''The Crucifer of Blood'' is a play by Paul Giovanni that is adapted from the

Arthur Conan Doyle Sir Arthur Ignatius Conan Doyle (22 May 1859 – 7 July 1930) was a British writer and physician. He created the character Sherlock Holmes in 1887 for ''A Study in Scarlet'', the first of four novels and fifty-six short stories about Ho ...

novel ''

The Sign of the Four ''The Sign of the Four'' (1890), also called ''The Sign of Four'', is the second novel featuring Sherlock Holmes by British writer Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. Doyle wrote four novels and 56 short stories featuring the fictional detective. Plot ...

.'' It depicts the character Irene St. Claire hiring the detective

Sherlock Holmes Sherlock Holmes () is a fictional detective created by British author Arthur Conan Doyle. Referring to himself as a " consulting detective" in the stories, Holmes is known for his proficiency with observation, deduction, forensic science and ...

to investigate the travails that her father and his three compatriots suffered over a pact made over a cursed treasure chest in

colonial India Colonial India was the part of the Indian subcontinent that was occupied by European colonial powers during the Age of Discovery. European power was exerted both by conquest and trade, especially in spices. The search for the wealth and prospe ...

during the

Indian Rebellion of 1857 The Indian Rebellion of 1857 was a major uprising in India in 1857–58 against the rule of the British East India Company, which functioned as a sovereign power on behalf of the British Crown. The rebellion began on 10 May 1857 in the for ...

Broadway production

The play, directed by the author, opened on Broadway at the

Helen Hayes Theatre The Hayes Theater (formerly the Little Theatre, New York Times Hall, Winthrop Ames Theatre, and Helen Hayes Theatre) is a Broadway theater at 240 West 44th Street in the Theater District of Midtown Manhattan in New York City. Named for actres ...

on September 28, 1978, and ran for 236 performances. The production was nominated for four

Tony Award The Antoinette Perry Award for Excellence in Broadway Theatre, more commonly known as the Tony Award, recognizes excellence in live Broadway theatre. The awards are presented by the American Theatre Wing and The Broadway League at an annual c ...

s, including Giovanni for Best Direction of a Play, and won the award for

Roger Morgan Roger Ernest Morgan (born 14 November 1946) is an English former footballer who played as a winger in the Football League for Queens Park Rangers and Tottenham Hotspur. Career Born in Walthamstow, London, Morgan came through the ranks at Quee ...

's lighting design. It also received

Drama Desk Award The Drama Desk Award is an annual prize recognizing excellence in New York theatre. First bestowed in 1955 as the Vernon Rice Award, the prize initially honored Off-Broadway productions, as well as Off-off-Broadway, and those in the vicinity. F ...

s for Morgan as well as for

John Wulp John Wulp (May 31, 1928 – November 27, 2018) was an American scenic designer, producer, director, and artist. Theatrical career Wulp's first play, ''The Saintliness of Margery Kempe'', won a Rockefeller Grant and was produced at the Poets' T ...

's scenic design. Bran Ferren received the Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle award for Special Visual & Sound Effects.

Cast

Paxton Whitehead Francis Edward Paxton Whitehead (born 17 October 1937) is an English actor, theatre director and playwright. He was nominated for a Tony Award and a Drama Desk Award for his performance as Pellinore in the 1980 revival of ''Camelot''. He has h ...

* Glenn Close - Irene St. Claire *

Christopher Curry Christopher Curry (born 28 January 1946 in Cambridge) is the co-founder of Acorn Computers, with Hermann Hauser and Andy Hopper. He became a millionaire as a result of Acorn's success. In his early career days, he worked at Pye, Royal Rada ...

- Jonathan Small * Andrew Davis - Mohammed Singh & Mordecai Smith *

Martin LaPlatney Martin may refer to: Places * Martin City (disambiguation) * Martin County (disambiguation) * Martin Township (disambiguation) Antarctica * Martin Peninsula, Marie Byrd Land * Port Martin, Adelie Land * Point Martin, South Orkney Islands Austra ...

- Hopkins * Timothy Landfield - John Watson, M.D. * Melvin Lum - Fung Tching, A Chinaman *Tuck Milligan - Wali Dad & Birdy Johnson * Roumel Reaux - Tonga * Dwight Schultz - Major Alistair Ross *

Nicolas Surovy Nicolas or Nicolás may refer to: People Given name * Nicolas (given name) Mononym * Nicolas (footballer, born 1999), Brazilian footballer * Nicolas (footballer, born 2000), Brazilian footballer Surname Nicolas * Dafydd Nicolas (c.1705–1774), ...

