Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s beloved Sherlock Holmes has recently experienced a not-so-mysterious resurgence in pop culture through a variety of books, movies and TV shows. Each new manifestation details the shrewd cleverness and cunning exhibited by the Victorian-era detective, but usually overlooks his slightly smaller sidekicks, the Baker Street Irregulars.
First Stage’s world premiere production of Sherlock Holmes: The Baker Street Irregulars follows five rambunctious street kids (who were briefly noted in the original Conan Doyle canon) as they attempt to protect and defend Victorian London in the absence of Holmes, who has disappeared. With the notorious criminal mastermind James Moriarty on the loose, the Baker Street children must protect the city and save themselves while attempting to locate their beloved missing mentor.
First Stage commissioned the script. Based on The Baker Street Irregulars, a series of graphic novels by New York Times bestselling author Tony Lee, playwright Eric Coble (Broadway’s The Velocity of Autumn) focuses primarily on four stories from the series: The Adventure of the Missing Detective, The Adventure of the Phantom of Drury Lane, The Adventure of the Charge of the Old Brigade and The Adventure of the Family Reunion.
“When I read these books I fell in love with the characters that Lee created,” said First Stage Artistic Director Jeff Frank. “They have such poignancy and soul. They’re doubted by society but they ultimately find strength in what Sherlock taught them. They fight for what’s right, they fight for each other and they always choose the right thing.”
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First Stage prides itself in “age-appropriate casting,” meaning adult characters are played by adults and young characters are played by the gifted child actors of First Stage Academy and the greater Milwaukee area. According to Frank, more than 600 youngsters auditioned for The Baker Street Irregulars during the company’s summer audition workshops. After days of strenuous auditions, that initial pool was narrowed to a final double cast that includes 32 talented young actors and musicians.
Frank is directing. He’s worked with young actors at First Stage for more than a decade. He describes the experience as being “just as exhilarating as it is exhausting. I always leave rehearsal excited because these kids have so much to give. I think it’s easy for adult actors to forget how cool the job of acting is. Working with kids and seeing how excited they are each and every day reminds the adults what a privilege it is to be an actor.”
In The Baker Street Irregulars, four skillful adult actors play multiple characters. Mark Corkins (as Holmes/Watson), Todd Denning (as Moriarty/Wiggins), Chiké Johnson (as Lestrade/Mayhew) and Marcella Kearns (Mrs. Hudson/Ensemble) boast professional credits that range from the Milwaukee Repertory Theater to Broadway.
The show features an original musical score created by local musician John Nicholson and based on traditional British folk music. “John is still trying to figure out how we’re going to utilize him,” Frank joked during a rehearsal I attended a month before the show’s opening that was focused on fitting music to the action. Nicholson, a member of the local folk band Frogwater, has composed and performed music for a number of other First Stage productions including How I Became a Pirate, U: Bug: Me and the 2003 world premiere and 2012 revival of A Midnight Cry. Drawing on the acoustic music of the region and time period, Nicholson created a score for violin, guitars, mandolin and percussion that’s “filled with action, emotion and adventure,” he said. “It’s old music visited anew. We just gave it a kick in the knickers.”
In rehearsal, Nicholson’s exciting music supported Frank’s imaginative staging to create an epic English adventure full of mystery, mayhem and murder. Despite brief moments of tension and violence in the script, Frank has targeted the show primarily at an elementary-aged audience. “There’s a definite darkness in it, but everything ultimately points to the light,” Frank said. “It’s a good PG show with frequent moments of genuine emotion.”
Frank said that First Stage works to mirror the diversity of Milwaukee’s community in shows that are both honest and entertaining. With its highly diverse cast, Sherlock Holmes: The Baker Street Irregulars is a good example. “The young people who come here see themselves on stage,” he said. “Differences between cultures, neighborhoods and economic backgrounds fade away and you’re left with a group of kids excited to be where they are, doing what they love.”
Sherlock Holmes: The Baker Street Irregulars runs from Oct. 17-Nov. 15 at First Stage’s Todd Wehr Theater, 929 N. Water St. For tickets, visit firststage.org.
