Aquila Theatre’s
The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes
A Study Guide to Aquila Theatre’s Production
of stories written by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
2015-16
Synopsis
Act I: The Adventure of the Copper Beeches
Dr. Watson meets with his friend and colleague, the well-known Detective, Sherlock Holmes, at
221B Baker Street and receives a playful lesson in the art of deduction. Sherlock Holmes and
Watson invite Violet Hunter, a young woman who came to them for help, to speak about her
unsettling job as a governess at The Copper Beeches. Violet Hunter tells them of Mr. Rucastle,
the man who offered her a high paying job as a governess, but asked her to do odd things, such
as cutting her hair, which she refused. Violet Hunter seems convinced that Mr. Rucastle’s wife is
insane, and that is why he insists on making usual demands. Sherlock is unconvinced however,
and needs more hard facts. As such, Sherlock suggests she return to work and that Violet send
him a telegram should she need him. Shortly after, Violet sends for Sherlock and Watson, and
they board a morning train to meet Violet at the Black Swann Inn. Violet recounts her experience
of meeting the family and starting her work for the Rucastles. Violet goes into great detail,
including a mysterious “performance” where Mr. Rucastle would place a blue dress on her and
have her laugh and read from Robert Louis Stevenson in front of a window. One day, Violet
sneaks a hand mirror to look out of the window and briefly sees a young man standing outside.
Mr. Rucastle brings Violet away from the window and introduces her to the family dog—a
bloodthirsty mastiff. Later that night, Violet peeks into a door that has been locked where she is
discovered by Mr. Rucastle who threatens to throw her to the dog should she enter the room
again. After hearing Violet recount her story, Sherlock Holmes springs into action. It seems that
there is some danger afoot! Sherlock and Watson race to the Copper Beeches with Violet
Hunter. Will they arrive in time to solve the crime?
Act II: The Adventure of the Yellow Face
Sherlock Holmes, badly in need of another case, arrives back at Baker Street to find that a
troubled young man has just left. Sherlock examines the pipe which the man left behind, and
deduces some interesting information. Grant Munro, the man in question, returns to meet with
Sherlock and Watson and tells them of his concerns regarding his wife of three years, Effie
Munro. Before their marriage, Effie had lived in Atlanta where she was married to a lawyer
named Mr. Hebron. Yellow fever broke out, and Mr. Hebron and their child died. Effie left
America and returned to England, where she lived comfortably on what her husband had left her.
When Effie and Grant got married, she insisted that Grant take control of her money. Recently,
Effie asked Grant for 100 pounds. Seeing as it was her money, Grant obliged, but she would not
tell him what it was for. Then, as Grant was walking by a cottage near their home, he noticed that
there were new tenants and saw a face watching him from one of the windows. Grant went to
approach the cottage and was stopped by a gruff older woman who slammed the door in his
face. Later that evening, Effie got up from bed and snuck out into the night. Grant confronted
her upon her return and she responded that she needed fresh air. Things grew tense between
them and, on the following day, Grant spotted his wife leaving the cottage! When Grant again
confronted Effie, she implored him to trust her and that, should he force his way into the cottage,
things would be over between them. Grant makes Effie promise to not go into the cottage again.
Shortly thereafter, when Grant arrived home early from town, Grant believed his wife to be again
in the cottage and forced his way inside. The cottage was deserted. However, Grant found a
large photograph of Effie that he had commissioned three months prior in the window where he
had earlier seen the face watching him. After hearing the tale, Sherlock and Watson formulate a
theory. Will their hypothesis be correct?
ACT III: A Scandal in Bohemia
Sherlock receives a golden snuffbox and letter from the King of Bohemia in the hopes that
Sherlock might take on his case. Sherlock and Watson examine the letter from the King and
deduce that this case will be high profile. Immediately afterwards, Count Von Kramm, the
masked envoy to the King of Bohemia, appears at the door and swears Sherlock and Watson to
secrecy before telling them of the case. Sherlock, who sees through the disguise of Count Von
Kramm, reveals him to be the King of Bohemia himself! The King had a recent tryst with Irene
Adler, an American opera singer turned adventuress, and now –as he prepares to marry the
second daughter of the King of Scandinavia—Irene is threatening to send his bride-to-be a
picture of Irene and the King of Bohemia in a compromising position. Sherlock takes the case
and a sizeable down payment from the King, and begins observing Irene Adler in town. Amongst
Sherlock’s many keen observations is Irene’s involvement with a young lawyer named Godfrey
Norton. As Sherlock pursues Irene and Norton, the detective finds herself standing as a witness
at Irene and Godfrey’s wedding. Once married, the couple parts ways. Sherlock devises a plan to
see if Irene truly has the compromising picture stashed somewhere. If Irene Adler is married to
Godfrey Norton, then perhaps she doesn’t want the picture to see the light of day either! Will
Sherlock’s plan to find the picture work? Will he be able to fool the American adventuress?
