Chicago plays make the case for Holmes this fall

Let's start with the facts.

Sherlock Holmes will play a part in a half dozen productions on local stages in the span of just a few months. The suspects include a Lake County venue and five Chicago theaters.

The motive? The enduring popularity of the hyper-analytical Baker Street sleuth.

"(Holmes) has never been not popular," said City Lit Theater artistic director Terry McCabe, whose fourth Holmes stage adaptation is a new take on Nicholas Meyer's novel "The Seven-Per-Cent Solution."

"The interest has been steady for 130 years now. You can't think of another character for whom that's true."

Ask anyone to name the world's most famous fictional detective and their answer likely would be Sherlock Holmes. From the original Sir Arthur Conan Doyle stories starting in the late 19th century to today's star-powered small screen updates, Holmes has long had a role in pop culture.

So while the London detective's popularity is no mystery, the sheer number of local productions in which he plays a part is surprising.

Some plays about the London detective stick closer to the source material, while others go in wildly different directions. Thus, you have Hollywood star David Arquette in the simply titled "Sherlock Holmes," a national touring production heading to the Oriental Theatre and drawn from the original stories, as well as "The (Curious Case of the) Watson Intelligence" now at Theater Wit.

As a reflection of the times, McCabe said "The Seven-Per-Cent Solution" explores more of the psychology of Holmes and his drug addictions. The story shows Holmes' trusty sidekick, Dr. John Watson, as he tries to get his friend off drugs in the midst of a case that ends with a climactic saber battle atop a moving train.

Holmes is only mentioned in passing in "The (Curious Case of the) Watson Intelligence," Madeleine George's 2013 Pulitzer finalist play now in a critically acclaimed Chicago debut. The drama leaps back and forth through time as it explores technological advances and the difficulty of remaining in relationships. Not only does the play deal with a case that Watson takes on in Holmes' absence, but it also mentions Thomas A. Watson (Alexander Graham Bell's assistant, who was named in the world's first telephone exchange) and the Watson artificial intelligence machine that competed on the TV game show "Jeopardy!"

A more Chicago-centric Sherlock story has been devised by E.D.G.E. Theatre with its world premiere drama "Holmes vs. Holmes."

Written by Bill Daniels and co-conceived by Angela Davis Couling and Orion Couling (who also directs), the play imagines Sherlock Holmes pursuing real-life 19th century mass murderer H.H. Holmes, who was notorious for his torture castle built on Chicago's South Side.

A stretch? Sure, but Orion Couling notes that Holmes disappeared from the literary canon for a few years to break up the international crime ring of his arch nemesis, Professor Moriarty.

"That happened exactly at the same time as the rise of H.H. Holmes here in Chicago," Couling says. "So we thought, wouldn't it be brilliant if someone like Sherlock Holmes would be partially responsible for taking him down?"

"We're huge Chicago history buffs as well as Sherlock Holmes buffs," he added.

Gender shake-ups come into play with Aquila Theatre's touring production of "The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes," which recently played Fermilab in Batavia and returns for one night in January at College of Lake County in Grayslake. An actress has been cast as Holmes.

In terms of Hollywood star-wattage, David Arquette headlines the national tour of "Sherlock Holmes," coming to Chicago for a Thanksgiving week run of eight performances. He's joined by James Maslow ("Big Time Rush") as Watson and Renee Olstead ("Still Standing") as Lady Irene St. John in a 2013 stage adaptation by the late Greg Kramer.

Arquette says his take on the classic character is unlike the most popular versions, which include Benedict Cumberbatch as Holmes in PBS' "Sherlock," Jonny Lee Miller in CBS' "Elementary" and Basil Rathbone in a series of black-and-white films from the 1930s and '40s.

"It's a different version. I bring a lighter, sort of fun quality to him where he's not quite as serious," said Arquette. "My character laughs a lot."

And if audiences want to spend the holidays with Holmes in a family-friendly production, there's "Sherlock Holmes and the Case of the Christmas Goose." Michael Menendian and John Weagly's stage adaptation of Conan Doyle's "The Adventure of the Blue Carbuncle" returns to Chicago's Raven Theatre for the fifth time with new director Rachel Edwards Harvith.

"It's different from the usual holiday fare," said Menendian, who added that the show was an instant success when they first staged it as a radio play with scripts in hand for just one weekend. "But we realized that it had a lot more value if it was a full production."

So when it comes to Sherlock Holmes, Chicago-area audiences have a variety of mysteries and styles to choose from in the next few months.

"(Holmes) will always have an audience," McCabe said. "There's a lot of different ways to approach him and each generation finds their own Sherlock Holmes."

Case closed.

<h3 class="briefHead">Local productions</h3>

<h3 class="briefHead">"The (curious case of the) Watson Intelligence" </h3>

<b>Location:</b> Theater Wit, 1229 W. Belmont Ave., Chicago, (773) 975-8150 or theaterwit.org

<b>When: </b>Running now through Nov. 14. Showtimes <span class="x BTO fact box text bold">8 p.m. Thursday through Saturday, 7 p.m. Sunday.</span>

<b>Tickets:</b> $30-$36

<h3 class="briefHead">"The Seven-Per-Cent Solution" </h3>

<b>Where:</b> City Lit Theater, 1020 W. Bryn Mawr Ave., Chicago, (773) 293-3682 or citylit.org

<b>When:</b> Running now through Nov. 15. 7:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday (also Thursday, Nov. 5 and 12), 3 p.m. Sunday.

<b>Tickets:</b> $29; $25 seniors; $10 students

<h3 class="briefHead">"Holmes vs. Holmes" </h3>

<b>Where:</b> E.D.G.E. Theatre at Heartland Studio Theatre, 7016 N. Glenwood Ave., Chicago, theatre.edgeoforion.com

<b>When:</b> Running Nov. 5 through Nov. 29. Showtimes 7:30 p.m. Thursday through Friday (no show Nov. 26) and Monday, Nov. 23; 3 p.m. Sunday.

<b>Tickets:</b> $22

<h3 class="briefHead">"Sherlock Holmes" starring David Arquette </h3>

<b>Where:</b> Oriental Theatre, 24 W. Randolph St., Chicago, (800) 775-2000 or broadwayinchicago.com

<b>When: </b>7:30 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 24; 2 and 7:30 p.m. Wednesday and Friday, Nov. 25 and 27; 2 and 8 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 28; 2 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 29

<b>Tickets:</b> $21-$84

<h3 class="briefHead">"Sherlock Holmes and the Case of the Christmas Goose" </h3>

<b>Where</b>: Raven Theatre, 6157 N. Clark St., Chicago, (773) 338-2177 or raventheatre.com

<b>When: </b>Running Dec. 9 through Jan. 3. Showtimes 7:30 p.m. Thursday (no show Dec. 24; 5 p.m. on Dec. 31); 7:30 p.m. Friday (no show Dec. 25); 5 and 7:30 p.m. Saturday (no 5 p.m. show Dec. 12); 3 p.m. Sunday (also 5:30 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 20 and 27). Extra 7:30 p.m. shows Dec. 9, 29 and 30.

<b>Tickets:</b> $22-$24; $17-$19 students

<h3 class="briefHead">"The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes" </h3>

<b>Where:</b> Aquila Theatre at College of Lake County's Lumber Center for the Performing Arts, 19351 W. Washington St., Grayslake, (847) 543-2300 or jlcenter.clcillinois.edu

<b>When:</b> 7 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 17

<b>Tickets:</b> $38-$45; $37-$44 seniors; $15 youth