Magnifying Theatrical Mysteries: Plays and Musicals Featuring Sherlock Holmes

From the classic original stories of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle to creative adaptations intended for audiences of all ages, these picks from Concord Theatricals highlight all the thrills of great mystery theatre. Take a look below for a variety of plays and musicals featuring – or inspired by – that one-of-a-kind fictional detective, Sherlock Holmes.

A Prince There Was by George M. Cohan and Darragh Aldrich (US)
(Full-Length Play, Comedy / 6w, 7m)
The story of a rich man who, bored with life, goes to see the seamy side in a cheap boarding house, where he finds love and happiness. The sentiment is constantly offset by shrewd satire and comedy, the best of which is given to the young pair of amateur detectives, both of whom live in Mrs. Prouty’s house. Shorty is a movie “stipe” who hopes someday to play Sherlock Holmes. But Gladys, the landlady’s daughter, has her own idea of scenting suspicion. When the mysterious “Mr. Prince” comes to board with the Proutys, Shorty and Gladys find adventure in their avocation.

Alexandria Municipal Reading Library by Saragail Katzman (US)
(Full-Length Musical, Comedy / 2w, 3m)
What do you do when you’re a kid and your family moves to a town with no library? That’s the bleak prospect facing George, who relocates from Chicago to Alexandria, Nebraska. George loves to read, adores books and their heroes, but Alexandria has no library. It’s up to him to start one! His friends from his books – Sherlock Holmes, d’Artagnan and Lassie – urge him on, and George carries through with his dream, winning new friends along the way. Alexandria Municipal Reading Library is a terrifically fun, whimsical show with a message that never intrudes on the sheer delight of the story.

Baker Street by Jerome Coopersmith, Marian Grudeff and Raymond Jessel (US/UK)
(Full-Length Musical, Dramatic Comedy / 2w, 4m)
In this musical mystery, Sherlock Holmes explores turn-of-the-century London as he delves into a dangerous and colorful case involving murder, jewel theft, deception, explosives and show business. Baker Street opened on Broadway in a 1965 production directed by Harold Prince, starring Fritz Weaver as Sherlock Holmes and Inga Swenson in a Tony-nominated turn as Irene Adler.

Hidden Meanings by Michael Snelgrove (US/UK)
(Short Play, Comedy / 5w, 4m)
Rodney and George are to provide a dramatic interlude at the Sherlock Holmes Society’s annual congress. Events turn truly dramatic when George discovers the body of Rodney’s financial director, dressed as Moriarty, in Rodney’s cupboard. Proudly acknowledging he’s the murderer, Rodney is piqued when others make the same claim. All are thwarted when the body staggers from the cupboard and passes a suicide note to inspector Jobling – all to the accompaniment of The Pirates of Penzance.

Hound of the Baskervilles by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and Tim Kelly (US/UK)
(Full-Length Play, Drama / 5w, 5m)
Holmes’ most spine-chilling mystery is placed in a modern setting in this version – with suspense, humor and terror. Sir Henry is heir to the vast Baskerville fortune, a legacy that comes with a family curse: death at the fangs of a horror that prowls the moor. Only Holmes can stop the beast. While mysterious lights signal Baskerville Hall and the hound terrifies the countryside, the sleuthing begins and suspicion falls on sinister servants, butterfly collectors, ladies in distress, and escaped convicts. Who wrote the letter that summoned the hound? Is Sir Henry’s romance with the lovely Kathy doomed? Is the supernatural at work?

If Sherlock Holmes Were a Woman by Tim Kelly (US)
(Short Play, Comedy / 7w)
Shirley Holmes is named after the famous sleuth of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle fame. She is a fanatic on mystery and crime. Her big chance finally comes when the housemother in her dorm is found dead under peculiar circumstances. Shirley, determined to solve the crime, locks all the girls in the communal study. Shirley’s sleuthing is hilarious and causes something of a scandal as she unravels the laugh-provoking “heinous crime.”

