Arthur Conan Doyle had Sherlock Holmes fall to his death over the Reichenbach Falls in the story “The Final Problem” back in 1893. Fans of the detective stories would have none of it, however, and eventually he gave in, resurrecting Holmes in “The Hound of the Baskervilles.”
A group of street urchins named the Baker Street Irregulars, who made appearances in some of Doyle’s Holmes stories and novels, didn’t quite believe the Reichenbach story either – and their tale forms the backbone of a play Brantford’s IT Productions (formerly Ichthys Productions) puts on June 6-8.
“Sherlock Holmes: The Baker Street Irregulars” tells the story of six youth who aim to solve two mysteries – the kidnapping of the London mayor’s daughter and the disappearance of a former thug-turned-amateur detective, crimes they believe were made possible by the “death” of Holmes and his archnemesis, Moriarty.
“Conan Doyles’s stories are masterfully written and Holmes himself transcends them with his charisma and the appeal of a genius who doesn’t need super-human abilities to help people,” said Carlos Diaz, who has been acting, writing and directing in the GTA and Brant area for several years. You may have caught him on “Law & Order Toronto: Criminal Intent” or in “The Somewhat True Tale of Robin Hood,” also an IT Production. In “The Baker Street Irregulars,” Diaz plays Holmes’s amanuensis, Dr. Watson.
“Sherlock Holmes is a legend! Everyone loves a good mystery, don’t they?” Lisa Stanford said. Stanford is co-founder of Desiree’s Angels: Victims for a New Start, a not-for-profit organization that has for the past 12 years raised money for victims of crime, so some of Holmes’s sidekicks mean something to her beyond the mysteries they’re trying to solve. “It shows anyone can be anything regardless of their circumstances.”
The plight of the kids is one of the messages that spoke to Nathan Rector also. Rector, who has acted in university in Wisconsin and played Little John in a recent IT Production, said: “Everyone, familiar with Doyle or not, is familiar with crime. Even more than crime, though, people are familiar with betrayal, difficulties in childhood, family tensions and navigating this difficult life. The play reminds us—reminds me, at least—that we don’t focus on those things. We focus on our friendships, relationships and the families that we build around ourselves … We’re all somewhat irregular, though we all belong somewhere.”
Among other cast members are Lachlan Bull, Raymond Beauchemin, Ainsley Diaz, Bruce Farley, Luke Hart, Nyx Kopke, Savannah Maxworth, Foster and Glen Rideout (playing Holmes himself), Trevor Wellwood and James Wilson.
“Sherlock Holmes: The Baker Street Irregulars,” adapted by Eric Coble from graphic novels by Tony Lee and Dan Boultwood, and directed by Lorna Stratton, plays at 7:30 p.m. June 6 and 7, and 2 p.m. June 8, at St. Mary’s Parish Hall, 133 Murray St. in Brantford. Tickets are $20 at the door or online at www.onstagedirect.com.
