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Sherlock Holmes and the Curse of the Sign of Four A Victorian Melodrama. Dennis Rosa. Based on the novel by Sir Arthur
Conan Doyle. Sherlock Holmes fans everywhere will be familiar with this classic
tale of stolen treasure and murder, in which Holmes and Watson (aided
after a fashion by the bumbling Inspector Lestrade) are pitted for
the first time against the diabolic Professor Moriarty. At stake
are the safety and fortune of the lovely Mary Morstan, whose late
father has intended her to share in the riches of the long-lost Agra
Treasure. The quest to resolve the baffling mystery (and murders)
surrounding the whereabouts of the missing booty brings sudden danger
to Holmes, romance to Watson, and high advenuueé to all concerned.
Taut and fast-moving, the play cleverly blends thrills and laughter
as it deftly recreates "the romanticmelodramatic style of the period
in which it takes place." Published with detailed suggestions for
simplified staging, it is highly recommended for groups in every
category. Thriller. Charles Marowitz. Picking up where the famous stories ended, the play centres on a
death threat against Sherlock Holmes by the supposed son of his late
nemesis, Professor Moriarty. Oddly enough, however, Holmes is warned
of the plot by Moriarty's daughter, to whom Holmes (who turns out
to be quite a ladies' man) is strongly attracted. The plot then twists
and turns until Holmes finds himself imprisoned in a dank cellar,
trapped not by young Moriarty but, to his shocked surprise, by the
good Dr. Watson - who, it turns out, has long been bitterly resentful
of his second class status as Holmes' lackey. After Holmes demise
Watson comes into his own, or seems to, until a number of imposters
turn up claiming to be the real Sherlock Holmes. In sorting all this
out the play mixes humour and suspense in equal amounts, leading
to a stunning final twist which will surely catch audiences by complete,
and breath-stopping surprise. Drama. K.C. Brown. It is 1920. Violet Sheridan, a young sculptress, is summoned to
meet Sherlock Holmes, who is now retired and keeping bees in Sussex.
Violet hopes that the great man has invited her in order to commission
a bust of himself, but instead he reveals to her that they have a
close family connection. Leaving out a crucial piece of the puzzle
of her mysterious origins, Holmes abruptly asks Violet to collaborate
with him on an unsettling blackmail case that has disturbed his retirement.
But rather than join the ageing sleuth, Violet embarks on her own
investigation in search of her true identity. Holmes, famous for
his ability to reveal truths, employs all his waning strength to
conceal the facts of Violet's heritage. Her keen, intuitive sleuthing
brings her in contact with several elusive and fascinating women
- all of whom seem to have been intimately involved with the great
detective. Consulting a medium, at a seance Violet learns some distressing
information concerning her birthright, while at the same time, Holmes'
blackmail, and now murder, case becomes intertwined with Violet's
search for her elusive lineage. The conclusion of the mysteries finds
Holmes the super-hero forced to confront Holmes the flawed, mortal
man, and his dynamic young apprentice is thrust into a situation
in which she discovers her true self as she rescues her lost parents
from danger. Chris Hannan Glasgow. Today. It's Ann's wedding - but she's in two minds because
there are two men in her life, both called Billy. Meanwhile her daughter
Mandy wants to save souls and makes a start with Charlie - who's
on the dole and on the make. Soon there are nine characters in search
of their souls, sex and a new wardrobe ... Play. Willy Russell Underneath Mrs Joe Bradshaw - 42-year-old mother of two grown-up
children - there is the former Shirley Valentine longing to get out.
Her feminist friend offers her a free holiday in Greece and she seizes
the opportunity. Shirley, breaking out of the mould cast for her
by society, is brilliantly shown with humour, warm sympathy and human
insight. 'In this play [Mr Russell] touches English audiences
directly in a way that no other playwright has done since the early
John Osborne ... brilliantly funny...' The Times. Thriller. Brian Clemens Maggie lives in a converted windmill, to which her lover, Terry,
and Maggie's friend Ann are coming to celebrate her birthday. Maggie
has some peculiar tastes, including tape-recording the most private
intimacies between herself and her lovers. This indulgence soon causes
consternation among the visitors, culminating in the death of Ann's
fiancé A second horror is the discovery that Maggie has been
murdered. A final twist proves the relevance of the play's title. Farce. John Dole Fred is a home-built computer given to uttering loud and embarrassing remarks at inopportune moments. He all but ruins the courtship of his owner's daughter, but does have his uses: he is able to forecast the weather with complete accuracy. News of this reaches the Met. Office, who send a spy posing as a believer in the occult to infiltrate the Shaw household, while Uncle Ben finds out if Fred can predict the winner of the 3.30. The Shoemaker's Wonderful Wife Play. Federico Garcia Lorcá. Translated by Gwynne Edwards In this play subtitled 'A Violent Farce in Two Acts', a young wife is not satisfied with her elderly husband and spends her time talking to young men through the window. The shoemaker leaves her, abandoning her to face the insults of the neighbours. In the second act he returns, disguised, and listens as she vows loyalty to her absent husband. He then reveals his identity only to find that she blames him for her problems, as her former suitors stab each other outside. Comedy. Molly Newman. 1 man, 7 women. Interior. The time is Christmas week, 1962: the place, a locker room in a
rundown, small town gymnasium where a touring womens basketball team, "The
Shooting Stars," is getting ready to face off against a local men's
team. High-spirited and mostly southern, the girls quickly emerge
as distinct personalities as, amid the very funny banter and horseplay,
we learn about their personal "hang-ups" and the lives they left
behind to join the group. The entrance of the team's paternalistic
owner-manager, Cassius, adds a further dimension to the action as
he parcels out assignments, rides herd on their diets and persuades
their star centre, Wilma, to forego election to the Basketball Hall
of Fame lest the honour divide the loyalties of the team. But then,
when Cassius is felled by a sudden, fatal heart attack, "The Shooting
Stars" must, for the first time, decide their own fate - whether
to give up or go on, whether to really become a team or to acknowledge
that, without the guiding hand of Cassius, they are hopelessly adrift.