- Captain Neville St. Claire *

Edward Zang Edward is an English given name. It is derived from the Anglo-Saxon name ''Ēadweard'', composed of the elements '' ēad'' "wealth, fortune; prosperous" and '' weard'' "guardian, protector”. History The name Edward was very popular in Anglo-Sax ...

- Durga Dass & Inspector Lestrade

London production

The play, directed by the author, opened in

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

at the

Theatre Royal Haymarket The Theatre Royal Haymarket (also known as Haymarket Theatre or the Little Theatre) is a West End theatre on Haymarket in the City of Westminster which dates back to 1720, making it the third-oldest London playhouse still in use. Samuel Foot ...

on March 15, 1979, and ran for 397 performances. Denis Lill who played Dr. Watson, would later go on to play Inspector Bradstreet in '' Sherlock Holmes (1984 TV series)''.

CastVol. 3, Section 10K, Actors, Performances and Recordings-Plays, C20172 Through C20489
/ref>

Keith Michell Keith Joseph Michell (1 December 1926 – 20 November 2015) was an Australian actor who worked primarily in the United Kingdom, and was best known for his television and film portrayals of King Henry VIII. He appeared extensively in Shakespeare ...

Susan Hampshire Susan Hampshire, Lady Kulukundis, (born 12 May 1937) is an English actress known for her many television and film roles. A three-time Emmy Award winner, she won for '' The Forsyte Saga'' in 1970, ''The First Churchills'' in 1969, and for ''Vani ...

- Irene St. Claire * Nicholas Day - Jonathan Small * Geoffrey Snell - Mohammed Singh & Mordecai Smith * James Curran - Hopkins *

Denis Lill Denis Lill (born 22 April 1942) is a New Zealand-born British actor. He is best known for his roles in '' Survivors'' as Charles Vaughan, ''Only Fools and Horses'' as Alan Parry, ''Outside Edge'' as Dennis Broadley and as Consultant General Sur ...

- John Watson, M.D. * Klim Leh T'Chei - Fung Tching, a Chinaman * Billy McColl - Wali Dad & Birdy Johnson * Reis Etan - Tonga *

John Quentin John is a common English name and surname: * John (given name) * John (surname) John may also refer to: New Testament Works * Gospel of John, a title often shortened to John * First Epistle of John, often shortened to 1 John * Seco ...

- Major Alistair Ross *

Edward Petherbridge Edward Petherbridge (born 3 August 1936) is an English actor, writer and artist. Among his many roles, he portrayed Lord Peter Wimsey in the 1987 BBC television adaptations of Dorothy L. Sayers' novels, and Guildenstern in Tom Stoppard's ''R ...

- Captain Neville St. Claire *

John Cater John Edward Cater (17 January 1932 – 21 March 2009) was an English actor. His television credits include: ''Danger Man''; ''Z-Cars''; '' The Avengers''; '' The Baron''; ''Doctor Who'' (in the serial '' The War Machines''); '' Follyfoot''; ' ...

- Durga Dass & Inspector Lestrade

Los Angeles production

The play, directed by the author, premiered in

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world ...

at the

Ahmanson Theatre The Ahmanson Theatre is one of the four main venues that compose the Los Angeles Music Center. History The theatre was built as a result of a donation from Howard F. Ahmanson Sr, the founder of H.F. Ahmanson & Co., an insurance and savings and ...

in the

Los Angeles Music Center The Music Center (officially named the Performing Arts Center of Los Angeles County) is one of the largest performing arts centers in the United States. Located in downtown Los Angeles, The Music Center is composed of the Dorothy Chandler Pavilio ...

on December 5, 1980, and ran through January 17, 1981. A notable feature of this production was that

Jeremy Brett Peter Jeremy William Huggins (3 November 1933 – 12 September 1995), known professionally as Jeremy Brett, was an English actor. He played fictional detective Sherlock Holmes in four Granada TV series from 1984 to 1994 in all 41 episodes. His ...

, who later became one of the most famous portrayers of

, played Dr. Watson.

