SHERLOCK HOLMES: THE FINAL ADVENTURE Gets Reading at Westport Country Playhouse; Cast Announced!

Westport Country Playhouse will present a Script in Hand playreading of "Sherlock Holmes: The Final Adventure," a thriller by Steven Dietz, based on the original 1899 play by William Gillette and Arthur Conan Doyle, on Monday, December 11, at 7 p.m.

The play won the 2007 Edgar Allan Poe Award for Best Mystery. The reading will be directed by Anne Keefe, Playhouse associate artist and curator of the playreading series. Tickets are $20 each.

"Sherlock Holmes is having a bit of a comeback these days," said Keefe. "When I read this script, I thought the Playhouse should jump on the bandwagon. It's been a while since we saw our last thriller on the Playhouse stage. A cold December evening seemed like a good time to 'solve' that problem."

"Sherlock Holmes: The Final Adventure" finds the world's greatest detective seemingly at the end of his remarkable career when a case presents itself that is too tempting to ignore. The case involves both blackmail and the famous opera singer Irene Adler. With his trusted companion Doctor Watson, Holmes pursues first the case and then the affections of Miss Adler - and in doing so, marches right into the lair of his longtime adversary, that malevolent genius of crime: Professor Moriarty.

In this spirited, fast-moving and thoroughly theatrical adaptation, Holmes is at the height of his powers - surrounded by all the elements that fans of his exploits have come to expect: danger, intrigue, wit, humor, and surprise.

Cast members, many of whom have appeared in prior Playhouse productions, include Mark Shanahan as Sherlock Holmes (WCP's "Around the World in 80 Days," "Tryst," "Sedition," "David Copperfield," "Journey's End," 19 Script in Hand playreadings; New York's "Checkers," "The 39 Steps"); Michael Mastro as Doctor Watson (WCP's "Things We Do for Love"; Broadway's "West Side Story," "12 Angry Men," "Cat on a Hot Tin Roof," "Mamma Mia!," "Barrymore" with Christopher Plummer); Jennifer Mudge as Irene Adler (WCP's "Scramble!," Script in Hand playreadings of "Other People's Money," "A Strange and Separate People"; Broadway's "Rocky," "The Philanthropist," "Reckless"; Drama Desk nomination for "Dutchman"); Julian Gamble as Professor Moriarty (WCP's "What the Butler Saw"; Broadway and tours of "The Seagull," "The Invention of Love," "Democracy, " "The Iceman Cometh," "Dinner at Eight," "A Month in The Country"; TV's "House of Cards").

Also, Chris Henry Coffey as The King of Bohemia (WCP's "The Dining Room," "Lips Together, Teeth Apart," Script in Hand playreading of "Other People's Money"; New York's "Bronx Bombers," "Water by the Spoonful"; David Schwinner's "Trust"; Matthew Greer as James Larrabee (WCP's "Bedroom Farce," "And a Nightingale Sang," "Things We Do for Love"; Broadway's "The Real Thing," "Seminar," "Cabaret," "The Judas Kiss"; national tour of "Spamalot"); Constance Shulman as Madge Larrabee (New York's "Steel Magnolias" original cast; films "Fried Green Tomatoes," "Sweet and Lowdown"; television's "The Blacklist," "Orange Is the New Black"); John Keating as Sid Prince (WCP's "David Copperfield," "The Streets of New York"; six shows with New York's Theatre for a New Audience and 18 productions with NY's Irish Repertory Theatre; television's "Boardwalk Empire"); and Ephraim Birney as Postboy, Clergyman, Policeman, Young Swiss Man.

Playwright Steven Dietz's other plays include "Yankee Tavern," "Becky's New Car," "Last of the Boys," "Lonely Planet," "Shooting Star," "Private Eyes," "Inventing Van Gogh," and "The Nina Variations."

Director Anne Keefe served as artistic director of Westport Country Playhouse with Joanne Woodward in 2008, and as associate artistic director from 2000-2006, also with Ms. Woodward. She co-directed with Ms. Woodward the Westport Country Playhouse production of "David Copperfield," and directed many Script in Hand playreadings.

All artists are subject to change.

The Script in Hand series is supported, in part, by the White Barn Program of the Lucille Lortel Foundation.

For more information and to buy tickets, visit www.westportplayhouse.org or call the box office at (203) 227-4177, toll-free at 1-888-927-7529, or visit Westport Country Playhouse, 25 Powers Court, off Route 1, Westport. Stay connected to the Playhouse on Facebook (Westport Country Playhouse), follow on Twitter (@WCPlayhouse), and on YouTube (WestportPlayhouse).

The mission of Westport Country Playhouse is to enrich, enlighten, and engage the community through the power of professionally produced theater worth talking about and the welcoming experience of the Playhouse campus. The Playhouse provides this experience in multiple ways by offering: Live theater experiences of the highest quality, under the artistic direction of Mark Lamos; educational and community engagement events to further explore the work on stage; programs for students and teachers with extensive curriculum support material; Script in Hand play readings to deepen relationships with audiences and artists; the renowned Woodward Internship Program during the summer months for aspiring theater professionals; Family Festivities presentations to delight young and old alike and to promote reading through live theater; youth performance training and performance opportunities through Broadway Method Academy, WCP's resident conservatory; and the beautiful and historic Playhouse campus open for enjoyment and community events year-round.

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