LAGUNA PLAYHOUSE PRESENTS THE FINAL PRODUCTION OF OUR 2023-2024 SEASON… HOLMES & WATSON

May 6, 2024...Laguna Beach, CA…LAGUNA PLAYHOUSE presents HOLMES & WATSON, written by Jeffrey Hatcher and directed by Laguna Playhouse artistic director David Ellenstein. HOLMES & WATSON will begin previews on Wednesday, May 29 (with a press opening on Sunday, June 2 at 5:30pm) and run through Sunday, June 16 at the Laguna Playhouse, 606 Laguna Canyon Dr. in Laguna Beach.
 
Prepare yourself for a fast-paced, thrilling, suspenseful story that will keep you guessing until its final moments. In this worthwhile addition to the Sherlock Holmes canon, there are more twists and turns than a rollercoaster! The legendary Sherlock Holmes is dead. Or so it is assumed. When a telegram arrives informing his loyal companion Dr. Watson that there are three men who each claim to be Holmes, it’s left up to the famous sidekick to take on the case and try to discover if one of the mad men is actually the real Sherlock Holmes.  
 
Comments David Ellenstein, “Some years back, I had a great time directing Jeffrey Hatcher's Holmes & Watson. It is a thrilling mystery that keeps you guessing right up until the last moment. It was as exhilarating for those of us that worked on the production as it was for the audience that experienced it and overwhelmingly cheered for the wild ride that they had. Years later, audiences that saw that show still tell me what a great time they had.          (more)                                  
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Before I directed this play, I was not a huge Sherlock Holmes enthusiast, but the play led me to read the Conan Doyle source material and I gained a new understanding for the lasting appeal of the detective. These stories are extremely well written. I became captivated by the detail and specificity of the character and literary style. I became a Sherlock fan. There is a reason Mr. Holmes endures through all sorts of adaptations and across time. 
 
Jeffrey Hatcher is such an accomplished and skillful playwright. His specialty is exactly this genre – so this play bristles with intrigue, humor and verve. It truly captures the Holmesian style and mystery. The idea of a new production of Holmes & Watson at Laguna Playhouse fills me with eager anticipation. I am so excited by the exemplary cast we have assembled and the amazing design plans that will lift this play to its full potential. I believe Laguna Playhouse audiences are going to have a great time with this one.”
 
ABOUT THE CREATIVE TEAM AND CAST
 
DAVID ELLENSTEIN (Director) Born into a theatrical family, David Ellenstein has been working in professional theatre for the better part of five decades. In May 2023, he was named Artistic Director of Laguna Playhouse, after filling the role in an interim capacity since September 2023. In addition, he has been the Artistic Director of North Coast Repertory Theatre in Solana Beach, CA since 2003.  At Laguna Playhouse, credits include directing A Shayna Maidel, The Angel Next Door, Chapatti, Alexandros and playing “Einstein” in Picasso at The Lapin Agile. Other directorial credits include The Chosen at Paper Mill Playhouse; Halpern and Johnson and Sonia Flew at Coconut Grove Playhouse; The Glass Menagerie, Rocket City and Honky Tonk Angels at Alabama Shakespeare Festival; His Royal Hipness at 59E59 in NYC; and Long Day’s Journey into Night at Renaissance Theatre. As Artistic Director at North Coast Repertory Theatre in Solana Beach since 2003, over 60 Directorial credits including Way Down River, The Tempest, A Moon for the Misbegotten, The Outsider and The Homecoming. His career includes acting credits of playing the title roles in Hamlet at LA Theatre Center and LA Rep; Richard III at California Shakespeare Festival; Tevye in Fiddler on the Roof at Moonlight Stage; Jonathan in Sight Unseen, Max in Laughter on the 23rd Floor and Matt in Talley’s Folly at North Coast Rep as well as over three dozen film and television episodes.
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JEFFREY HATCHER (Playwright) His Broadway credits include: Never Gonna Dance (book). Off-Broadway credits include: Three Viewings and A Picasso at Manhattan Theatre Club; The Government Inspector at Red Bull Theater; Scotland Road and The Turn of the Screw at Primary Stages; Lucky Duck (book w/ Bill Russell) at the New Victory Theater; Tuesdays With Morrie (w/ Mitch Albom) at the Minetta Lane Theatre; Murder By Poe, The Turn of the Screw, and A Connecticut Yankee At King Arthur’s Court at the Acting Company; Ten Chimneys at Peccadillo Theater Company; Neddy at American Place; and Fellow Travelers at Manhattan Punchline. Other theatre credits include: Compleat Female Stage Beauty, Mrs. Mannerly, Murderers, Mercy Of A Storm, Smash, Armadale, Korczak’s Children, Work Song (w/ Eric Simonson), To Fool The Eye, Sherlock Holmes And The Suicide Club, Jeffrey Hatcher’s Hamlet, The Scarecrow And His Servant, Dr. Jekyll And Mr. Hyde, The Critic, Holmes And Watson, and others at the Guthrie, the Old Globe, Yale Rep, the Geffen, Seattle Rep, Huntington Theatre Company, the Shakespeare Theatre, Cincinnati Playhouse, Cleveland Playhouse, South Coast Rep, Arizona Theatre Company, San Jose Rep, the Empty Space, Indiana Rep, Children’s Theatre Company, History Theatre, Madison Rep, Intiman Theatre, Illusion Theater, Denver Center, Oregon Shakespeare Festival, Alabama Shakespeare Festival, Milwaukee Rep, Repertory Theatre of St. Louis, Actors Theatre of Louisville, Philadelphia Theatre Company, Asolo Repertory Theatre, City Theater, Studio Arena, and dozens more in the US and abroad. FILM/TV: “Stage Beauty,” “Casanova,” “The Duchess,” “Mr. Holmes,” “The Good Liar,” “Columbo,” “Murder at the Cannes Film Festival,” and “The Mentalist.” GRANTS/AWARDS: NEA, TCG, Lila Wallace Fund, Rosenthal New Play Prize, Frankel Award, Charles MacArthur Fellowship Award, McKnight Foundation, Jerome Foundation, Barrymore Award (Best New Play), and the 2013 Ivey Lifetime Achievement Award.
 
