Huntington Theatre Company Presents SHERLOCK'S LAST CASE

In the Huntington Theatre Company's revival of Charles Marowitz's mystery play Sherlock's Last Case, alliances are tested, rivalries are raised from the dead, and long-simmering grudges play out in deadly ways. The beloved Sherlock Holmes, his aide de camp Dr. John Watson, and their put-upon landlady Mrs. Hudson - along with the iconic Baker Street flat - come to the Huntington Avenue Theatre Sep. 28 - Oct. 28, 2018, in a production directed by Maria Aitken.

Sherlock's Last Case takes place in London in the fall of 1897. The mystery spins into shape when Sherlock Holmes receives a threatening letter from the unknown son of his now-dead rival Professor Moriarty and a desperate visit from Moriarty's daughter who wants to quell her brother's murderous intent. From the parlor at Baker Street to an ominous dungeon below the streets of London, the characters play a dangerous cat-and-mouse game that threatens Holmes' life.

"Director Maria Aitken - a Huntington favorite - brought this sly comedy-thriller to our attention," says Artistic Director Peter DuBois. "It promises the same sense of fun, surprise, and suspense as her hit production of Alfred Hitchcock's The 39 Steps."

In addition to directing the world premiere (in London) and the American premiere (at the Huntington which then transferred to Broadway) of Alfred Hitchcock's The 39 Steps, Aitken has directed Private Lives, Bedroom Farce, The Seagull, and others for the Huntington, a company she refers to as her "true theatrical home." "With the brilliant and eccentric comedy Sherlock's Last Case," says Aitken, "I will be united with my favorite theatre in the world, staffed by wonderful people who anticipate my every whim. I can't wait."

Ever since Sir Arthur Conan Doyle wrote his final Sherlock Holmes book, the London-based sleuth has been ripe for reinvention, as a series of blockbuster films and recently a hit television series on PBS with Benedict Cumberbatch and Martin Freeman. But Holmes' adventures have been popular on stage - as early as 1899, when Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and co-author William Gillette penned Sherlock Holmes, which premiered on Broadway. Since then, audiences have flocked to many other Holmes adaptations including The Seven Percent Solution, Sherlock Holmes' Smarter Brother, Baker Street, and Crucifer of Blood. Marowitz's play, which won the Louis B. Mayer Playwriting Award, had its world premiere in 1984 at Los Angeles Actors' Theatre before transferring to Broadway in 1987 with Frank Langella in the lead role.

ARTISTIC AND PRODUCTION TEAM

Rufus Collins plays the titular detective. Collins has been seen previously at the Huntington (The Real Thing) and regional theatre companies across the country. His Broadway credits include The Royal Family, To Be or Not to Be, A Day in the Death of Joe Egg, An Ideal Husband, and The Homecoming. Mark Zeisler, who plays Dr. Watson, has appeared on Broadway (A View from the Bridge, Brooklyn Boy, The Big Knife) and at regional theatres across the country including American Repertory Theater, Shakespeare & Company, and Merrimack Repertory Theater.

Jane Ridley plays Mrs. Hudson (Mrs. Kemble's Tempest at Edinburgh Fringe Festival and United Solo Theatre Festival, The Importance of Being Earnest at The Old Globe, Ruth Westheimer in Becoming Dr. Ruth in Philadelphia and Phoenix). Malcolm Ingram, seen at the Huntington in Bedroom Farce, on Broadway in The Rivals, Actors' Shakespeare Project (Richard II), North Shore Music Theatre (Hamlet), and Berkshire Theatre Group (Hay Fever and Rat in the Skull), plays Inspector Lestrade. Antoinette Robinson, who plays Liza Moriarty, has appeared at Theatre for a New Audience and New York Classical Theatre, as well as numerous regional theatres.

Director Maria Aitken's credits include the Olivier and Tony Award-winning production of Alfred Hitchcock's The 39 Steps which she directed at the Huntington Theatre Company in its American premiere, and in its Broadway and Off Broadway runs. Aitken also directed Bedroom Farce, The Seagull, The Cocktail Hour, Betrayal, Private Lives, and Educating Rita at the Huntington. She has led productions at theatres across the UK, and at US institutions including The Old Globe in San Diego, the Guthrie Theater in Minneapolis, The Geffen Playhouse in Los Angeles, Williamstown Theatre Festival, and many others.

Playwright Charles Marowitz (1932 - 2014) also wrote the plays Murdering Marlowe, Stage Fright, Silent Partners, and a musical reworking of Shaw's The Admirable Bashville called Bashville in Love. He translated seminal plays by Henry Becque, George Feydeau, and Molière, and wrote books including Stage Dust: A Critic's Cultural Scrapbook from the 1900s and How to Stage a Play. As a director, he staged the original West End production of Joe Orton's Loot, Eugene Ionesco's Makbett, and Sam Shepard's Tooth of Crime, among others. He was associate director and dramaturg at LA Theatre Center and served as co-director of the Royal Shakespeare Company Experimental group. He was founding artistic director of the Malibu Stage Company.

The production team for Sherlock's Last Case includes: scenic designer Hugh Landwehr (Frozen, Bus Stop, All My Sons, and A View from the Bridge on Broadway); costume designer Fabio Toblini (Romeo and Juliet on Broadway, Hedwig and the Angry Inch Off Broadway); lighting designer Philip S. Rosenberg (numerous Huntington credits including Fall, Merrily We Roll Along, Betrayal, and Can Your Forgive Her?, and Pretty Woman and A Gentleman's Guide to Love and Murder on Broadway); and Tony Award-winning sound designer Mic Pool (Alfred Hitchcock's The 39 Steps at the Huntington and on Broadway: Tony Award for Best Sound Design). Casting is by Alaine Alldaffer. Production Stage Manager is Kevin Schlagle. Stage Manager is Alycia Marucci.

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