Cast of Characters
She rloc k Ho lmes – A world-famous Detective who lives and works out of London
alongside Dr. John Watson
D r. J oh n W atso n – A Doctor who accompanies Sherlock Holmes on his cases as a
colleague and close personal friend
Vio let Hun ter—A young woman seeking Sherlock’s advice about Mr. Rucastle, her
suspicious employer
Mr s. Sto pper—An older woman who works in an employment office and introduced
Violet Hunter to Mr. Rucastle
Mr . Ruca stle—A wealthy Englishman and father who hires Violet Turner as a governess,
he is guarding a terrible secret
Mr s. Ruc astle—Mr. Rucastle’s wife. She is quiet, stern, and the mother of one precocious
young boy
Mr . To ller—Mr. Rucastle’s butler. He is married to Mrs. Toller and is the only one who can
manage Mr. Rucastle’s dog, Carlo.
Gr a nt Mu nr o—An emotional, wealthy young Englishman seeking Sherlock’s advice
about his wife Effie Munro
Effie M un ro —The wife of Grant Munro, faithfully married to him for three years, but she
is hiding something from her past
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Born in Edinburgh, Scotland.
Was often bullied in school and found
escape in storytelling.
Attended University of Edinburgh for
medicine.
Met his mentor, Professor Joseph Bell,
whose keen powers of observation
likely were the inspiration for the
character, Sherlock Holmes.
A prominent spiritualist— he left the
Roman Catholic Church in 1881.
Introduced the character Sherlock
Holmes in a Study in Scarlet (1886).
Struggled to balance his medical and
writing careers. Eventually gave up his
medical practice.
Wrote 60 stories involving Sherlock.
Wrote The Adventures of Sherlock
Holmes in 1892.
Knighted by King Edward VII in 1902.
STOP AND THINK:
Take a moment to think of all the mystery stories that you’ve read. What
about the stories do you enjoy? Now think about mysteries you have
seen on the screen or on the stage. How does reading a mystery differ
from watching a mystery like The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes? Write
a list of qualities that you think every good mystery story should have.
What qualities are most important?
A
BRIEF HISTORY OF THE MYSTERY
!
While!Sir!Arthur!Conan!Doyle!was!hardly!the!first!to!pen!successful!
mystery!stories,!his!Sherlock!Holmes!mysteries!catapulted!the!genre!to!
international!prominence.!!
!
148$A.D.$$–$Cicero,!Consul!of!Rome,!delivers!impassioned!speeches!to!his!people!
of!high!profile!crimes!and!entertaining!news.!He!generated!buzz!about!crime!and!
mysteries!in!a!world!that!was!still!largely!illiterate.!!
1841$–Edgar$Allan$Poe,!famous!for!writing!such!stories!as!“The!TellDTale!Heart”!
and!“The!Pit!and!the!Pendulum,”!writes!“The!Murders!in!the!Rue!Morgue.”!This!
features!Auguste!C.!Dupin,!known!for!being!the!first!fictional!Detective.!!
1890$–Sir$Arthur$Conan$Doyle,!who!had!introduced!Sherlock!Holmes!in!“A!Study!
in!Scarlet”!three!years!prior,!introduces!his!character!to!mass!audiences!in!Strand!Magazine.!
Sherlock!Holmes!quickly!becomes!one!of!the!most!beloved!fictional!characters!in!all!of!literature,!
appearing!in!60!detective!mysteries.!
1910$and$1914$–$The!first!true!mystery!films!are!released,!The$Gold$Bug!(1910)!and!
The$Murders$in$the$Rue$Morgue!(1914),!starting!an!international!love!of!the!genre.!!
Both!films!come!from!Edgar!Allan!Poe!stories.!
1920$–Agatha$Christie!publishes!“The!Mysterious!Affair!at!Styles”!which!
introduces!the!character!of!Hercule!Poirot,!a!retired!Belgian!police!officer!and!
private!investigator.!!
