You are viewing this article in the AnnArbor.com archives. For the latest breaking news and updates in Ann Arbor and the surrounding area, see MLive.com/ann-arbor
Posted on Fri, Oct 2, 2009 : 5:34 a.m.

P.T.D. Productions searches for clues with "Sherlock Holmes: The Final Adventure," opening Thursday

By Jenn McKee

PTDSherlockHolmesWatson.jpg

Calling all Baker Street Irregulars (and maybe a few of those frustrated Red-Headed League applicants): P.T.D. Productions is currently staging Steven Dietz’s “Sherlock Holmes: The Final Adventure.”

Based primarily on two of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s Holmes stories — “A Scandal in Bohemia” and “The Adventure of the Final Problem” — Dietz’s play features two of Doyle’s most compelling minor characters: American opera singer Irene Adler and criminal mastermind Professor Moriarty, both of whom, in different ways, present the usually unflappable Holmes with his greatest challenges.

The challenges of the show itself, however, involve “making sure you present these classic characters in a way that everybody expects, while also keeping the humor in the show without making a mockery of them,” said director Jessica Eroh.

Admittedly, most of us don’t think “comedy” when we think of Holmes stories, but according to Eroh, Dietz's play offers “a good, healthy dose of humor.”

The humor stems in part from the cultural baggage that Holmes, as an iconic literary character, carries. “We’re all familiar with how he always seems to know everything,” said Eroh. “But the sheer thought of Holmes in love, to see him interacting with a woman, where he’s suddenly very awkward, is funny. And of course, these villains are in no way as smart as Holmes, so there's that, too.”

Reportedly, P.T.D.'s set design is generally spare, because several different locales in London need to be represented in quick succession in the play; but Holmes’ famous study is also part of the backdrop.

And audience members looking to be in on the on-stage sleuthing will get an opportunity.

“There is a mystery to (the play),” said Eroh. “Watson narrates the story throughout the show, … and when you get about halfway in, there’s a twist.”

As for why Doyle’s work became an enduring touchstone of mystery literature, Eroh believes the answer to be, well, elementary.

“The friendship between Watson and Holmes, they’re like the ultimate superhero team,” said Eroh. “They need each other, and depend on each other, to get along. Watson is the heart, the one people relate to and trust, and Holmes is the genius. They just fit together so well.”

Jenn McKee is the entertainment digital journalist for AnnArbor.com. Reach her at jennmckee@annarbor.com or 734-623-2546, and follow her on Twitter @jennmckee.

“Sherlock Holmes: The Final Adventure”
Who: P.T.D. Productions.
What: Steven Dietz’s Edgar Award-winning adaptation of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s stories, featuring not only Holmes and Watson, but also Irene Adler and Professor Moriarty, in a story of romance, crime and deadly peril.
Where: Riverside Arts Center, 76 N. Huron in Ypsilanti.
When: Thursday-Saturday at 8 p.m., Oct. 8-17. (There is one matinee on Sunday, October 11 at 2 p.m.)
How much: $16 ($11 for students and seniors).
Info: Call 734-483-7345, or visit P.T.D.’s site.

In the photo: Brad Peters, left, as Watson and Carl Ellison as Holmes.