Uncovering the mystery behind the Holmes-Watson relationship

Sherlock Holmes and his faithful friend Dr. Watson are the literary equivalent of Batman and Robin, a dynamic duo everyone knows. But the cornerstone of "The Secret of Sherlock Holmes," a stage drama about the two sleuths, is how well they know each other.

Dave Demke plays Watson in Shakespeare & Company's US premiere of "The Secret of Sherlock Holmes," which starts previews tonight. He's long been intrigued by the characters. "I started reading the stories in my early teens, saw the old Basil Rathbone/Nigel Bruce films, and have always had a kind of fascination and adoration for what Arthur Conan Doyle created," Demke says. "But you have to get past that and approach the role like any other. What is the spine of the character? He's not a bumbling sidekick, so what keeps him hanging around Holmes?"

The play will probably attract fans of the Conan Doyle stories, the Rathbone films, and the British TV series starring Jeremy Brett. "It's nice to be the object of their scrutiny," says Michael Hammond, who plays Holmes and is the associate artistic director at Shakespeare & Company. "But it also means I'm on a crash course to understand this character. My onstage persona tends to be flamboyant and vain anyway, and I can't resist impulses to do things that may be reminiscent of Basil Rathbone or Jeremy Brett. But I think this particular story is more about the relationship between Holmes and Watson, and that is the mystery they're trying to solve."

"The Secret of Sherlock Holmes" was commissioned by Brett, who played Holmes in the 1980s TV series with such brittle brilliance he is considered the definitive Holmes of his generation. To honor the Holmes centenary in 1987, Brett asked series writer Jeremy Paul to create a new script, with dialogue taken almost exclusively from Conan Doyle's original stories. Brett and Edward Hardwicke (who played Doctor Watson to Brett's Holmes on TV), performed the roles in the play, which references many of the crimes Holmes and Watson solved but ultimately focuses on the friendship between the two men. Because the play references so many of the stories and jumps around in time and space, Hammond and Demke say they've had to do their own sleuthing.

"I think Paul and Brett, since they'd worked together on the TV show, had a kind of shorthand," says Hammond. "There are gaps that Paul doesn't have to fill in because he knew what Brett would bring to it.

One of the advantages of performing with someone you've worked with before, says Demke, is that it's easier to create the friendship between Holmes and Watson. "It's easy to find that part of Watson that enjoys being with Holmes because I've been onstage with Michael before and enjoy being with him," Demke says.

Part of the fun and the challenge of these roles, adds Hammond, is the complexity of the characters. "They create such a balance for each other. Watson is much more grounded than the eccentric Holmes, and yet Holmes provides Watson with the thrills he seeks. What makes the mystery work is that it's rooted in how well they know each other and what they've withheld from each other over the years."

At Shakespeare & Company's Founders' Theatre, tonight through Oct. 28. Tickets: $20-$57. As part of the 120th anniversary of Sherlock Holmes celebration, the company is hosting a series of talks, tastings, brunches and related events throughout the run. 413-637-3353, shakespeare.org.

Bunraku in Boston

The Japan Society of Boston presents Bunraku, the traditional puppet theatre of Japan, Tuesday and Wednesday at the Cutler Majestic Theatre as part of a tour of the United States. A troupe of 32 artists from the National Bunraku Theater of Japan will perform two classic Japanese plays; in between, the audience will see a demonstration of the workings of Bunraku puppetry.

Notes

The cast of the Lyric Stage Company will sing the National Anthem at Sunday's Red Sox game, the final home game of the regular season. Christopher Chew, who plays Don Quixote in the Lyric's "Man of La Mancha," will sing "Impossible Dream." . . . SpeakEasy Stage Company is offering a wonderfully quirky fund-raiser Monday and Tuesday at the Roberts Studio Theatre, Boston Center for the Arts. "Sorry, Wrong Number" will feature well-known Boston-area singers, including Leigh Barrett, Mary Callanan, Chew, Will McGarrahan, Kathy St. George, and Maryann Zschau, singing songs for roles they never would have been cast in. Tickets: $60. 617-933-8600. . . . Stage and screen actor Philip Bosco will star in a benefit performance of "Don Juan in Hell" Monday at the Boston University Theatre. The dream sequence from George Bernard Shaw's "Man and Superman" will also feature Jim Petosa, director of the BU School of Theater; proceeds will benefit the Sir Rex Harrison Scholarship Fund and the School of Theatre Production Enhancement Fund. Tickets: $25. 617-933-8600, bostontheatrescene.com. . . . Brandeis University is hosting a conference on the intersection of art and politics Thursday through Oct. 8. "Acting Together on the World Stage: Setting the Scene for Peace" will feature discussions and conversations with theater artists and cultural workers from around the globe, as well as a performance by the award-winning Peruvian theater troupe Grupo Cultural Yuyachkani. Brandeis.edu/coexistence/events.