alism (1926), and The Edge of the Unknown Doyle have written their own Holmes stories,
(1930), where he argued that his friend Har- novels, films, and plays.
ry Houdini had supernatural powers.Holmes and Watson—A Closer Look 3
The Originals & Adaptations of Sherlock Holmes
William Gillette was the first to portray stories.
Sherlock Holmes on stage, playing the char- Michael
acter about 1,300 times. His first perfor- Caine and Ben
mance was made in 1899. Kingsley played
The Return of Sherlock Holmes was the Holmes and
first Sherlock film with sound (1929). Watson in the
Basil Rathbone played Sherlock in the comedic 1988
1939 film The Hound of the Baskervilles, film Without a
which is regarded as one of the best film Clue.
adaptations. In 1992,
Ronald Howard starred as Sherlock Christopher
Holmes in the 1954 American television Lee played an
series. It aired a total of 39 episodes. elderly Sher-
Lost for decades, the 1922 silent film por- lock in the TV
trayal of Sherlock Holmes resurfaced in the film Sherlock American actor William Gillette as
Sherlock Holmes (c. 1890s).
1970s. John Barrymore played Holmes and Holmes: Inci-
Roland Young played Watson. dent at Victoria Falls.
Roger Moore played Sherlock Holmes in Robert Downey Jr. took on the role of
the 1977 film Sherlock Holmes in New York. Sherlock in the 2009 [and 2011] film[s], that
Peter O’Toole voiced Sherlock Holmes in helped reboot interest in the character.
the 1983 animated series of several Holmes From Milwaukee Repertory Theatre PlayGuide, Jenny Toutant, ed.
The Original Sherlock Mr. Holmes (2015): British film starring Ian
Holmes Stories by Arthur McKellen as an elderly Holmes thinking back on
Conan Doyle his past; written by Jeffrey Hatcher, playwright of
Holmes and Watson.
A Study in Scarlet (novel)
The Sign of the Four (novel) Other Mystery Books
The Adventures of Sherlock “The Murders in the Rue Morgue” by Edgar
Holmes (short stories) Allan Poe, the short story that introduced litera-
The Memoirs of Sherlock ture’s first great detective, C. Auguste Dupin.
Holmes (short stories) The Westing Game by Ellen Raskin. A young-
The Hound of the Baskervilles adult novel about a group of contestants compet-
(novel) ing to solve a mystery and win a large fortune.
The Return of Sherlock Holmes Murder on the Orient Express by Agatha Chris-
(short stories) tie. A classic whodunnit with a brilliant twist.
His Last Bow (short stories) When You Reach Me by Rebecca Stead. A young-
The Valley of Fear (novel) adult novel about a teenage girl solving a mystery
The Casebook of Sherlock Holmes (short stories) in 1970s New York.
Selected Holmes Film & TV Adaptations The Maltese Falcon A 1930 detective novel by
Dashiell Hammett, later the classic 1941 film
The Hound of the Baskervilles (1959): British starring Humphrey Bogart. The quintessential
film adaptation of Doyle’s novel starring Peter hardboiled detective thriller.
Cushing as Holmes; Cushing played Holmes in
several other films as well. The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-
Time by Mark Haddon. A young-adult novel
Sherlock Holmes (1984-1994): Granada Tele- about an autistic boy who attempts to solve a
vision series starring Jeremy Brett as Holmes; murder case. Later became a popular stage play.
Brett’s performance is often considered the quint-
essential portrayal of the detective.
Elementary (2012-): CBS television series starring
Jonny Lee Miller and Lucy Liu as Holmes and
Watson in modern-day New York City. From Indiana Repertory Theatre Study Guide, Richard J. Roberts, ed.4 Holmes and Watson—A Closer Look
Inspiration: Four Stories
Holmes and Watson, although a unique Mormon. John tells Hope about the plan but
story, might seem a little familiar to you. after he throws out the suitors, a countdown
This is because the playwright, Jeffrey Hatch- to her marriage day is left around his farm.
er, was loosely inspired by four of Holmes’ Hope returns to the farm to see John’s grave
most famous adventures: A Study in Scarlet, and no sign of Lucy. In Salt Lake City, he
“A Scandal in Bohemia,” “The Adventure of learns Stangerson killed John and Lucy was
the Final Problem,” and “The Adventure of wed to Drebber; she dies shortly after of a
the Empty House.” broken heart. As his enemies flee to London,
A Study in so does he.