Jack the Ripper: Monster of Whitechapel by Joe Dickinson (US)
(Full-Length Play, Comedy / 8w, 6m)
A comical but scary treatment of the serial killer who terrorized London in the 1800s. Many of the characters and events are taken right from history, but others are pure comic invention, such as Pegeen Macdougal, a practitioner of white magic, and her “familiar,” Hogarth, who speaks only in cookbook terms. All of the roles are amusingly drawn, from the frustrated physician, Dr. Forbes Winslow, already henpecked by his fiancée, suffragist Ernestine Pankhurst, to manservant Phillip Poole, who is bound and determined to solve the murders in the style of his hero, Sherlock Holmes. There are several murders, but these are given a wickedly humorous touch by the victims themselves. Jack the Ripper: Monster of Whitechapel was first performed on March 28, 1986, at the Pocket Sandwich Theatre in Dallas, Texas, directed by Rodney Dobbs.

Ken Ludwig’s Baskerville: A Sherlock Holmes Mystery by Ken Ludwig (US/UK)
(Full-Length Play, Comedy / 1w, 4m)
From the award-winning mastermind of mayhem Ken Ludwig comes a fast-paced comedy about everyone’s favorite detective solving his most notorious case. Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson must crack the mystery of “The Hound of the Baskervilles” before a family curse dooms its newest heir. Baskerville: A Sherlock Holmes Mystery received its world premiere as a co-production between Arena Stage in Washington, DC, and the McCarter Theatre in New Jersey in 2015, under the direction of Amanda Dehnert.

Ken Ludwig’s Moriarty by Ken Ludwig (US/UK)
(Full-Length Play, Comedy / 2w, 3m)
Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson are back on the case. An investigation into the Bohemian king’s stolen letters cascades into an international mystery filled with spies, blackmail and intrigue. With world peace at stake, Holmes and Watson join forces with American actress Irene Adler to take down cunning criminal mastermind Professor Moriarty and his network of devious henchmen. Five actors play over 40 roles in this adventure that has danger – and laughter! – around every corner. First titled Ken Ludwig’s Moriarty: A New Sherlock Holmes Adventure, the play premiered at the Cleveland Play House on April 29, 2023. Directed by Mark Brokaw and Michael Barakiva, the cast included Jeffrey M. Bender, Talley Gale, Nick Gaswirth, Olivia Gilliatt and Christian Pedersen.

Ken Ludwig’s Postmortem by Ken Ludwig (US)
(Full-Length Play, Comedy / 4w, 4m)
This play introduces eccentric actor William Gillette, world renowned for his 30-year portrayal of Sherlock Homes, as he tries to solve a mystery at his Connecticut mansion, a magnificent medieval castle. Postmortem was first presented at the American Stage Festival in Milford, New Hampshire in July 1983. Author Ken Ludwig later reworked this play into The Game’s Afoot.

Ken Ludwig’s The Game’s Afoot by Ken Ludwig (US/UK)
(Full-Length Play, Comedy / 5w, 3m)
It is December 1936, and Broadway star William Gillette, admired the world over for his leading role in the play Sherlock Holmes, has invited his fellow cast members to his Connecticut castle for a weekend of revelry. But when one of the guests is stabbed to death, the festivities in this isolated house of tricks and mirrors quickly turn dangerous. It is then up to Gillette himself, as he assumes the persona of his beloved Holmes, to track down the killer before the next victim appears. The danger and hilarity are non-stop in this glittering whodunit set during the Christmas holidays.

Murder in Baker Street by Judd Woldin (US)
(Full-Length Play, Drama / 1w, 6m)
A quiet evening at 221B is disrupted by Cecil Forrester, a harried industrialist seeking protection from assailants. Sherlock Holmes is not interested in such mundane matters, until he recognizes the method of attack: an “Oriental Death Touch.” He shelters his new client in a locked and bolted room and explores the roof with Dr. Watson, where they are suddenly attacked by a ninja. In the morning, Forrester is discovered murdered. An aggressive prosecutor uncovers a connection between the victim and Dr. Watson, and he hypothesizes a method by which Watson could have committed the crime within the locked room. Watson is convicted and condemned. To save his friend, Holmes confesses and, from a cell in Pentonville Prison, the legendary detective solves the baffling murder.

Sherlock Holmes by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and William Gillette (US)
(Full-Length Play, Drama / 3w, 17m)
Incriminating letters written by a young European prince to the English girl he betrayed are in the hands of the dead girl’s sister. She is in the clutches of a nefarious man. All this and Moriarty and Dr. Watson too. Sherlock Holmes was first presented by the Royal Shakespeare Company in a London production directed by Frank Dunlop.

