Cast Set for City Lit's World Premiere Of SHERLOCK HOLMES AND THE CHRISTMAS CLOWNS

City Lit will celebrate the holidays with the world premiere production of John Weagly's SHERLOCK HOLMES AND THE CHRISTMAS CLOWNS, a mystery adapted from the short story “The Flying Stars” by G.K. Chesterton and the works of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. This new play will continue City Lit's 19-year history with the legendary detective, from 2006's and 2014's HOLMES AND WATSON, 2015's THE SEVEN PER-CENT SOLUTION, through 2007's and 2019's THE HOUND OF THE BASKERVILLES. Executive Artistic Director Brian Pastor will direct this special holiday production. SHERLOCK HOLMES AND THE CHRISTMAS CLOWNS will open to the press on Sunday, December 14 following previews on December 13 and 14, and play through January 4, 2026.

Weagly, co-author/adapter of the popular holiday play SHERLOCK HOLMES AND THE CASE OF THE CHRISTMAS GOOSE, crafted this new Holmes mystery from G.K. Chesterton's short story “The Flying Stars,” which originally appeared in The Saturday Evening Post in 1911. The story was one of 53 stories Chesterton wrote about Father Brown—a fictional priest who was an amateur detective. Weagly's play replaces Father Brown with Holmes as the detective seeking to locate three missing precious jewels stolen during a pantomime performed by the guests of a holiday party in the English countryside. The play includes traditional British carols sung by a four-person chorus, with occasional tweaks to the lyrics to comment on the story.

Returning for the fourth time each as the legendary duo of deductive reasoning are James Sparling as Holmes and Adam Bitterman as Watson. The two have played the sleuths in all the above-mentioned City Lit Sherlock Holmes plays since 2014. Beyond Sherlock Holmes, Sparling's many other roles at City Lit include his Jeff-nominated Thomas Becket in 2024's MURDER IN THE CATHEDRAL, and Goldberg in 2023's THE BIRTHDAY PARTY. Just this fall, Sparling played Inspector Rough in GASLIGHT for Oil Lamp Theatre. Bitterman's recent performances on Chicago stages include playing Otto Frank in THE DIARY OF ANNE FRANK for Young Peoples' Theatre of Chicago, and Arnold Drake in City Lit's THE MARK OF KANE.

Other cast principals include Mark Mendelsohn (WAR OF THE WORLDS at Lifeline) as Colonel Adams, the party host; Courtney Abbott (BERNHARDT/HAMLET with Edge of the Woods) as Jemma Blount, the colonel's sister-in-law; Betsy Pennington-Taylor (HAY FEVER at City Lit) as the wealthy Lady Gabriella; Manny Sevilla (THE CHRISTIANS at Citadel Theatre) as the neighbor John Crook, who is romantically interested in Adams' daughter Ruby; and Sophia Vitello (City Lit's THE PLAYBOY OF THE WESTERN WORLD) as Ruby. Appearing in the chorus are Maggie Cain (City Lit's THIRTEEN DAYS), David Fink (City Lit's THE BIRTHDAY PARTY), Alex George (City Lit's R.U.R. (ROSSUM'S UNIVERSAL ROBOTS)), and Bruce Holtman (Theo Ubique's THE BEST LITTLE WHOREHOUSE IN TEXAS).

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