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The Dossier on:

The Crucifer of Blood


Timothy Landfield, Glenn Close and Paxton Whitehead
Broadway, 1978

Jeremy Brett, Suzanne Lederer, and Charlton Heston
Ahmanson, 1984

Cast of characters (in order of appearance)

Major Alistair Ross
Captain Neville St. Claire
Jonathan Small
Durga Dass (a Hindu)
Wali Dad (An Afgan)
Mohammed Singh (A Mohammedan)
Sherlock Holmes
John Watson, MD
Irene St. Claire
Birdy Johnson
Tonga
Inspector Lestrade
Fung Tching (A Chinaman)
Hopkins (A Policeman)
Mordecai Smith (A Sailor)

These parts are played by ten men and one woman

''Crucifer of Blood begins in 1857 at the Red Fort in Agra, India. Three
British soldiers enter into a deadly covenant fueled by greed and deceit.
Thirty years pass and Scene Two finds us in the study of 221-B Baker Street
with Holmes suffering the ravings of a cocaine addict in need of a fix
and something to engage his mind. Enter Watson, a damsel in distress, and the rest
is pure theatrical entertainment.''

Reviewer Tim Kelly wrote of the Ahmanson production: ''Crucifer's Paul Giovanni comes off better as director than he does as playwright-adaptor. His language is often overblown and needlessly complicated, even by Victorian standards. The piece is simply too long for its own good. The third scene of the first act ends with the most spectacular stage storm in memory (brilliantly designed by Bran Ferren, obviously a genius with a laser). The audience is blasted out of its seats aurally, much to its delight. The curtain comes down. The audience starts to its feet, but wait - the curtain goes up back up again on a another scene that plods interminably, diluting the impact of these previous meoments. When the first act curtain finally falls, much of the thrill is gone.''

But Kelly continues: ''But it is churlish to nitpick with so many delights in evidence. Charlton Heston is splendid as Holmes. He conveys genuine enjoyment in his appearances and he plays the master sleuth with ease and conviction. At one point he draws a gasp from the audience as he engages in a deft piece of acting and deception. The supporting company is certainly serviceable, if not always distinguished. [Well, thank you so much, Mr. Kelly! web ed.]

Charlton Heston also brought his portrayal of Holmes to the big screen in Crucifer of Blood, but with Richard Johnson as his Holmes. You can get the video from Amazon.com by clicking on the title beneath the cover art below.


Crucifer of Blood

Other Productions of

Crucifer of Blood

The Indianapolis Civic Theatre, Nov 7-23, 1997.

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This page last updated on January 6, 2001.

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