Sherlock Holmes and a Near Case of Murder by Robert Mauro (US)
(Short Play, Comedy / 4w, 4m)
It’s unlikely, but seems to be true. The Dragon Lady and Professor Moriarty are producing a melodrama, and Holmes and Watson are invited to audition. Little do they know – though they ought to suspect! – that the climax of this funny takeoff will be their dual demise. But all is saved in a surprise twist by Mrs. Hudson and Inspector Lastrade.

Sherlock Holmes and the American Problem by R. Hamilton Wright (US/UK)
(Full-Length Play, Dramatic Comedy / 3w, 6m)
In this new Sherlock Holmes adventure, the brilliant detective takes on a case as Annie Oakley’s traveling show comes to London and earthquakes and murders are on the rise. During Queen Victoria’s Jubilee in London, 1887, Buffalo Bill’s Wild West is the hottest ticket in town, and its star, Miss Annie Oakley, travels to Baker Street to ask Sherlock Holmes to find her missing brother. What ensues is a tale of international intrigue, multiple murders and a war for supremacy over the London underworld. Sherlock Holmes and the American Problem debuted at Seattle Rep in April of 2016.

Sherlock Holmes and the Curious Adventure of the Clockwork Prince by Cleve Haubold and James Hitt (US)
(Full-Length Play, Comedy / 4w, 6m)
This Sherlock Holmes adventure in the style of Gilbert and Sullivan brings the great detective and Dr. Watson up against the evil wiles of that master of disguise, Sir Sullivan Sinister. The world of New Year’s Eve 1899 in London is a sparkling background against which Holmes wrestles with the puzzle of the Clockwork Prince, a brass key held for ransom, a stolen formula and a curiously missing cook who is nowhere and everywhere at once. Holmes makes the most of his gifts of deduction and disguise in a riotous race against the stroke of midnight, with fatal results.

Sherlock Holmes and the Giant Rat of Sumatra by Tim Kelly and Jack Sharkey (US)
(Full-Length Musical, Comedy / 8w, 7m)
There was only one Sherlock Holmes story that Dr. Watson never wrote down – “The Giant Rat of Sumatra” – and the explanation of why it was never captured on paper is the plot of this engaging Victorian spoof, a mirthful Sherlock Holmes adventure involving a heavily veiled damsel, Mata Hari, Jack the Ripper, Queen Victoria, the beautiful Lady Fitzroy, Mrs. Hudson, Inspector Lestrade and, of course, the evil Professor Moriarty. Sherlock Holmes and the Giant Rat of Sumatra premiered at the Magnificent Moorpark Melodrama & Vaudeville Theatre in Moorpark, California in December 1986.

Sherlock Holmes and the Red Headed League by John Clay, Rick Cummins and Greer Woodward (US)
(Full-Length Musical, Comedy / 1w, 4m)
This delightful adaptation of the well-known Conan Doyle story for young audiences can be enjoyed by one and all. In it, a young man who wants to be a detective and his friend who wants to be a doctor but who has an interest in crime solving investigate a murder and theft. The musical was first presented by Theaterworks USA in February 1986 under the direction of Charles Hull.

Sherlock’s Secret Life by Will Severin and Ed Lange (US)
(Full-Length Play, Comedy / 3w, 5m)
This original play with musical underscoring about the world’s most famous detective during his youthful years of collaboration with Dr. Watson is firmly grounded in Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s characters. It is a fascinating mystery, an enchanting romance and a wonderful comedy. Winner of the Audio Publishers Association’s National Audie Award for its dramatic presentation as an audio book, the play was originally produced by the New York State Theatre Institute.

The (curious case of the) Watson Intelligence by Madeleine George (US/UK)
(Full-Length Play, Drama / 1w, 2m)
Four versions of Watson – Holmes’ sidekick, telephone engineer, Jeopardy! super-computer and amiable techno-dweeb – become one in this brilliantly witty, time-jumping, loving tribute (and cautionary tale) dedicated to the people – and machines – upon which we all depend. The (curious case of the) Watson Intelligence premiered off-Broadway at Playwrights Horizons on November 15, 2013. Directed by Leigh Silverman, the cast featured John Ellison Conlee, David Costabile and Amanda Quaid.

