The cast of “The Game’s Afoot”: (Back row, left to right) Scott Poitras, Paul Hughes, Maureen Coyne, Kaemon Bonet, Siobhan O’Brien, and Natasha Harris; (Front row, left to right) Lauren Kelley and Callie Heyer. (Courtesy photo)

The Benicia Old Town Theatre Group (BOTTG) will open Ken Ludwig’s farcical holiday drama, “The Game’s Afoot, or Holmes for the Holidays” on Friday, Oct. 21 at the historic BDES Hall in downtown Benicia. Director Clinton Vidal expects a good turnout for the highly entertaining production.
“It’s unique, at least among the six to seven years since I’ve been there (at the BOTTG),” he said. “It’s a hybrid, kind of a murder mystery with some comedy and some farce.”
The play opens with the ending of a well-known Sherlock Holmes play, at which point beloved Holmes portrayer William Gillette (Paul Hughes) turns to address the audience and introduce them to the ensuing scene.
Gillette portrayed the character of Doyle’s ingenious private detective, Sherlock Holmes, over 1,300 times over the course of his career, Vidal told the Herald. He also penned, with Doyle’s blessing, the stage play “Sherlock Holmes,” from which Ludwig’s “Game” in turn is derived.
“Now we are at his (Gillette’s) home, where he has invited the show’s cast members and a powerful theater critic. During the course of the party one of the guests ends up dead, and everyone there becomes a suspect.”
The comedy is not quite slapstick, although it is “in that neighborhood,” according to Vidal, but more in the realm of the farce – “a slamming door farce, hiding the body when the police show up, etc.
“I hope people come and have a good time, that’s what we’re shooting for. It’s a very clever script. It’s not deep material, not an intense examination of the human condition, but more of an entertaining night out.”
Benicians Natasha Harris and Loren Kelly and Vallejoan Callie Heyer all have roles in the play, with Bay Area actor Paul Hughes in the lead role of actor and playwright William Gillette.
“The Game’s Afoot” opens Friday, Oct. 21 and runs for three weekends, closing Saturday, Nov. 12. The BDES Hall is located at 140 West J St. in Benicia. Tickets are $22, $20 for seniors or students with valid ID. Tickets are available online or at the Benicia Chamber of Commerce, 601 First St. For more information visit beniciaoldtowntheatregroup.com or call 746-1269.

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