Sherlock Holmes and the Sign of Four

sherlock holmes 02I am currently working on an adaptation of the Sherlock Holmes story, The Sign of Four, for the stage. My hope is to have something ready for the 2014 season at Comtra.

This is to be a combination of elements from the first two Holmes novels by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle wherein Dr. Watson meets and agrees to board with the eccentric Sherlock Holmes.

I didn't think the case from the first novel would really lend itself to being dramatized but I did like the interactions between the two main characters as they got to know each other. The case from the second novel will take some doing to stage but I already have some ideas for changes I'd like to make. We could do the climatic boat chase but staging that in the round would be difficult and almost comical so I'll have to find a better way to bring everything to a boil.

The other problem I am having with adapting Doyle is that he writes men characters but very few woman characters.

This should be an interesting challenge to both write and then direct. Looking forward to the final outcome.