The Adventure of the Clouded Crystal by Tim Kelly (US)
(Short Play, Dramatic Comedy / 2w, 2m)
In The Adventure of the Clouded Crystal, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and Houdini are dear friends, although the issue of spiritualism often causes them to argue. Doyle arranges a séance with a famed medium. Houdini plans to expose the medium as a fraud, but he doesn’t count on the woman’s cleverness. Sparks fly as the two battle with Sir Arthur and a woman reporter on the sidelines. Ultimately, Doyle and Houdini have a stormy scene and the magician finds he must retreat before the medium’s skill and intelligence. They make a strange pact: to stay as far away from one another as possible. If Houdini behaves, she won’t reveal his secret – he believes Sherlock Holmes is a real person.

The Crucifer of Blood by Paul Giovanni (US/UK)
(Full-Length Play, Dramatic Comedy / 1w, 11m)
The Crucifer of Blood is an ingenious pastiche of Conan Doyle’s Sherlock Holmes stories, primarily The Sign of Four. Taking place in 1887, The Crucifer of Blood deals with the Agra Treasure stolen 30 years before by two English officers who are finally overtaken by the curse that has bedeviled them with foul horrors. The action moves from India to Baker Street to spooky Pondicherry Lodge in Maidenhead to a Limehouse opium den to a boat chase on the Thames and finally back to Baker Street for a surprise denouement. The Crucifer of Blood was first presented at the Buffalo Studio Area Theatre.

The Emporer’s Clothes by George Tabori (US)
(Full-Length Play, Dramatic Comedy / 3w, 12m)
In Budapest in 1930 live a father and mother and a young son. The father was dismissed from his teaching post some years ago because of his outspoken liberal views. In a growing totalitarian state, he is blacklisted, and he makes a bare living by proofreading trashy writing. He is so poor that he cannot afford a tree for Christmas. The imaginative youngster, who is a fan of Hoot Gibson and Sherlock Holmes and who worships his father, figures he can raise money for a tree by charging dues to join a new secret society that he has invented. The boy gets the tree, but the police hear of the society and come to arrest the father as the brains. Anxious about what little self-respect he has left, the father compromises himself, not realizing he is destroying the idealism of his worshipful son. But in the end he is firm, suffering terrible inquisitions and redeeming himself as a hero in the eyes of his boy.

The Final Toast by Stuart Kaminsky (US/UK)
(Full-Length Play, Drama / 2w, 6m, 1boy)
Edgar Prize-winning author Kaminsky tells the tale of one of literature’s most famous detectives: Sherlock Holmes. In a witty, imaginative story filled with twists and unexpected surprises, Detective Holmes unravels a murder only to find himself the unwilling target of the killer-at-large. The Final Toast had its world premiere at the 2008 International Mystery Writers’ Festival.

The Frankenstein Monster Show by John Crocker, Tim Hampton, Ken Bolam and Les Scott (US/UK)
(Full-Length Play, Comedy / 2w, 11m)
This inventive and exuberant play with music brings the Frankenstein story up to date – into the computer age, in fact. When Frank Enstein arrives at Enstein Hall from the USA, he continues the experiments of his deceased great-great uncle. Frank’s expertise in computer robotics and the timely arrival of two rather suspicious undertakers soon have remote-controlled monsters rolling off the production line. Demand soon outstrips supply, and it is then that Frank’s scheme takes an even more sinister turn as he sets up “The Dungeon of Death” to obtain “voluntary” corpses. His plans are foiled by Dr. Ruby Watson and John B. Good, the family solicitor, with a little help from Sherlock Holmes, Junior. Unfortunately, this involves most of the cast – goodies as well as baddies – being killed off, but with the help of Frank’s machine, all are reanimated in time for a rousing final chorus of Humanoid Boogie.

The Last of Sherlock Holmes by Tim Kelly (US)
(Short Play, Comedy / 3w, 3m)
This little farce-comedy pits Holmes and Watson against their greatest foe, the evil and sinister Professor Moriarty. The play begins with the villain’s dramatic capture. Soon after, Mrs. Hudson announces the arrival of heavily veiled women who have come on matters of the greatest delicacy. Laughs come fast and furious as the audience views a typical day in the life of the master detective who has just discovered the science of fingerprinting. It is Watson who brings the startling news that Moriarty has escaped once more to pursue his life of crime and evil. Now it’s up to Holmes to prove, via fingerprints, the criminal’s true identity. It’s a hilarious revelation that explains why Holmes was never able to outwit the foxy professor.

