Audiences will go back in time to discover if the world-famous detective lives … or dies
East Lynne Theater Company will present two weekends of performances of “The Death of Sherlock Holmes?” radio-style, on Nov. 15-16 and 22-23.
Two stories by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle intertwine—”The Final Problem” and “The Adventure of the Empty House”—and have been adapted and are directed by East Lynne veteran Mark Edward Lang. The first story pits Holmes against his arch-nemesis Professor Moriarty. A struggle ensues when Holmes and Moriarty meet at Reichenbach Falls, and both plummet into the gorge. When Dr. Watson, Holmes’ trusty partner, discovers both men missing, he and the world are certain that Holmes has tragically fallen to his death. But real-world fans made a huge uproar over Conan Doyle killing off his most beloved character, which eventually compelled the author to continue the popular detective series. The second story of the evening then explains the rest.
“This is the latest of many East Lynne radio-style Sherlock Holmes dramas, tying into Cape May MAC’s Holmes Weekends but always faithful to the original Conan Doyle stories. The ‘live radio show’ format takes the audience back in time both to Victorian England and to NBC Studios in 1938, where our group of gifted radio actors presents not just these two exciting stories but also period commercials, music and sound effects,” Lang said. “The audience had such a great time last year we decided to bring back this show; but with some key cast changes it will definitely have a freshness as well.”
Actors in this unique radio-style performance include Joseph Travers as Holmes, Mark Cairns as Moriarty, Alison J. Murphy, Ken Hornbeck, Jeff Sharkey, and Lang as Watson.
Performances are 7 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays, Nov. 15-16 and 22-23. Tickets are $25; students and military are $20. East Lynne Theater Co. is located at 500 Hughes St., Cape May. More information can be found at EastLynneTheater.org.
About East Lynne Theater Company:
Founded in 1980, East Lynne Theater Company (ELTC) was the first theater in the country with the unique mission of presenting and preserving America’s theatrical heritage. The New York Times listed ELTC as one of the 75 top summer theaters in North America. In 2018, the New Jersey Senate and General Assembly passed a joint legislative resolution recognizing ELTC as “one of the state’s most important cultural treasures.”