Cast

Charlton Heston Charlton Heston (born John Charles Carter; October 4, 1923April 5, 2008) was an American actor and political activist. As a Hollywood star, he appeared in almost 100 films over the course of 60 years. He played Moses in the epic film ''The Ten ...

- John Watson, M.D. * Suzanne Lederer - Irene St. Claire *

- Jonathan Small * J. Christopher O'Connor - Mohammed Singh * Richard Denison - Hopkins * Liu Han T'Seng - Fung Tching, a Chinaman * Ronald Dennis - Tonga * Dwight Schultz - Major Alistair Ross *

Ian Abercrombie Ian Abercrombie (11 September 1934 – 26 January 2012) was an English actor and comedian. He was best known for playing Justin Pitt (Elaine Benes' boss) during the sixth season of ''Seinfeld''. He also played Alfred Pennyworth on ''Birds of Pre ...

- Durga Dass & Inspector Lestrade *Alan Coates - Captain Neville St. Claire *Tuck Milligan - Wali Dad & Birdy Johnson * C. Edward Pogue - Mordecai Smith

Film

The play was filmed for

Turner Network Television TNT (originally an abbreviation for Turner Network Television) is an American basic cable television channel owned by the Warner Bros. Discovery Networks unit of Warner Bros. Discovery that launched on October 3, 1988. TNT's original purpose ...

and first broadcast on November 4, 1991. The cast featured

as Holmes,

Richard Johnson Richard or Dick Johnson may refer to: Academics * Dick Johnson (academic) (1929–2019), Australian academic * Richard C. Johnson (1930–2003), professor of electrical engineering * Richard A. Johnson, artist and professor at the University of ...

as Watson, Clive Wood as Small,

John Castle John Michael Frederick Castle (born 14 January 1940) is an English actor. He is best known for his film and television work, most notably playing Bill in Michelangelo Antonioni's '' Blowup'' (1966) and Geoffrey in '' The Lion in Winter'' (19 ...

as St. Clair, Edward Fox as Ross,

Simon Callow Simon Phillip Hugh Callow (born 15 June 1949) is an English film, television and voice actor, director, narrator and writer. He was twice nominated for BAFTA Award for Best Actor in a Supporting Role for his roles in ''A Room with a View'' (19 ...

as Inspector Lestrade,

Susannah Harker Susannah Harker (born 26 April 1965) is an English film, television, and theatre actor. She was nominated for a BAFTA TV Award in 1990 for her role as Mattie Storin in '' House of Cards''. She played Jane Bennet in the 1995 TV adaptation of '' ...

as Irene St. Claire,

Stefan Kalipha Stefan Kalipha (born Stephen Siegfried Behrendt, 1940) is a Trinidad-born British actor who has been active since about 1970. He played Ramon, the Cigar Factory Foreman in the film '' Cuba'' (1979), Daoud in '' The Curse of King Tut's Tomb'' and ...

as Wali Dad, Kaleem Janjua as Durga Das,

Lloyd McGuire Lloyd McGuire (born 2 September 1947) is an English actor in film and television. Education Born in Birmingham, Warwickshire, McGuire attended Bournville Grammar-Technical School for Boys. He began work as a Commercial Apprentice at the Austin ...

as Kiran Shah,

Sidney Livingstone Sidney Frederick Livingstone (born 29 March 1945) is an English stage, television, and film character actor. He has sometimes been credited as Sydney Livingstone. Early life Born in Rochdale, Lancashire, Livingstone was an apprentice chef, a sale ...

as Roly Lamas Dir, and James Coyle as Birdy Johnson. It was directed by Heston's son

Fraser Clarke Heston Fraser Clarke Heston (born February 12, 1955) is an American film director, film producer, screenwriter and actor. He is the son of actors Charlton Heston and Lydia Clarke, and has a sister, Holly Rochell Heston. Heston's filmography includes '' ...

.Terry Rowan, ''Whodoneit! A Film Guide'' (2014), p. 228

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Crucifer Of Blood, The American plays Works based on Sherlock Holmes Sherlock Holmes films Plays based on novels Broadway plays 1978 plays Television series produced at Pinewood Studios Films directed by Fraser Clarke Heston

Broadway production

Cast

London production

CastVol. 3, Section 10K, Actors, Performances and Recordings-Plays, C20172 Through C20489/ref>

Los Angeles production

Cast

Film

References

External links

CastVol. 3, Section 10K, Actors, Performances and Recordings-Plays, C20172 Through C20489
/ref>