The Waterville Opera House continues its 2024 theatrical season with the Sherlock Holmes murder mystery “Miss Holmes Returns.”
The play opens at 7:30 p.m. Friday. Evening performances follow at 7:30 p.m. Aug. 31, Sept. 6 and 7, with 2 p.m. matinées Sept. 1 and 8 at the Waterville Opera House, 1 Common St. The theater will offer an ASL interpreted performance at 2 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 1.
In Miss Holmes Returns, a nurse and activist finds herself on the run, wanted for murder. Pursued by authorities who choose to ignore a clear case of self-defense due to her heritage and influence from sinister figures from the shadowy criminal underworld, she turns to Miss Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Dorothy Watson for help.
“Miss Holmes Returns” is theatrical “fan fiction” that explores feminist themes using the characters, settings, and tropes created by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle to explore the added challenges and risks these iconic characters would face if they were women, while also examining the intersections of sexism, classism and racism.
The new play is a follow-up to Christopher M. Walsh’s 2017 play “Miss Holmes.” The titular heroine not only returns to the criminal underbelly of Victorian London in this new mystery, but also returns to the opera house stage.
In January 2020, the opera house presented “Miss Holmes” as what turned out to be the final theatrical production before the COVID-19 pandemic enforced a lockdown. Though a sequel, “Miss Holmes Returns” is a standalone story, so those who missed its predecessor four years ago will be able to jump right into the mystery with Holmes and Watson.
Phoebe Sanborn, who starred as Sherlock Holmes in 2020’s production of “Miss Holmes,” reprises her detective this month. “I feel so lucky to reprise my role as Sherlock Holmes,” Sanborn said. “I am a big fan of Holmes, period pieces, and mysteries, so the opportunity to be in something that combines all three is phenomenal. One of the most fun parts of a murder mystery for me is trying to solve it before the end of the show. I’m interested to see if audiences can beat Holmes to the punch on this one.”
“I’m thrilled that the actor who played Miss Holmes in our original production in 2020 was cast to bring this character to life once again,” Sweet added. “The entire cast is amazing and Ms. Sanborn is truly the embodiment of Sherlock Holmes.”
This production is written by Christopher M. Walsh based on characters by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, directed by Debra Susi.
Tickets cost $25.
For tickets, or more information visit operahouse.org, call 207-873-7000, or stop by the Ed Harris Box Office in the Paul J. Schupf Art Center, 93 Main St., Waterville, to make reservations.