Scarlet is split into Back at Baker Street, Hope tells the story
multiple parts. Part to Holmes and company and recounts their
I begins with Dr. murders. The day before his trial, Hope dies
Watson’s return to of an aneurysm as a result of a long-standing
London after his medical condition.
discharge from the In “A Scandal in Bohemia,” Holmes is
Second Anglo-Af- visited by the disguised King of Bohemia. He
ghan war due to reveals that, due to his upcoming engage-
a shoulder injury. ment, he is worried about the damage that
He tells his friend, may be caused by the scandal surrounding
Stamford, that he his previous relationship with Irene Adler,
needs a place to an American opera singer. Thus, he hopes
live and is intro- Holmes will recover her evidence of the
duced to Holmes, affair. He sneaks to her wedding, in disguise,
at work in a lab; his quick analysis of his but ends up being forced to witness the
prospective roommate fascinates Watson and wedding which ends with the couple splitting
the pair move in together. Holmes is sent a ways. Holmes returns to Baker Street to col-
telegram asking for help at an abandoned lect Watson. As Adler pulls up to her home,
house. Once there, he investigates the mur- Holmes leaps in to protect her in the midst
der of Enoch Drebber and goes to meet his of a fight and is invited into her home. At
secretary, Joseph Stangerson, but he was also his signal, Watson throws a smoke
murdered. The word “RACHE”, which has bomb with the hope that Adler will
been determined to be the German word for
revenge, was left at the scene of both crimes.
They also find two pills, one of which is
poison. The scene is interrupted by a Baker
Street Irregular who summoned a cab as
requested by Holmes. The cabbie enters and
Holmes handcuffs him, declaring him Jeffer-
son Hope, the murderer.
Part II occurs years before in Salt Lake
Valley where a man named John and little
girl Lucy are rescued from imminent death
by a group of Latter-Day Saints who offer
them sanctuary if they live under their faith;
he adopts Lucy and, later, she falls in love
with Jefferson Hope. The elders disapprove
as they want her to marry either Joseph
Stangerson or Enoch Drebber, who are both
From Arizona Theatre Company Play Guide , Katherine Monberg, ed. A Sidney Paget illustration for “A Scandal in Bohemia.”Holmes and Watson—A Closer Look 5
rescue her precious item – the photograph. House” concerns
The next morning, Holmes and the King go the murder of the
to the safe, but Adler has replaced the pic- Honorable Ronald
ture with one of her in a dress and a note Adair. The man had
revealing that she is only keeping the letter to no enemies and was
protect herself. Holmes keeps the letter and found in his locked
Watson reveals that Holmes has continued to sitting room with
call her “the woman.” an open window
“The Final Problem” begins with Holmes above a 20-foot
visiting Watson’s house and telling him he drop, surrounded by
survived three murder attempts that day as papers and money;
Moriarty wants him off his trail. Watson, the police learn he
following his instructions, meets a disguised won a lot of money
Holmes on the train. As the train pulls away, in working with Paget for “The Empty House”
they see Moriarty on the platform and their Colonel Sebastian Moran. The corpse was
attempt to escape intensifies. Now in Stras- found with a soft-point bullet at the back
bourg, Holmes learns Moriarty’s accomplices of his head but no one is sure from where
have been arrested and he tells Watson to the gun was fired. On the way there, Wat-
go, but he refuses. Now in Switzerland, they son runs into an elderly book collector who
head up to Reichenbach Falls. Watson is is revealed to be Holmes! He explains to a
given a letter by a boy requesting his exper- joyous Watson that he was able to throw
tise at the hotel. Despite knowing it is a trap, Moriarty over the waterfall yet caught him-
Holmes sends Watson back. Upon his return, self and was able to pull himself back up.
there is a set of footprints and note from He explains what he was doing during the
Holmes telling his friend he is about to fight past three years, but the conditions of Adair’s
Moriarty. Watson sees the sign of a strug- murder intrigued him, and thus he returned.
gle and an implied fall to the death – both Holmes, convinced that Adair was killed by
Holmes and his nemesis are no more. Moriarty’s cohort Colonel Sebastian Moran,
Written three years after Holmes’ sup- places a wax bust at the empty house across
posed death, “The Adventure of the Empty from Baker Street which Moran shoots, thus
revealing his involvement in Adair’s murder.
