Sherlock Holmes: Drama in Four Acts

Sherlock Holmes premiered at the Star Theatre in Buffalo in 1899 after a copyright performance in England. It then toured Rochester and Syracuse, and Scranton and Wilkes-Barre in Pennsylvania before playing at Broadway’s Garrick Theater in November of 1899. Gillette's most significant contributions to the theater were in devising realistic stage settings and special sound and lighting effects, which he applied lavishly in Sherlock Holmes. The play was an instant success and, after Broadway, toured nationally, returned to England where it had started, and was produced in other Countries such as Australia, Sweden, and South Africa.