'Holmes' role more than elementary for David Arquette
David Arquette's jaw dropped the first time he walked into the lobby of Chicago's Oriental Theatre and took in its over-the-top Asian decor. In town last month to drum up early publicity for a North American tour of "Sherlock Holmes," Arquette was in awe that he would be performing as Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's legendary detective during Thanksgiving week in such an ornate theater.
"They don't make theaters like this anymore," Arquette said. "It truly is a dream come true to play a theater like this in Chicago."
The ex-husband of "Friends" star Courteney Cox and brother of Academy Award-winning actress Patricia Arquette, David Arquette is perhaps best known for starring in the "Scream" franchise films, though his multifaceted career includes working in fashion and even as a wrestler in the now-defunct World Championship Wrestling.
He has stage experience as well. He starred as Frank-N-Furter in Richard O'Brien's "The Rocky Horror Show" in 1999, and he performed opposite Academy Award-nominee Annette Bening in a 2010 production of Joanna Murray-Smith's "The Female of the Species."
Now, he's starring as the famed Holmes.
"It's an incredible opportunity to be playing a character that I typically wouldn't be playing," said Arquette. "As an actor, the first thing you look for is the character, the story, the director and the cast. So everything came into place."
Arquette is a self-professed Holmes fan, and he eagerly pointed out how late playwright Greg Kramer drew from Doyle's original stories to craft the 2013 stage version of "Sherlock Holmes."
"It's a great, new telling of it, and it's a humorous interpretation," Arquette said. "There's definitely some dramatic moments in it, but it really allows us to have fun with the audience."
Other stars joining Arquette on tour include James Maslow ("Big Time Rush") as sidekick Dr. John Watson and Renee Olstead ("Still Standing") as the temperance activist Lady Irene St. John.
"We're really trying to bring in a younger demographic to the theater to experience this," said Arquette. "We improv at moments if we get stuck or if something breaks on the set. We just have fun with it all."
Appearing in "Sherlock Holmes" is also something of a homecoming for Arquette, since he lived with his acting family in Evanston from age 2 to 4. The timing of the tour allowed Arquette to appear as the grand marshal for Chicago's 2015 McDonald's Thanksgiving Parade.
"Some of my earliest memories are of Chicago like Bozo the Clown and of Christmas," said Arquette, happy to be a part of the city's Thanksgiving Day celebrations. "It's such a great holiday town."
“Sherlock Holmes”
Location: Oriental Theatre, 24 W. Randolph St., Chicago, (800) 775-2000 or
Showtimes: 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
Tickets: $21-$84