Q: In Holmes and Watson, playwright Jeffrey Hatcher has crafted a completely new story for the Sherlock cannon - a supposition as to what actually happened that fateful day at Reichenbach Falls between Sherlock Holmes and his nemesis, Professor Moriarty, and the events that followed. In working with this text and building this production, what elements have you found make a Sherlock Holmes story a Sherlock Holmes story, and why do you think that we are still so fascinated with the adventures of Sherlock Holmes and Dr. John Watson today?
A: A Sherlock Holmes story is an elaborate game framed around the solving of a mystery. Jeffrey Hatcher, the playwright of Holmes and Watson, is well acquainted with the canon of short stories and novels written by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. Jeffrey Hatcher has created an elaborate Sherlockian game that gives his play all the key ingredients of a great Sherlock Holmes story: intrigue, mystery, suspense, plot twists and turns, wit and intelligence. The paramount ingredient in any Sherlock Holmes adventure, is the unrelenting desire of Sherlock Holmes along with his friend and colleague, Dr. John Watson, to solve the crime and unearth the truth.
Sir Arthur Conan Doyle wrote great stories and was able to capture magic on the page with the relationship of Sherlock Holmes and Dr. John Watson. Some say, the friendship of Sherlock Holmes and Dr. John Watson is the greatest male friendship ever penned in literature. This is the heart of what continues to resonate and captivate us today and onward to future generations.
