Ken Ludwig s Baskerville: A Sherlock Holmes Mystery concludes Syracuse Stage season May 11-29, 2016

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1 PRESS RELEASE FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Tuesday, April 26, 2016 CONTACT: Joseph Whelan, Director of Marketing and Communications or Ken Ludwig s Baskerville: A Sherlock Holmes Mystery concludes Syracuse Stage season May 11-29, 2016 "A bloody good time." The Washington Post "Wildly imaginative, ingeniously funny." BroadwayWorld.com PRESENTING SPONSORS: The Dorothy and Marshall M. Reisman Foundation POMCO Group SPONSORS: Barclay Damon Grandma Brown Foundation M&T Bank SEASON SPONSOR: Syracuse Media Group MEDIA SPONSORS: iheartmedia Business Journal News Network NewsChannel 9 (Syracuse, NY) The game is wildly and hilariously afoot as Syracuse Stage concludes the 2015/2016 season with Ken Ludwig s Baskerville: A Sherlock Holmes Mystery, May Directed by Peter Amster and featuring a cast of five actors who take on more than 30 roles, this madcap comedy spoofs Sir Arthur Conan Doyle s The Hound of the Baskervilles while preserving the enticing elements of the mystery. This version stays very close to Conan Doyle s original tale, even more so than other dramatic adaptations I ve worked on, Amster says. With Ken Ludwig s version, you

2 get the mystery, a whole lot of comedy, and plenty of opportunities for some terrific performances from the cast. The style and feel of Baskerville is much like that of Alfred Hitchcock s The 39 Steps, which Amster directed at Syracuse Stage in Like The 39 Steps, Baskerville is filled with lightening quick character and costume changes that add to the excitement and fun. As one review noted, Baskerville plays like a circus of non-stop comedy. That sense of unbridled fun is in keeping with playwright Ludwig s theatrical inclinations. Best known for the hit comedies Lend Me A Tenor and Moon Over Buffalo, Ludwig believes that theatre is always a place to have a great time that s why it exists. It s OK to have fun in the theatre. He also believes that this particular historical moment is ripe for a hero like Sherlock Holmes. Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson have been a staple of our culture since the 1890s, but they have recently reentered our world in a more muscular way, Ludwig explained prior to the play s world premiere at Arena Stage last year. For some reason, it seems to be just the right time for Holmes and Watson. Perhaps these days we crave a hero who succeeds despite, or perhaps because of his quirks, his obsessions, and his near-fatal flaws. Ludwig also explained that revisiting the Sherlock Holmes stories provided him with an opportunity to write a kind of expansive play full of wonder and adventure that is largely absent from contemporary theatre. I ve written a big, and what I hope is a rollicking, mysterious, exciting, funny piece that takes place all over southern England in the 1890s, the playwright told playbill.com. Creating that expansive world, including the ferocious hell-hound of the title, has been an exciting challenge for the Syracuse Stage scenic, costume, and prop shops. Syracuse Stage producing artistic director Tim Bond believes Stage s artisans and technical crew will deliver what is needed. So much of this show requires split-second timing by the cast, and they need the physical elements of the production to work flawlessly, he explains. I think our audiences will be thrilled by how the design elements enhance the enjoyment of the show. There may even be a few surprises. Tickets are available at syracusestage.org, and at the Box Office, (Monday Friday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and two hours before curtain). Ken Ludwig s Baskerville: A Sherlock Holmes Mystery Based on a novel by Arthur Conan Doyle