1930!–Edward$Stratemeyer!introduces!the!character!Nancy!Drew.!His!company!
creates!over!350!Nancy!Drew!mysteries,!using!various!authors!all!using!the!
pseudonym!Carolyn!Keene.!The!company!also!created!The!Hardy!Boys.!
1933$–Erie$Stanley$Gardner!creates!the!character!of!Perry!Mason,!a!fearless!lawyer!
and!champion!of!the!good,!in!“The!Case!of!the!Velvet!Claws”!after!his!own!
longstanding!career!as!a!lawyer.!!
1939$–$Batman!debuts!in!The$Case$of$the$Chemical$Syndicate,!introducing!the!
Mystery!to!a!whole!new!audience.!
1944$–$Anthony!Pratt!invents!the!game!Murder!,!designed!to!occupy!people!in!
bomb!shelters!during!war!time.!!The!game!is!launched!by!Hasbro!in!1949!as!Cluedo!
in!Europe,!and!“the!great!new!detective!game”!Clue$in!North!America,!
introducing!the!world!to!Colonel!Mustard,!and!leading!to!a!staged!play,!tv!series,!
and!many!spin!off!games.$!
F EMALE
!
!
It!all!begins!with!the!pesky!stairs!leading!up!to!the!legendary!!
Sherlock!residence,!221B!Baker!Street.!!In!The!Adventure!of!!
the!Copper!Beaches,!Sherlock!tries!to!explain!his!method!!
of!observation:!
WATSON: . . at each successive instance of your reasoning
I am baffled until you explain your process. And yet I believe
that my eyes are as good as yours.
SHERLOCK: Quite so. You see, but you do not observe. The
distinction is clear. For example, you have frequently seen the
steps, which lead up from the hall to this room.
WATSON: Frequently.
SHERLOCK: How often?
WATSON: Well, some hundreds of times.
SHERLOCK: Then how many are there?
WATSON: How many? I don't know.
SHERLOCK: Quite so! You have not observed. And yet you have seen.
What!do!you!think!Sherlock!means!by!Observing,!rather!than!simply!Seeing.!!What!insight!does!this!give!to!
the!workings!of!Sherlock’s!mind?!!How!does!logical!reasoning!fit!into!observing?!!How!might!the!detective’s!
methods!of!observing!things!differ!from!ours?!!What!do!you!think!Sherlock!would!have!to!say!about!our!age!
of!cell!phones!and!digital!distractions?
VOCABULARY
‘GO INTO HARNESS’ – prepare for hard work
DEDUCE
SNUFF
– to arrive at a conclusion by logical reasoning
– fine ground tobacco powder
GOVERNESS
– a woman employed to teach children in a private household
– the state of being appropriate
PROPRIETY
RECOMPENSE
– to make amends to someone for loss or effort; compensate
PHILANTHROPIST
-
- exemption from punishment
IMPUNITY
CONJECTURE -
an opinion formed on the basis of incomplete information
– lacking good manners or refinement
UNCOUTH
IMPERTINENT CONVERSE
not showing proper respect
–
ment
CIRCUMSPECT –
INCOGNITO –
wary and unwilling to take risks
an assumed or false identity
– rude in a mean spirited way
CHURLISH
PROVISIONAL
– arranged for the present, possibly to be changed later
INVALID
- a person made weak or disabled by illness or injury
SURMISE
– a supposition that something may be true, even without evidence to confirm it
PRESENTIMENT
OUTRÉ
– an intuitive feeling about the future
– unusual and startling
TEETOTALER
– a person who never drinks alcohol
BOHEMIA
– a kingdom in Eastern Europe, in modern day Czech Republic
AUGUST –
respected and impressive
CARTE BLANCHE
SPINSTER
– complete freedom to act as one wishes or thinks best
– an unmarried woman
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS:
1) Think about the Mystery Genre and survey your class. How many find that they enjoy
Mysteries? Is there a difference in how much they enjoy reading vs viewing vs playing
mystery themed games? Brainstorm a list of what makes a Mystery enjoyable.
2) The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes takes place in the late 19th Century, what are some
big changes that you think would be made if it were set today? What would stay the
same?
3) Sherlock is unnaturally talented at spotting minor details when putting together the
pieces of a crime. Take a look around you in the room. What minor details can you point
out? What do they tell you about the room that you're in? How much does our culture
value noticing small details vs keeping our eyes on the big picture? Do you think it’s
difficult to do both?
