City Lights Theater Company to Present Ken Ludwig's THE GAME'S AFOOT; OR HOLMES FOR THE HOLIDAYS

With glittering 1930s flair, City Lights Theater Company will bring audiences the hilarious whodunit Ken Ludwig’s The Game’s Afoot; Or Holmes for the Holidays.

Set during the Christmas holidays in 1936, the play takes us into the Connecticut castle of Broadway star William Gillette, widely renowned for his stage turns as Sherlock Holmes. The weekend party is all fun and games until one of the guests gets murdered, and Gillette realizes he’ll have to play Sherlock for real.

Directed by Mark Anderson Phillips, the show has preview performances on Nov. 16 and 17, with opening night on Saturday, Nov. 18. Shows are at City Lights Theater, 529 S. Second St., downtown San Jose, with tickets available at cltc.org.

Phillips says audiences will love recognizing familiar comedy and mystery tropes in the acclaimed farce, which may best be described as Blithe Spirit meets The Hollow meets The Play That Goes Wrong.

“The show has the feel of a 1930s screwball comedy, where it moves really nicely and quickly, and the actors embrace their characters’ eccentricities,” he said. He added with a laugh, “Oh, we’re nice and cozy in here, but we’re cut off from the world in this horrible storm, and it’s not really that cozy because there’s a dead person in here.”

The Game’s Afoot debuted in 2011, presented by Cleveland Play House at the Allen Theatre in Cleveland and directed by playwright Aaron Posner (Stupid F**king Bird, The Chosen, My Name is Asher Lev.) The Game’s Afoot was chosen the Best Mystery Play of 2012 by the Mystery Writers of America, and the Cleveland Examiner called it “a wild and funny ride (that) gives you everything you love about great live theater.”

In Ludwig’s noted career, he has had six productions on Broadway and eight in London’s West End. His plays and musicals include the Tony Award-winning Crazy For You (Best Musical) and Lend Me a Tenor (Best Actor and Best Director), along with Moon Over Buffalo, Twentieth Century and Shakespeare in Hollywood. He is also the author of the book How to Teach Your Children Shakespeare.

Director Mark Anderson Phillips has helmed or co-directed some of City Lights’ biggest hits -- including Kinky Boots, Blithe Spirit and Silent Sky -- and has also directed at Center Repertory Theatre, Children’s Musical Theatre of San Jose and California Theatre Center. In addition, he has been acting professionally for more than 30 years, working with such companies as American Conservatory Theatre, Berkeley Repertory Theatre, TheatreWorks, San Jose Repertory Theatre, and California Shakespeare Theatre. He has also appeared on TV, in film, and at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival and New York International Fringe Festival.

The Game’s Afoot cast:

William Gillette: Damian Vega (he/him, resident of San Jose)

Felix Geisel: Tom Gough (he/him, Santa Clara)

Madge Geisel: Naomi Evans (she/her, San Jose)

Martha Gillette: Lillian Bogovich (she/her, Santa Cruz)

Inspector Goring: Alycia Adame (they/them, Los Gatos)

Aggie Wheeler: Lauren Berling (she/her, Fremont)

Simon Bright: Anthony Castillon (he/they, San Jose)

Daria Chase: Gabriella Goldstein (she/her, San Carlos)

Designers: Ron Gasparinetti, he/him (Scenic); Carsten Koester, he/him (Lighting); Katie Dowse, she/her(Costumes); Laura Merrill, they/them (Props); George Psarras, he/him (Sound); Miranda Whipple, she/her (Stage Manager).

Sponsors and Supporters: The Game’s Afoot is supported by Producer Charlie McCollum and Producer Clint Moore, and by Season Producers Nancy B. Coleman & Paul M. Resch. Other sponsors and supporters include SVCreates, in partnership with the County of Santa Clara; The Shubert Foundation; Applied Materials Foundation; the City of San Jose Office of Cultural Affairs; the David and Lucile Packard Foundation; the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation; The Kieve Foundation and many other individuals, corporations and foundations.

CLTC's season continues in January with Nora: A Doll’s House, Stef Smith’s new take on the classic. Later shows: King Liz by Fernanda Coppel; Clyde's by Lynn Nottage; and Richard O'Brien's The Rocky Horror Show. Details: cltc.org/current-events.

PERFORMANCE DETAILS

WHAT: This comedy takes us into the Connecticut castle of Broadway star William Gillette, renowned for his stage turns as Sherlock Holmes. The weekend is all fun and games until a guest gets murdered, and Gillette has to play Sherlock for real.

WHEN: Nov. 16-Dec. 17, 2023.

Pay What You Can Night: Thursday, Nov. 16, 8 p.m.

Preview Night: Friday, Nov. 17, 8 p.m.

Opening Night: Saturday, Nov. 18, 8 p.m. (No shows on Nov. 19 or 23.)

Showtimes: Thursday-Saturday at 8 p.m. and Sundays at 2 p.m.

WHERE: City Lights Theater, 529 S. Second St., San Jose.

TICKETS: $28-$67, with discounts for students, seniors, educators and military.

COVID PROTOCOLS: Masks are recommended indoors except for three “mask-required” dates: Dec. 2, 3 and 14. Audience members are encouraged to stay home if they feel unwell, and can exchange to another performance at no extra charge.

INFO: For tickets and details, go to cltc.org or call 408-295-4200.

PRESS: For interviews or press comps, contact Rebecca Wallace at rebecca@cltc.org. High-res photos are at cltc.org/games-afoot. (A new gallery of production art will replace the pre-production shots at this same URL on Nov. 17.)

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