The Marvelous Misadventures of Sherlock Holmes by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and Thom Racina (US)
(Full-Length Musical, Comedy / 4w, 8m)
The previously untold story of Sherlock Holmes and the Black Pearl of the Borgias finds Holmes considering giving up criminal investigation until Countess von Hassenfeffer engages him to find the Black Pearl. The hunt unearths clues which ultimately point to the villain The Creepy Salami, and his accomplice, Helga the maid. However, justice triumphs delightfully in this musical mystery for children.

The Mask of Moriarty by Hugh Leonard (US)
(Full-Length Play, Comedy / 4w, 12m)
In this affectionate spoof of the exploits of Sherlock Holmes, the Tony Award-winning author of Da farcically piles complications on hilarious exaggerations to steep his tale in comic enjoyment. The renowned detective and his ever-present cohort Dr. Watson are enlisted to prove the innocence of a young man accused of murder on the Waterloo Bridge. The trail of clues and red herrings leads the trusty sleuths to none other than Holmes’ arch rival, Professor James Moriarty.

The Mystery of Mouldy Manor by Ted Westgate (US)
(Short Play, Comedy / 5w, 4m)
In musty Mouldy Manor, the blue blood of the Wedgewoods is rapidly running thin. In fact, it’s unlikely that any of the tribe will be alive by sunrise. Nick Sherlock, a private eye, gets a frantic call from lovely Jennifer, who is being held prisoner by the fiendish Dr. Carver because she is the potential heir to a fabulous ruby. In Sherlock’s bumbling efforts to save the girl, he narrowly escapes death beneath the winking eyes of Grandfather Wedgewood’s portrait.

The Mystery of the Silver-Backed Hairbrush by Burton Crane (US)
(Short Play, Comedy / 3w, 5m, 1 any gender)
When J. Grewsome-Smith, a wealthy bachelor, is murdered at the curtain’s open, it’s up to the great Chesterton and his trusty sidekick, Dobson, to solve the crime. This delightful comedic mystery is easily staged and sure to earn a laugh. Fans of Sherlock Holmes will especially appreciate the star detective’s deductive methods. The Mystery of the Silver-Backed Hairbrush was first presented by the Tokyo Women’s Club in the auditorium of the YWCA in Tokyo, Japan, directed by Burton Crane.

The Penultimate Problem of Sherlock Holmes by John Nassivera (US)
(Full-Length Play, Drama / 3w, 6m)
This play about the famous detective has Holmes venturing into the occult where, during a séance, he is warned that he is about to meet his maker. The play has Holmes, Watson and Professor Moriarty meet their maker, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, who wishes to end their existence literally with the final stroke of his pen. Holmes cannot accept the fact that he is the product of another’s imagination, a mere pawn of another man’s genius. Who is the creator and who the pawn becomes the central question as Holmes and the others threaten their creator with the death to which he has sentenced them. The Penultimate Problem of Sherlock Holmes was first presented by the Dorset Theatre Festival in Dorset, Vermont, on August 17th, 1978, directed by Jill Charles.

The Revenge of Sherlock Holmes by Leslie Bricusse (US/UK)
(Full-Length Musical, Dramatic Comedy / 5w, 11m)
In this exciting original musical based on Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s characters, Holmes and his perennial arch-enemy, Professor Moriarty, face off in a series of cat-and-mouse games. The musical was first produced at the Bristol Old Vic in 1993, starring Robert Powell as Sherlock Holmes and Roy Barraclough as Dr. Watson, before embarking on a national tour. (It was formerly known as Sherlock Holmes: The Musical.)

Who Walks in the Dark by Tim Kelly and Bram Stoker (US)
(Full-Length Play, Drama / 6w, 5m, 1 any gender)
This thrilling jewel is based on Stoker’s classic suspense novel written after Dracula. By breaking into the tomb of an evil sorceress, archaeologist Sir Abel Trelawny has upset The Nameless One’s plans for a return to the living. She comes to London’s Karnak house (in which the play is set) and creates murderous havoc for Sir Abel, his two daughters and his bewildered staff. Comic relief is supplied by a bumbling sergeant who admires Sherlock Holmes. The occult mystery builds to a rousing climax, complete with dramatic twists that hold the audiences spellbound.

For more great plays and musicals, visit Concord Theatricals in the US or UK.