How they rise to the occasion is both funny and moving and, as the
play ends, will bring audiences to their feet as the seven women,
dazzling in their blue and silver uniforms, set off to the cheers
of the waiting crowd - determined to win, and keep on winning. Play. Michael Dorn Moody. The story centres on Nicky Shannigan, a middle-aged disc jockey
who operates a listener sponsored radio station. He is long on charm
but short on cash, yet he idealistically resists his partner's pleas
to accept advertising. He also runs into further trouble when a young
rock star whom he has been helping is arrested on a drug charge,
and Nicky uses his son's inheritance (from his first wife) to help
him. When the son, who has been wounded both physically and psychologically
in Vietnam, returns unexpectedly, he is bitter about his father's
actions and tension begins to mount ominously. Nicky is also beset
by other troubles; the antagonism between his new wife and his son;
the rebellious misbehaviour of his teenage stepdaughter; and his
dangerously stubborn refusal to give up a subpoenaed tape made by
his young protégé. In the end these forces collide,
as they must, and with overwhelming dramatic power-yielding rape,
murder and the moving spectacle of a man destroyed by the darker
side of his own ideals. Edward Percy : Thriller/Suspense Descius Heiss, after a dark past in crime, settles in London and,
to all appearances, is a respectable gentleman. His chief aim is
to provide happiness and security for his gifted daughter, Margaret,
who has been brought up in complete ignorance of her father's past.
Ostensibly Heiss runs an antique shop but actually he buys and sells
gold and jewels from thieves. One of the secrets of his establishment
is that in his shop there is a smelting furnace, skillfully concealed
behind a mantelpiece. Archie Fellows, a very ambitious and unscrupulous
young man, accidentally discovers Heiss' secret and from then on
blackmails him. Heiss, for fear his secret will become known to Margaret,
is at last driven to violence. Margaret's fiancé has brought
the old man two poison darts from the Orient and one of these Heiss
uses on Archie. Scotland Yard steps in and the old man fears that
he must face the consequences of his act. When at last the police
come closer and closer to the facts in the case, Heiss gets more
desperate and makes use of the second of the two poisoned darts upon
himself. Before the old man dies, the police inspector comes to Heiss
shop and Heiss believes that this is the end, but the inspector,
still unaware of Heiss' role in the crime, has come simply to ask
for an antique which has caught his eye. Heiss then dies and his
daughter remains ignorant of what he has done. Children's Comedy: Mark Medoff and Ross Marks. A funny, heart-warming story of two brothers who, through a time
of hilarious crisis, learn who they can really count on. Wesley Wyatt,
a goofy computer nerd, his-younger brother Boysy, have built (along
with their father) what arguably is the world's most technologically
advanced fort. Along with the father's very real "humanoid robot," the
two boys form a neighbourhood club. Their club and Wesley's leadership
is quickly threatened when the stylish "King" Victor, a spirited
wanna-be bully, moves into town from the big city and wants possession
of the fort. Wesley's cowardice loses the fort, but not before he
leads a comically unsuccessful campaign to save it. Push comes to
shove, literally, when Wesley finally stands up to Victor. Older
and bigger, Victor starts to beat up Wesley when Boysy comes to his
rescue, saving his brother and the fort. Victor retreats, crying
all the way home. Victor turns out to be a sweet, misunderstood kid,
who excels at piano, and in the end, joins the brothers and the neighbourhood
kids in the local Little League game. This whimsical, fast-paced
play can be understood and enjoyed by anyone who has ever had to
overcome an obstacle - or a schoolyard bully. Shut Your Eyes and Think of England Comedy. John Chapman and Anthony Marriott This hilarious, smash-hit West End comedy starred Frank Thornton
and Donald Sinden. When Mr Pullen comes into the office on Saturday
to finish the books for the audit he is astonished to find his employer,
Sir Justin Holbrook, in the penthouse flat with a call-girl. As the
day progresses and new arrivals include Lady Holbrook, Mrs Pullen
and a very influential Arab sheikh events lead to an impenetrable
maze of confused identities. |