3 Directed by Peter Amster Scenic Design by Adam Koch Costume Design by Tracy Dorman Lighting Design by Thomas C. Hase Original Music and Sound Design by Victoria Deiorio Hair, Wig, and Makeup Design by Dave Bova Projection Design by Mike Tutaj Dialect Coach: Celia Madeoy Fight Director: Felix Ivanov Production Stage Manager: Stuart Plymesser Casting by Harriet Bass CAST Gil Brady...Actor Two: Sir Charles Baskerville, Daisy, Sir Hugo Baskerville, Bradley the Tobacconist, Sir Henry Baskerville, Wilson, Inspector Lestrade Liam Craig...Doctor Watson Matthew Greer...Sherlock Holmes Jonathan Spivey...Actor: Dr. Mortimer Baron, Scarpia, Man with Black Beard, Lucy, Milker, Castilian Desk Clerk, Train Conductor, Trap Driver, Barrymore Stapleton, Victor, Doctor McCann, Country Farmer, Sir John Falstaff Barbra Wengerd...Actress One: Mrs. Hudson, Maiden Shepherdess, Floria Tosca, Cartwright, German Maid, Baby, Mrs. Clayton, Mrs. Barrymore, Miss Stapleton, Nurse Malloy, Winnie, Nurse MacKeeble, Laura Lyons SPECIAL EVENTS FREE FOR TICKET HOLDERS May 13 May 15 Opening Night Party Join the cast for a post-show celebration with live music, food, drinks, and good times. Featuring live music by The Ruddy Well Band. Prologue at 1 p.m.

4 An intimate, 20-minute pre-show discussion with the actors 1 hour before curtain. Bring your Sherlock questions. May 19 May 21 Sherlock Happy Hour at 6 p.m. Put your sleuthing skills to the test in our Sherlock Holmes-themed scavenger hunt while enjoying tasty appetizers from Dominick s Restaurant and half-priced drinks from the bar including our signature drink, The Watson, before 7:30 p.m. curtain. Prologue at 2 p.m. An intimate, 20-minute pre-show discussion with the actors one hour before curtain. Bring your Sherlock questions. ASL Interpreted Performance at 3 p.m. for patrons who are deaf. Audio Described Performance at 3 p.m. for blind or visually impaired patrons. May 22 May 25 Actor Talkback Actor Q&A following this 7 p.m. Sunday performance. Wednesday at 1 p.m. Lecture by Mike Goode Lecture at 1 p.m. in the Sutton Pavilion, before the 2 p.m. matinee performance. A specialist in 18 th - and 19 th -century British literature, Professor Mike Goode teaches in the Syracuse University English Department, including a course called The Mysteries of London about Victorian British crime, detection, and mystery. Open Captioning at 2 p.m. Performance for patrons who are hard of hearing or deaf. May 26 May 29 Prologue at 6:30 p.m. An intimate, 20-minute pre-show discussion with the actors one hour before curtain. Bring your Sherlock questions. Open Captioning at 2 p.m. Performance for patrons who are hard of hearing or deaf. LOBBY EXHIBIT The play s title refers to the famous Sherlock Holmes novel, The Hound of the Baskervilles. That title refers to the scene of the crimes, Baskerville Hall. The manor house, a somewhat eerie, foreboding gothic mansion is an important character in the original story. Although fictional, it is said to be based on an actual British manor house familiar to Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. Syracuse Stage and the Onondaga Historical

5 Association present an exhibit titled Mansions Made for a Mystery, that will focus on historic buildings in the Syracuse area that could be stand-ins for Baskerville Hall. The exhibit proposes a bit of a mystery, itself: If Sir Arthur Conan Doyle had written The Hound of the Baskervilles in Syracuse, what building would have inspired his setting for Baskerville Manor? ABOUT SYRACUSE STAGE Syracuse Stage is Central New York s premier professional theatre in residence at Syracuse University. Founded in 1974, Stage has produced more than 300 plays in over 40 seasons including a number of world, American, and East Coast premieres. Each season 70,000 patrons enjoy an adventurous mix of new plays, and bold interpretations of classics and musicals, featuring the finest theatre artists. In addition, Stage maintains a vital educational outreach program that annually serves more than 15,000 students from 14 counties. A solid core of subscribers and supporters helps keep Syracuse Stage a vibrant artistic presence in Central New York. Additional support comes from the government, foundations, corporations and Syracuse University. Syracuse Stage is a constituent of the Theatre Communications Group (TCG), the national organization for the American theatre, and a member of the Arts and Cultural Leadership Alliance (ACLA), the University Hill Corporation and the East Genesee Regent Association. Syracuse Stage is a member of The League of Resident Theatres (LORT), the largest professional theatre association in the country. ### Syracuse Stage I Producing Artistic Director: Timothy Bond I Interim Managing Director: Diana Coles 820 E. Genesee St. I Main: I Box Office: I