Characters:

Harry Houdini / Herlihey – Mid-30s–mid-40s. The world’s greatest magician. He is a dark, unsettling presence. Must have a passable Irish brogue (plays a secondary role as Lt. Herlihey). Magic skills are not a requirement, but a magician/escape artist is preferred in the role.

Violet Hunter – Late 20s–mid-30s. A strong-willed governess who captures Watson’s attention and affection.

5 Stagehands – Ages 18–50; 2 male and 3 female; all ethnicities. The ensemble will play a variety of roles, including Bess Houdini, and are the driving force of this physically demanding piece. Movement and dance training are a plus, but not required.

John Watson – Late 30s–mid-40s. The bumbling, porcine sidekick-turned-hero in the first Watson is now a tortured soul in this tale.

Sherlock Holmes – Late 30s–mid-40s. Watson’s brilliant colleague; arrogant and brash. Must be a skilled physical comedian.

Sigmund Freud / Langdale Pike – Late 40s–early 50s. Must have exceptional comedic timing and passable Austrian and High British accents.

Mycroft Holmes – Early 40s. Sherlock Holmes’ older, smarter brother. He is quick-witted, irritable, and a sloppy dresser.

Mary Watson – Late 20s–mid-30s. Watson’s wife. Movement training is a plus. Must sing.

Settings: Various locations in and around London, the docks of Liverpool, the RMS Cedric, and various locations in and around Coney Island.

Performance Royalties for AMATEUR and EDUCATIONAL Groups, please fill out an application for your personalized quote.

Performance Royalties for PROFESSIONAL Theaters will be quoted as a box office percentage, with a minimum guarantee based on ticket prices and theater particulars. Please fill out an application for your personalized quote.

Authorized Materials must be purchased from Stage Rights as a part of your licensing agreement (see Materials).

Billing responsibilities, pertinent copyright information, and playwrights' biographies are available in the show rider that comes with your license agreement.

“With its fractured timeline, Robledo's plotting is more ambitious and demanding than the first installment, 2010's Watson: The Last Great Tale of the Legendary Sherlock Holmes, yet offers deeper rewards. He neatly incorporates cinematic conventions, such as showing a murder re-enact itself in slow-motion rewind. Nods to Hitchcock (a runaway carousel, cleverly staged) and Bruce Lee (the hall-of-mirrors sequence) delight, as do numerous pop-culture references.” –Pauline Adamek, LA Weekly (Pick of the Week)

“Sacred Fools' production of Watson and the Dark Art of Harry Houdini is one of those productions that is littered throughout with little surprises and hidden gems… trust me when I say that you want to discover all of those things for yourself. All you need to know going in, is that this is the best piece of theatre I have seen all year … This production is like a magic trick that will keep you enthralled, but instead of being disappointed when the secret is discovered at the end, you love it even more because the only deception employed is your own willingness to overlook the obvious.” –Kat Michaels, Culver City News

“Still, what gives Watson and the Dark Art of Harry Houdini must-see status are its action set-pieces, the kind that have made Indiana Jones and James Bond perennial screen favorites, accomplished here by a combination of imagination, ingenuity, and the inestimable work of… the aforementioned Stagehand … Watson and the Dark Art of Harry Houdini once again proves a crowd-pleaser, one that makes abundantly clear that, with a good deal of imagination, you need but a tiny fraction of what it would cost on the silver screen to make theatrical magic.” –Steven Stanley, Stagescene LA

“Like Coney Island's old Dreamland, writer-director Jaime Robledo doesn't stint on the amusements. The multiple set pieces thrill. For action, there's a a chase through a hall of mirrors and simulations of a careening roller coaster and a Hitchcockian carousel disaster. For disarming displays of characters' skill, there's a shuffleboard game with the ensemble playing the pucks and, at the top, a slo-mo rewind illustrating Sherlock Holmes' explanation of an apparent murder under some mistletoe … All in all, it's a sumptuous experience. Ryan Johnson's original music and the other design elements provide a sense of grand scope despite the limits of space and budget. Robledo and his cast exhibit an outsized desire that wouldn't be out of place beside Houdini on the old boardwalk of Dreamland.” –John Magaril, Curtain Up

Authorized Materials must be purchased from Stage Rights as a part of your licensing agreement. Your materials will be sent to you digitally by your Licensing Representative.

The Authorized Materials/Production Package for Watson and the Dark Art of Harry Houdini are all fulfilled digitally and consist of:

Acting Edition

Stage Manager Script