Tag Archives: Falcon Theatre

Holmes and Watson have never been so much fun

Falcon Theatre will close out its 2018-19 season with Ken Ludwig’s affectionate and murderously funny homage to the world’s favorite fictional detective, BASKERVILLE: A Sherlock Holmes Mystery. The production opens May 3, 2019.

If you’re a Holmes & Watson aficionado, you certainly know the story of Arthur Conan Doyle’s best-known novel, The Hound of the Baskervilles. A mysterious demon hound from hell has tormented the Baskerville family for generations. Multiple deaths have been blamed on the devil dog through the years. With the latest death of a Baskerville, it seems apparent that the hound has struck again. Or has it? Our capped and caped hero steps in to solve the puzzle. 

Now imagine the story transported to the stage where Holmes and Watson set about assembling the clues. But all the other roles (dozens of them, male and female) are played by an ensemble of three actors. Hilarious twists, turns, red herrings, lightning-fast costume changes, and antic fun follow. 

Just think of The Complete Works of Williams Shakespeare (abridged), and you’ve got the general idea. 

Falcon Theatre’s production is directed by Derek Snow and features Matt Dentino as Holmes, Alan Kootsher as Watson, as well as Nick DeNuzio, Dan Robertson, and Jordan Trovillion in the ensemble roles. 

Performances are at 8 PM on May 3, 4, 9, 10, 11, 16, 17, and 18, 2019. Ticket prices are $25 for adults and $15 for students with ID. Patrons enjoy a $5 discount for Thursday performances. Visit falcontheater.net for tickets.

Henry: What shall we hang? The holly, or each other?
Eleanor: How dear of you to let me out of jail!
Henry: It’s only for the holidays.

Who knew that dungeons, daggers, duplicity, and deception could be so much fun? 

Cast: Greg Mallios, Clay Winstead, Tracy M. Schoster, Jared Earland, Allen R. Middleton, Lexi Rigsby & Dan Robertson. Photo by Claudia Hershner.

It’s all part of THE LION IN WINTER, James Goldman’s deliciously wicked accounting of the love-hate travails between England’s King Henry II and his wife, Eleanor of Aquitaine, and the accompanying power struggle to name the next heir to the English throne. Comedic in tone, darkly dramatic in action, and filled to overflowing with Goldman’s razor-sharp wit and dialogue, the play has been an audience favorite for more than fifty years. 

And it’s coming to the stage at Falcon Theatre. The production is the fourth of Falcon’s 2018-19 season, opening March 22. 

Eleanor has been imprisoned for ten years, after raising an army against her husband Henry.  But with Henry throwing a Christmas feast for the newly crowned King Philip II of France, the Plantagenets need to appear a happy family. Just for the occasion, Henry has released Eleanor from prison. Also in attendance are Henry’s three sons, each of whom is jockeying for position to be the named heir. The squabbling, backstabbing, and plotting that occurs among the brothers and the dangerous cat-and-mouse game played between Henry and Eleanor form the action of the story. 

The actual historical events portrayed in the play take place in 1183, but Falcon director Tara Williams has moved the setting to modern times, all the way to 2019, in fact. 

“The story may have taken place in the Middle Ages, but the major themes of the the piece, such as sibling rivalry, aging, death, ambition, and inheritance among royals, are as relevant now as they have ever been,” Ms. Williams says. “Royals today might be more outwardly civil to one another, and the scheming might be less bloody, but I suspect that the motivations and certainly the stakes haven’t lessened a bit since medieval times.” 

The Falcon production features Allen R. Middleton as Henry, Tracy M. Schoster as Eleanor, Greg Mallios as Richard, Jared Earland as Geoffrey, Clay Winstead as John, Lexi Rigsby as Alais, and Dan Robertson as Philip.