The cast of HOLMES & WATSON features (in alphabetical order): Richard Baird (The Rainmaker at Laguna Playhouse) as “Watson,” Matt Koenig (Cabaret at La Mirada Theatre) as “Holmes #2,” Matthew Floyd Miller (Sleuth at Ensemble Theatre Company) as “Holmes #1,” Nicholas Mongiardo-Cooper (Oliver at 5-Star Theatricals) as “Dr. Evans,” Mike Peebler (Hamlet at Theatricum Botanicum) as “Orderly/Moriarty/Inspector,” Alice Sherman (Amadeus at North Coast Repertory) as “The Matron/The Woman,” and Christopher M.  Williams (Tartuffe at Laguna Playhouse) as “Holmes #3.”
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The design team for HOLMES & WATSON is as follows: scenic design by Stephen Gifford; costume design by Kate Bergh; lighting design by Jared A. Sayeg; sound design by Ian Scot; props design by Kevin Williams; hair and wig design by Peter Herman.  Casting is by Michael Donovan Casting; Michael Donovan, CSA & Richie Ferris, CSA.
The Production Stage Manager is Vernon Willet.                                   
 
ABOUT THE SCHEDULE AND PRICING
HOLMES & WATSON will preview on Wednesday, May 29 at 7:30pm; Thursday, May 30 at 2:00pm & 7:30pm; Friday, May 31 at 7:30pm; Saturday, June 1 at 2:00pm & 7:30pm; (with a press opening on Sunday, June 2 at 5:30pm) and run through Sunday, June 16, 2024 at the Laguna Playhouse, 606 Laguna Canyon Dr. in Laguna Beach.
 
Performances are Wednesdays through Fridays at 7:30pm; Saturdays at 2:00pm & 7:30pm; Sundays at 1:00pm & 5:30pm. There will be added performances on Thursday, May 30 at 2:00pm; Thursday, June 6 at 2:00pm & Tuesday, June 11 at 7:30pm. There will be no performance on Sunday, June 16 at 5:30pm. There will be a post-show talkback following the Friday, June 7 performance.                    
 
Tickets range from $45 - $84 and can be purchased online at www.lagunaplayhouse.com or by calling (949) 497-2787. Group discounts are available by calling 949-497-2787 ext.229.  Prices subject to change.                                                                                                                                                      
The box office is open Tuesdays - Sundays: 12pm to 4pm; Mondays open 2 hours prior to show time and until 15 minutes after curtain.  Open until showtime on all performance days.
For more information on all shows and programming visit www.lagunaplayhouse.com.  LAGUNA PLAYHOUSE is located at 606 Laguna Canyon Road in Laguna Beach.  
 
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To schedule press interviews, photos or press comps, please contact David Elzer/DEMAND PR at 818/508-1754 or by e-mail at davidelzer@me.com. 
 
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Founded in 1920, the historic Laguna Playhouse (David Ellenstein, Artistic Director/Bill Kerlin, Managing Director) is one of the oldest continuously-operating not-for-profit theatres on the West Coast and is proud to be an active participant in the celebrated Laguna Beach arts community. From classic plays and musical comedies to the current off-Broadway smash, cutting edge and traditional music exhibitions, dance festivals and stand-up comedy performances, Laguna Playhouse brings the magical experience of the performing arts direct to over 80,000 patrons each season.
 
Laguna Playhouse educational programming includes year-round classes, productions by and for children and teens (Youth Theatre) and is one of the few companies in the region that offer a curriculum-based professional theatre-touring program, TheatreReach, which aligns with the California State Standards for literature, history and performing arts curriculum.     
 
Laguna Playhouse has been recognized in for the past five years as one of Orange County Register’s “Best of OC” in the category of Live Theatre. The Laguna Playhouse has featured many talented performers on stage, including Ed Asner, Leslie Caron, Hershey Felder, Harrison Ford, Melanie Griffith, Val Kilmer, Gregory Harrison, Dan Lauria, Hal Linden, Wendie Malick, Rita Rudner, Peter Strauss, Jobeth Williams, Joely Fisher, Charles Shaughnessy, French Stewart, Loretta Swit, and Bette Davis.
 
Learn What’s Going On at www.lagunaplayhouse.com.