SHERLOCK HOLMES is On the Case at LBP Mainstage

The Long Beach Playhouse opens its 2018 - 2019 Mainstage Season (The 90th) with Sherlock Holmes and the Adventure of the Suicide Club by playwright Jeffrey Hatcher. The play explores the question: "What if Arthur Conan Doyle's famous detective found himself in a plot inspired by Robert Louis Stevenson?" The play is set in the heart of London in a windowless house where Europe's most powerful men gather to play a murderous game. On this particular night, the club welcomes a new member, Sherlock Holmes. Does Holmes actually wish to die? Can his friend Dr. Watson save him?

"I'd describe this play as a dark comedic mystery," said Madison Mooney, Playhouse Executive Director. "Fans of Sherlock Holmes will recognize the construction of the play. Dr. Watson serves as the narrator, but Hatcher brings a lighter touch to the characters and the plot. And there's a bit of romance, which adds a sweet touch to the show."

Sherlock Holmes and the Adventure of the Suicide Club is set against the historical backdrop of a fragile Europe in 1914. Forces deep within the Suicide Club may be manipulating the deaths of prominent men in a plot that puts the fate of Europe in peril. The play was first produced in 2011. Since then it's been nominated for the Edgar Award for best play by the Mystery Writers of America.

"Sherlock Holmes never fails to delight our audiences," said Sean Gray, Artistic Director for the Playhouse. "This show doesn't walk away from the melancholy and complexity of the great detective or the chance for the audience to try to figure out the murderer. Hatcher's mash up of Doyle and Stevenson takes two literary giants and dusts them with humor.

I asked Mitchell Nunn to direct the show because he's incredibly adept at getting the most out of mysteries infused with comedy. I know he'll hit the exact right notes that will give the show the perfect balance between dark melancholy, historical perspective, and comedy."

Spencer Richardson brings his artistry to the set design and resident designer Donna Fritsche has designed costumes that will add to the visual symphony in which the story unfolds. The cast is a mix of actors making their debuts and others returning to the Playhouse. Actors returning to the Playhouse include Tim Thorn, Peter Stone, Jill Prout, Terra Taylor Knudson, William Jaramillo, Nancy Fleming, Rick Reischman and Henry Weaver. Debuting actors are Cruz Flores and Lloyd Blum.

The show opens September 22 and runs through October 20, 2018.

SPECIAL EVENTS FOR THIS PLAY:

• Pay what you can Thursday September 20 - community can see this production for whatever they can afford
• Two for One Preview Friday September 21 - Tickets are $12.00
• Opening Night Champagne Reception with cast on September 22 - Tickets are $27.00

Tickets are available at www.lbplayhouse.org, or by calling 562-494-1014, option 1.
To request an interview with the director, cast members or reserve your media tickets to this performance, please send an email to: pr@lbplayhouse.org.

Long Beach Playhouse is located at 5021 E. Anaheim St., Long Beach, CA, 90804, right across from the Long Beach Recreation golf course. The Playhouse is community-supported theatre with programs and events that cut across age, gender, ethnic, and cultural boundaries.

Performances are 8 p.m. Friday, and Saturday and 2 p.m. Sunday. The box office is open Wednesday-Saturday from 3:00-8:00 pm and Sundays from 1:00-2:00 pm on scheduled matinees.

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