Bonnie Grice’s interest in history and storytelling helped fuel her creation four years ago of the Boots on the Ground Theater, whose productions have included “The Miracle Worker” and “The Red Badge of Courage.” Her fascination with the Victorian-era and detective stories sparked her search for Sherlock Holmes scripts, resulting in her “library of Sherlock for the stage.”
“Most of the standard stories are a bit old and dusty and very stilted,” said Ms. Grice, who was for two decades a host and producer at 88.3 WPPB-FM. “I wanted something that could reflect a more modern, edgy Holmes à la Robert Downey or Benedict Cumberbatch.”
Her choice, “Sherlock’s Secret Life,” which combines mystery, murder, love, and comedy, will have its Long Island premiere at the Southampton Cultural Center tomorrow evening at 7 and continue through March 22.
Written in 2002 by Ed Lange, the play begins with an aging Dr. Watson, who has decided to tell the story of his friend and colleague’s first case, which involved the mystery of a beautiful young woman who lost her memory. Holmes’s archenemy, Professor Moriarty, figures in the story, as do two familiar characters from the sleuth’s world, Inspector Lestrade and Mrs. Hudson.
Josephine Teresi-Wallace directs the production and designed the sets, while Ms. Grice doubles as producer and designer of late-19th-century and early-20th-century interiors, props, and costumes.
“I’ve become an obsessed collector of Victoriana,” she said. “A lot of what you’ll see is from my house.”
The cast includes Dan Becker (older Watson and narrator), Tom Rosante (Holmes), Bethany Trowbridge (Mollie), Thomas Schiavoni (young Watson), Alyssa Kelly (Marianna), Richard Gardini (Lestrade), John Lovett (Moriarty), and Ms. Grice (Mrs. Hudson).
Performances will be on Fridays and Saturdays at 7 p.m. and Sundays at 2 p.m. A free matinee for high school students will take place on March 14 at 2, followed by a talk by Lisa Costa from the Southampton Police Department, who will compare detectives past and present.
Tickets are $25, $15 for students under 21, and dinner-theater and brunch-theater packages will be available.
