Mask and Mirror Community Theatre will open its 13th season on November 3 with Ken Ludwig’s hilarious comedy The Game’s Afoot, or Holmes for the Holidays. Directed by M&M President Rick Hoover, the Edgar Award-winning play will be produced on The Main Stage at Rise Church, 10445 Canterbury Lane, Tigard, November 3 – 19. Performance times for the three weekends are 7:30 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays and 2:30 p.m. on Sundays.
You will be transported to December 1936, where famed Broadway star William Gillette, admired the world over for his brilliant portrayal of the inimitable Sherlock Holmes, has invited his fellow castmates to his Connecticut castle for a weekend of revelry. When one of the guests is stabbed to death in this isolated fortress of tricks and mirrors, the weekend festivities quickly turn macabre. Assuming the persona of his beloved Sherlock Holmes, Gillette himself takes on the responsibility of tracking down the killer before the next victim appears. Danger, intrigue, and hilarity ensue non-stop in this glittering whodunnit set during the Christmas holidays.
Hoover’s cast features seasoned performers John Bartholomew as debonair William Gillette/Sherlock Holmes, Kraig Williams as Gillette’s “Watson” Felix Giesel/Professor Moriarty, Clover Floratos (in her MandM stage debut) as haughty theatre critic Daria Chase, Virginia Kincaid as William’s dotty mother Martha Gillette, Sarah Radley as company ingenue Aggie Wheeler/Alice, Brant McKinney as cast “mangenue” Simon Bright/Zerlinsky, Sophia Caruso as outspoken Madge Geisel/Marian, and Sarah Kearney as the eccentric British Inspector Harriet Goring.
Hoover’s crew includes Peter Bolger as Production Manager, Matt Grand as Stage Manager, Erin Brorsen-Duncan as Stage Crew, Jodi Johnson and Debbie Hoover as Costumers, Cindy Zimmerman as Set Dresser, George Mauro for Sound Design, Steve Hotaling for Light Design, and Steve Hotaling and Joshua Willis, Light and Sound Operators.
Explaining his excitement about directing the show, Hoover enthusiastically states, “I have always wanted to direct a Ken Ludwig show. I found this one and immediately fell in love with its concept. I have always been a fan of Sherlock Holmes, so this was a perfect fit for me. I have also felt that William Gillette (who famously portrayed the ‘Master of Deduction’ on stage more than 1300 times over 30 years, establishing in the process Holmes’ signature deerstalker cap and curved briar pipe) helped in some way to get Sherlock Holmes to the American public by creating plays and silent films about Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s famous sleuth, a character Doyle created in 1887. Doyle’s four novels and 56 short stories featuring Holmes and Watson are milestones in the field of crime fiction.”
Mask & Mirror Community Theatre is a 501(c)3 non-profit performing company. Your support is very much appreciated. Additional information can be obtained by visiting www.maskandmirror.com.