"Their Secret Was Out" [GREE]

I'm sure there are a few Jeremy Brett fans who are regular readers of this blog. If so, you may know that in the late 1980s he commissioned a play from Jeremy Paul, one of the writers for the Granada Television Series (he wrote "The Speckled Band," "The Musgrave Ritual," and "The Naval Treaty" among others). That play was The Secret of Sherlock Holmes and it ran for a year in the West End and toured for three months around England, starring Brett as Holmes and Edward Hardwicke as Dr. Watson.

One of Brett's wishes was to bring that play to the United States. And for nearly 20 years, that wish has gone unfulfilled. Until now.

Shakespeare & Company decided that it would honor the 120th anniversary of Sherlock Holmes being in print (1887-2007) by running the two-act two-man play from September 28 - October 28, 2007 at the Founders Theater in Lenox, Massachusetts. Tickets can be purchased online or by calling (413) 637-3353. For full details of the play, please see their page.

I've posted an interview with the two actors and the director over on I Hear of Sherlock Everywhere. It's about 50 minutes long and is an insider's view as to how an actor prepares for such a role, what makes this play different and why a Shakespearean company is putting it on. It's really a nice episode. If you like, you can download the episode or listen directly by clicking here. And you can check out some photos from the production by heading over to their gallery.

What's more, the weekend of October 19-21, 2007 will feature a number of Sherlockian events and speakers.

On Saturday, October 20, the Sherlockian speakers and collectibles begin to pile up. Sally Sugarman will be in to speak about the influence of Sherlock Holmes on children's literature, Leslie Klinger will unravel why we have a fascination with a 120 year-old detective, and I'll speak about Sherlock 2.0 - the great detective and his followers in the 21st century.

But there's so much more to the weekend than these presentations. As the site states:

On the weekend of Oct. 19, 20, 21, we welcome all to share several Sherlock topical events, including a unique Victorian era sherry, chocolate and dessert reception quite befitting the Holmesian tradition. On Saturday there will a series of presentations by special guests, including Leslie Klinger, America’s foremost Sherlock expert and editor of the New Annotated Sherlock Holmes. There will also be memorabilia and collectibles on display. There will be a performance on Saturday night, and on Sunday a Sherlockian English brunch with specialty items such as scrambled quail as suggested in the canon.

Check out the full listing and pricing on the Shakespeare & Company page.

I hope I'll be able to see you there. It promises to be a unique weekend. And the foliage is lovely in the Berkshires that time of year...