Mystery was at the heart of the concept. Sherwood and Gibson decided early on that there would be no indication at any time that Holmes and Watson were actually actors. No "cast of characters" would be distributed, nor an "author" credited. By not allowing guests the luxury of being able to attach other names to the Duo, they were forced into calling them by the names Conan Doyle had supplied -- and subliminally causing the guests to "believe" in the pair as the famous pair themselves.
The result, of course, was that Grantier and Sherwood had to *become* Watson and Holmes. Because they could never break character in sight of a guest, they could shake off the cloak of their stalwart demeanor only behind the scenes, in parts of the Villa off-limits to visitors, or when leaving the estate itself.
"I never considered myself a 'method' actor until I played Holmes," Sherwood said. "But at times I discovered that I had been thinking of myself as Holmes for hours on end, because I would be continually 'on' from 10 a.m. until 10 p.m. A stage play runs for a couple of hours, and then you can rest. At the Villa, there was no escape. I had begun to believe in the world that I had helped to create. When I look at it from a distance, it looks a little unbalanced and frightening. But, when you've been to Oz, you want to go back and explore new territory."
One of the persistent duties was the task of dispelling Hollywood-fostered stereotypes among those who'd never bothered to read a Sherlock Holmes story. Some visitors, for example, would not believe that Holmes smoked anything but a calabash pipe; serious students of Holmes know that he probably *never* did. Sherwood also recalls a group of women who insisted they had "caught Sherlock" in a gaffe when they didn't understand that, in England, "Sussex" and "the South Downs" are synonymous. Several visitors, influenced by Nigel Bruce's portrayal of Dr. Watson, expected Grantier to portray a fat dolt, not a cosmopolitan, erudite medical man with a distinguished military background.
"Without Brooks, there would have been nothing," Sherwood said. "As Doyle presented him most of the time, Sherlock Holmes is a frightening, off-putting man whom no one can approach safely. John Watson is the intermediary -- the human, even humane part of the team. He's much more like us, and it's through his eyes that we can look past the unsettling aspects and understand and admire Holmes's many exemplary traits. Brooks isn't by nature an actor, but he is a performer through his music. And, because of his own great personable nature, literary gifts and ingenuity, Brooks brought to his performance everything that anyone would want in Dr. Watson. I'm profoundly in his debt."
Against the fantastic backdrop of a nearly immortal Sherlock Holmes, Sherwood said, to maintain a sense of realism and suspense, the backup of excellent performers was essential. Fortunately, exceptional actors were at hand from the region, many of whom were friends with whom Sherwood had performed in productions on area stages.
"But this wasn't stage work. This was performing at very close range, often with the audience sitting or standing at your side, literally breathing down your neck. And yet, at times, the guests would be unaware that they were dealing with an actor.
"The illusion of reality was central to everything. At times, we had to generate improvised dialogue on the spot, to move the plot along or sometimes to actually prevent it from moving along at the wrong time. To do that fluidly -- without drawing undue attention -- demands a great deal of courage and inventiveness of any actor. So I contracted only those performers that I could trust and rely on to do that."
Among the exceptional performers who appeared in the productions were Sherwood's wife Katäri Brown, his son Nathan G. Sherwood, as well as Marv Boyes, Carmen Campbell, Tom Cummins, Donna Daines, Don Goben, Dan Groat, Max Hardy, Liz Raz Groat, Marcia Groat, Michael Kinter, Seth Miller, Gregg Morris, Frances Rauth and Sue Siddall.
221B Baker Street - Visit the Sherlock Holmes Museum in London
Go to John Sherwood's performance credits.
Since April 1997, we have had this many visitors:
