Sherlock Holmes and the Christmas Clowns
written by John Weagly
Adapted from the works of G.K. Chesterton and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
directed by Brian Pastor
Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson travel to the country to spend the holidays with an old army comrade of Watson’s. What they don’t know is that one of the other guests at this English manor is a notorious international thief. When a priceless present is stolen during a Christmas pantomime, can Sherlock discover the culprit before the curtain falls? Carols, courtship and comedy bring cheer to the cold winter in this holiday treat.
showtime: 55mins.
Fri (7:30pm), Sat (7:30pm), Sun (3pm): 12th December - 4th January
Cast
Crew
Jeremiah Barr (Scenic Design/Technical Director) is happy to be a part of the Holmes & Watson team. Some of his past credits include Blood Countess (technical director), School for Scandal (technical director) with Idle Muse; Strange Cargo (props/puppet design), Jesus Hopped the A Train (technical director), RUR (scenic design) Glassheart (scenic design), Night of the Hunter (scenic design) with City Lit; A Shadow Bright and Burning (scenic/props design) with Black Button Eyes; Book of Will (props), A Town Called Progress (scenic/props design) with Promethean Theatre Ensemble; The Pillowman (scenic/props), Betrayal (scenic/props design), The Language Archive (scenic/props design) and When We Were Young and Unafraid (scenic/props design) with AstonRep Theatre Company. Jeremiah is super pleased to be working with such a great cast and fantastic crew and wishes them all the very best. A big shout out to Samantha for all her love and knowledge of cats that keeps him on his toes.
Liz Cooper (Lighting Design) is excited to be designing at City Lit again! Some of her favorite City Lit designs include Strange Cargo, Glassheart, Night of the Hunter, and Thirteen Days. Other favorite design credits include A Shadow Bright and Burning, Mary Rose, The Authorized Fan Production of Dr. Horrible's Sing Along Blog, Ghost Quartet, and Shockheaded Peter (Black Button Eyes), I Promised Myself to Live Faster, The Golden Girls Lost Episodes at Golden Con 2022, The Drag Seed (The Chopin, Chicago and La Mama, NYC) and Christmas Dearest (Hell in a Handbag), and, The Winter's Tale (Oak Park Festival Theatre). She is an Artistic Associate at City Lit. Her light plot for Christmas Dearest was included in Live Design's 31 Days of Plots in 2021.
Hazel Marie Flowers-McCabe (Stage Manager) is positively chirked to be back at City Lit for the umpteenth time. Previous City Lit shows include The House of Ideas, The Birthday Party, Hay Fever, The Virginian, Hound of the Baskervilles, London Assurance, Hauptmann, Cocktail Time, The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, and MANY more. She has also had the pleasure of working with Midsommer Flight, Raven, A Red Orchid Theatre, Black Button Eyes Productions, Commedia Beauregard, Promethean Theater Ensemble, Hell in a Handbag, A Crew of Patches, Polarity Ensemble Theater, Red Hen/Chicago Jewish Theater, ARFTCo, L.I.V.E., and Accomplice.
Carrie Hardin (Dialect Coach) is pleased to be returning to CityLit, after most recently coaching Strange Cargo season. Other CityLit credits include House of Ideas, Night of the Hunter, Murder in the Cathedral, Playboy of the Western World, and London Assurance, among others. You may have heard her coaching efforts around town with First Folio, Lifeline Theatre, Babes with Blades, Pegasus, Promethean Theatre Ensemble, Aston Rep, Idle Muse, Redtwist, and Loyola University Chicago, where she also teaches. Many thanks to all involved, and to her family for putting up with her near-constant quiet mumbling in different voices.
Mary McCormack (Music Director) is delighted to be working with City Lit again! Recent credits include: Lizzie in Pride & Prejudice (Parker Players) Charlotte in Charlotte's Web (YPT), Mollie in The Mousetrap (Citadel), Sally Bowles in I Am A Camera (Porchlight), Pearl in the World Premiere of Night of the Hunter (City Lit), Mary Hatch in It’s a Wonderful Life (Oil Lamp), Nellie in Playboy of the Western World (City Lit), Portia in Something Rotten! (Theater Nebula). Mary is a classically trained soprano and studied theatre at Millikin University with a focus in vocal performance. Mary Margaret is represented by Talent X Alexander: mccormackmarym.com
kClare McKellaston (Costume Design)
Brian Pastor (Director) (they/them) is a trans/non-binary producer, director, actor, and playwright in Chicago and the incoming Executive Artistic Director of City Lit Theater. Brian previously spent ten and a half years on staff at City Lit, including nine as Managing Director. From 2019 to 2024, Brian served as City Lit’s Resident Director, where they directed The Night Of The Hunter, The Playboy Of The Western World, George Bernard Shaw’s Arms And The Man, Archibald MacLeish’s J.B., and their own acclaimed adaptation of Robert Kennedy’s Thrteen Days. Brian is a founder and Emeritus Artistic Director of Chicago’s Promethean Theatre Ensemble, where they directed The Lion In Winter, The Winter’s Tale, and Gross Indecency: The Three Trials Of Oscar Wilde (all Broadway World Award Nominated–Best Director), as well as Henry V and The Dark Side of The Bard. Brian also directed the world premiere of The Black Night by Angeli Primlani, the inaugural show for Lifeboat Productions. As an actor, Brian has worked with Strawdog, Raven, WildClaw, Promethean, Accomplice, and City Lit, among others. Brian is the former Executive Director of Sideshow Theatre and the former Executive Director of Raven Theatre. They also served as a board and company member of The Mime Company and as a founding company member of Chicago dell’Arte. A Pittsburgh native, Brian has called Chicago home since their graduation from Northwestern University in 2003.
John Weagly (Playwright) has had over 100 plays receive over 200 productions by theaters on 5 continents. A collection of his short sci-fi/fantasy scripts, Tiny Flights of Fantasy, has been taught at Columbia College. Other short plays have been collected in The Juggler Who Lost His Arms In A Rodeo Fire & Other Plays and Vagabond Plays. His adaptation Sherlock Holmes and the Case of the Christmas Goose has been produced around the world. Also a short story writer, Locus Magazine once compared his short fiction to the works of Ray Bradbury and called him “a new writer worth reading and following.”
Reviews
“Another brilliant example of intelligence, craft and stunning deduction—quite breathtaking”
