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Synopsis
Setting: 1880’s London
Act I
Scene
i: Sherlock Holmes and Watson receive a visit from the King of Bohemia.
He claims that his former mistress, the operatic soprano Irene Adler,
is blackmailing him. The King engages Holmes to retrieve a compromising
photograph that Adler has threatened to make public. Holmes boasts of
his superiority to any female opponent.
Scene
ii: the next day. Watson patiently awaits his friend well past their
appointed meeting time. Holmes arrives, disguised as a drunken horse
groom. Holmes recounts to Watson what he learned about Adler by blending
into the local community of horse grooms. He tried to eavesdrop on a
conversation between Adler and her lawyer, Godfrey Norton, but was able
to understand only fragments. Later, after discretely following Adler
through the streets of London, Holmes found himself pressed into service
as a witness at her wedding to Norton. Holmes concludes his
recollections and enlists Watson to assist in his next move. The act
ends with a portrait of Irene Adler, alone, musing on her wish for a
male partner who is genuinely her equal.
Act II
Scene
i:Adler, alone in her studio, ponders her foolishness in becoming
entangled with the brutal King; Holmes in his study, still convinced
that Adler is a villainess, tries in vain to assemble the pieces of this
puzzle.
Scene
ii: Holmes, disguised as an itinerant preacher, tricks Adler into
revealing the location of the photograph by staging a fire in her home .
Later, as Holmes and Watson savor their triumph, Adler disguises
herself as a young man, follows them, and greets Holmes by name in the
darkness.
Scene
iii: the next morning, Holmes, Watson, and the King return to Adler’s
house to seize the photograph. They are greeted by a female servant
(Adler herself, in yet another disguise) who tells them that Adler and
her husband have sailed for Europe, never to return. Holmes rushes to
the secret compartment where he finds a letter addressed to himself,
along with a new photograph of Adler, alone. In her letter, Adler
relates how she deduced Holmes’s identity. She pledges to retain the
King’s photograph to protect herself against any future threats. The
King is pleased with this resolution, and offers Holmes a reward. Holmes
declines money, however, requesting the photograph of Adler instead.
Epilogue:
Holmes visits Adler in her dressing room after a performance. They
acknowledge each other’s perspicacity. Adler invites Holmes to join her
on a tour of the continent, where they might enjoy a life together.
Though sorely tempted, Holmes is ultimately unable to break the bonds of
his solitary existence.
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Title Information
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Approximate Runtime (hh:mm)
2:00
Number of Acts
2
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