4) Literature and film abound with dynamic duos and buddies, from Tom Sawyer and Huck
Finn to Ernie and Bert to Batman and Robin. Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson are
another example of such a duo. In what ways are they an effective crime solving team.
What are some examples of ways in which Watson helps Sherlock? In what ways does
Sherlock help Watson? Do you consider them to be friends? How is their relationship
shown in more recent film and television adaptations of the Sherlock stories?
5) In what ways does a female actor playing Sherlock Holmes change the character? In
what ways is Sherlock Holmes still the same? After seeing the performance, do you
agree that a woman can play this famous role as effectively as a man? Explain your
point of view with specific references to the play.
Photos top to bottow: Sherlock Holmes (as played by
Basil Rathbone). Photograph: Allstar/Cinetext,
Sherlock Holmes (as played by Robert Downey Jr.)
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About
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including off-Broadway in New York City
and at international festivals.
The Aquila Theatre Company w as founded in
London in 1991 by Peter Meineck and has been
based in New York City since 1999. Aquila
presents a regular season of plays in New York,
at
international
festivals
and
tours
to
approximately seventy American tow ns and cities
a year. The name “Aquila” means “eagle” in Latin.
Aquila has a very particular mission to make
classical theatre accessible and relevant to
everyone. Peter Meineck manages to modernize
plays w hile keeping true to the spirit of the
original text.
Encounters w ith w orks of art can change
people, causing them to view the artw ork and
the w orld in a new w ay. In addition, artw orks
do not immediately reveal all that is there to be
seen. Perception of artw orks can be compared to
peeling the layers of an onion – they can be seen
on many levels and from many perspectives.
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MACBETH'
1996'
CATCH%22'
2007$2008'
CORIOLANUS'
1994$1995'
ILIAD:'BOOK'I'
2008$2009'
KING'LEAR'
1999$2000'
AS'YOU'LIKE'IT'
2009$2010'
THE'TEMPEST'
2001$2002'
A'MIDSUMMER'NIGHT’S'
DREAM'
2010$2011'
A 'MIDSUMMER'NIGHT’S'DREAM'
2003'
THE'MAN'WHO'WOULD'BE'KING'
2003$2004'
THE'INVISIBLE'MAN'
2005'
HAMLET'
2005$2006+
M UCH'ADO'ABOUT'
NOTHING'
2006+
ROMEO'&'JULIET'
2006$2007'
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Aquila has performed in over 47 states,
MACBETH'/'THE'IMPORTANCE'OF'
BEING'EARNEST'
2011$2012'
TAMING'OF'THE'SHREW'/'
CYRANO'DE'B ERGERAC'
2012$2013'
TWELFTH'NIGHT/'
FAHRENHEIT'451'
2013$2014'
THE'TEMPEST/'WUTHERING'
HEIGHTS'
2014$2015'
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THE'WHITE'HOUSE'
THE'SUPREME'COURT'
FOLGER'SHAKESPEARE'LIBRARY,'WASHINGTON'DC'
LA'JOLLA'PLAYHOUSE'
SHAKESPEARE'FESTIVAL/LA'
BROOKLYN'ACADEMY'OF'MUSIC'
NYU'SKIRBALL'CENTER'
LUCILLE'LORTEL'THEATRE'
BARUCH'PERFORMING'ARTS'CENTER'
NEW'VICTORY'THEATER'
EAST'13TH'STREET'THEATRE'
CLURMAN'THEATRE,'THEATRE'ROW'
45'BLEECKER'
MANHATTAN'ENSEMBLE'THEATRE'
CLARK'STUDIO'THEATRE'AT'LINCOLN'CENTER'
SHAKESPEARE'FESTIVAL'IN'GLOBE'NEUSS,'GERMANY'
EDINBURGH'FESTIVAL,'UK'
FESTIVAL'OF'THE'AEGEAN,'GREECE'
THE'BERMUDA'FESTIVAL'
SHAKESPEARE'FESTIVAL,'GYULA,'HUNGARY'
SHAKESPEARE'FESTIVAL'IN'GDANSK,'POLAND+
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The Aquila Theatre Company
100 Washington Sq. East, 503 Silver
New York, NY 10003
Telephone – 914-401-9494
Fax – 914-401-9493
Email – aquila@aquilatheatre.com
Website – www.aquilatheatre.com
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