The Joy of Mystery
by Risa Brainin minds, that some people even believe that he
What is it about mysteries that we love was a real person! I recently went to the Sher-
so much? There is something so satisfying lock Holmes Museum in London, which is
about solving a mystery, right? It is fun, it a replica of Holmes’s house on Baker Street,
is challenging, and when you reach the end, complete with wax figures of characters. It
you feel a sense of accomplishment. Sherlock was a bit strange to be there in the “home”
Holmes is the great icon of mystery stories in of a fictional character! There are enormously
modern fiction. Since the character was born long lines—every single day—to get into this
in 1887, he has been brought to life in literal- museum. The fan base is extraordinary.
ly thousands of ways, including novels, short So, with all of the zillions of portrayals
stories, plays, radio dramas, TV shows, films out there, how does one tell a new tale about
and even video games. He holds the Guinness this very old and beloved character? Leave it
record for “most portrayed movie character to Jeff Hatcher to figure that one out. Hatch-
in history.” er has taken the period of time between Sir
Whether you have read the books or not, Arthur Conan Doyle’s “The Final Problem,”
we all have an image of the character. In fact, where Holmes is supposedly “killed” by his
the character is so specifically etched in our arch nemesis Moriarty, and “The Adventure
of the Empty House,” when he
From Indiana Repertory Theatre Study Guide, Richard J. Roberts, ed. returns. In that moment, Hatcher6 Holmes and Watson—A Closer Look
hypothesizes a wonderful mystery. sometimes sardonic) sense of humor, he is a
I’ve always been a huge fan of Jeffrey master of dramatic tension and release. Oh,
Hatcher’s work, and have enjoyed directing how I adore anything Hatcher! He knows
several of his plays over the years. What I that if you are here tonight, you likely know
love most, and something most evident in this and love Sherlock Holmes. If you do, get
piece, is his ability to weave a complex story ready to enjoy a new classic tale. If you are
with humor and pathos. You get all of the fun new to Mr. Holmes, we hope you’ll enjoy
of solving a Sherlock Holmes mystery, and stepping into his world tonight to solve the
you get a little bit more. With his ironic (and mystery.
Glossary
Blackjack Mendelssohn’s lieder
A small, easily concealed club made from a weight Felix Mendelssohn (1809-1847) was a renowned
wrapped in leather attached to a coil spring. It German composer, pianist, and conductor. Lieder
features a strap or lanyard by which to carry the ohne Worte (Songs without Words) includes eight
weapon on the non-weighty end. volumes of six short lyrical piano pieces each.
Braces Penny dreadful
Another term for suspenders. Cheap, sensational popular literature produced in
Calling card Britain during the 19th century. Costing only a pen-
Personal calling cards were immensely popular ny per installment, these serial stories featured lurid
among the upper classes during the Victorian era: tales about criminals or the supernatural.
similar to business cards, calling cards were pre- Plumber’s rocket
sented when making social visits or enclosed when A smoke bomb that creates a thick cloud of smoke.
sending gifts. Victorian plumbers used smoke rockets to release
Colloquies smoke into pipes as a way of testing for leaks.
Conversations. Schooner
Cutter A small sailing vessel with two or more masts. The
A small, lightweight boat designed for speed rather schooner’s speed and ability to sail in shallow waters
than to hold many passengers. once made it a popular choice for both pirates and
recreational boaters.
Derringer Pistol
This term refers broadly to any small handgun that Scotland Yard
is not a revolver or semiautomatic pistol. The term The headquarters of the Metropolitan Police Service
comes from a misspelling of the name of Henry in London. The name comes from the location of the
Deringer (1786-1868), inventor of a small handgun. original headquarters, which had a rear entrance on
a street called Great Scotland Yard.
Deus ex machina
This Latin phrase literally means “god from the ma- Shallop
chine” and is used to describe a plot device where- A light sailboat typically used for coastal fishing; can
in an apparently unsolvable problem is suddenly carry roughly a dozen individuals.
resolved by the unexpected intervention of a new Skiff
character, object, event, or ability. A shallow, flat-bottomed boat with a sharp bow and
Garotte a square stem, easily handled by one person.
A wire, cord, or other apparatus used for strangling; Stiletto
widely used in the 17th and 18th centuries as assassi- A thin dagger with a long, needlelike point, primarily
nation devices. used for stabbing, dating back to 15th century Italy.
Hypnoid State Strychnine
The Victorian practice of hypnotherapy was a pop- A highly toxic, colorless, bitter alkaloid frequently
ular treatment for a variety of ailments, endorsed by used as a pesticide. When inhaled or swallowed, it
the British Medical Association in 1892. causes poisoning that results in muscular convulsions
Inspector and eventual death via asphyxiation.
In the British police force, inspector is the second Subliminal
supervisory rank, senior to a sergeant, but junior to Subconscious, something that is present but of which
a chief inspector. a person is not fully aware.
Lake District Superintendent
A mountainous region in northwest England with 20 Superintendent is the fifth-highest rank in the British
major lakes, famous for its beautiful landscape. police force. A superintendent ranks higher than an
Mass delusion inspector or a chief inspector.
A condition in which a group of people share the Truncheon
false belief that they are all some famous figure. The A short, thick stick carried as a weapon by law
Napoleon Delusion is a popular stereotype of the enforcement or security personnel.
beliefs of delusional patients.You can also read
