Pittsburgh audiences have seen David Whalen play both of the title characters in “Dr. Jekyll & mr. Hyde” and mr. Rochester in “Jane Eyre” and mr. Darcy in “Pride and Prejudice.”
Beginning Thursday, he will bring to the stage another superstar of 19th-century literature, when he appears as Sherlock Holmes in Pittsburgh Irish & Classical Theatre’s production of “The Mask of Moriarty” in the Charity Randall Theatre in Oakland.
Don’t go searching for “The Mask of Moriarty” among the four novels and 56 short stories by Arthur Conan Doyle in the officially sanctioned volume of “The Complete Sherlock Holmes.”
Irish playwright Hugh Leonard’s comedy thriller departs from the official canon with a loopy tale that pits Holmes and his slightly dim sleuthing partner Dr. Watson against their most fearsome and brilliant nemesis, Dr. Moriarty.
But Leonard doesn’t stop there. he embellishes the family-friendly caper with hunchbacks, sly references and homages to old movies, hints about Hitler’s secret parentage and the identity of Jack the Ripper, all wrapped in a thick cloud of London fog.
“I think it will be fun for the audience. but for the actors it’s a tricky piece. It’s a spoof but you have to build it the right way. … You need to build it so the jokes come from the characters,” Whalen says. “I love that it begins like a roller coaster. I love the thrill of being ratcheted up the hill and then down.”
“The Mask of Moriarty” begins with a murder most foul that takes place on London’s Waterloo Bridge.
When Alice, the maid to American heiress Gwen, is murdered and the heiress’ recently discovered half-brother is accused of the crime, Gwen enlists Holmes and Watson to unravel the mystery. it doesn’t take long for the trail of clues, red herrings and gags leads the sleuths to master criminal Moriarty.
“The play is very smart because it deals with the two people closest to Holmes — Watson and Moriarty — and that (Holmes and Moriarty) are two heavyweights trying to outdo each other — the world’s most brilliant criminal and the world’s most brilliant detective.”
Whalen has done a lot of reading and thinking about Holmes, and has watched several of the more iconic of the Sherlock Holmes movies.
“What Doyle wrote is layers to the guy. we as audience members … begin to peel back the layers and become a detective on him,” Whalen says.
He loves the widely different interpretations that Basil Rathbone, Jeremy Brett and Robert Downey Jr. have brought to Holmes.
“They’re all different. it shows you he’s a great character,” Whalen says.
But he has no intention of copying what any of those predecessors have done. “You can’t do a carbon copy of Holmes. That’s what makes him great.”
Asked to describe Holmes and what motivates him, Whalen’s fondness for the character is clear.
“It’s not that he doesn’t have an ego. It’s through the roof. but he is smarter than everybody else. It’s not an innate sense of intelligence. he has worked hard at this,” he says. “I like that he lets the huzzahs go to the police. … I love the fact that Watson is something Holmes needs to let his ideas bounce off. I like that about the relationship: that it’s real and deep.”
Asked whether he thinks Holmes possesses any negative traits, Whalen thinks for a minute, and then adds: “He smokes too much.”
Whalen thinks it’s a show that will be enjoyed by diehard fans of Holmes and Doyle and people who only have a passing acquaintance with the world’s most-famous detective.
“You don’t have to be a Holmesian to get this. it will entertain everybody. The more you invest in it, the more you will get out of it. it doesn’t pander,” he says. “You can bring the family to this. … There’s a fun to it and an enjoyment and the excitement of will the good guy win. At times, you don’t think so.”
An enduring character
It’s been 81 years since Arthur Conan Doyle died, and 83 years since the publication of “The Complete Sherlock Holmes Short Stories.”
But the game still is afoot. Holmes, Watson and their archenemy Moriarty continually are reborn and re-invented in ever-new tales in a variety of media.
The following are some of recent and upcoming reincarnations.
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