The game's afoot at Mount St. Vincent

The Red Monkey Theater Group is continuing its residency on the College of Mount Saint Vincent’s campus with an original adaptation of a classic crime caper by Arthur Conan Doyle.

The troupe opened its season on Monday with “Sherlock Holmes: The Adventure of the Red-headed League,” based on a story that producer Tal Aviezer described as one of the author’s most beloved creations.

“Last season we did ‘Sherlock Holmes and the Adventure of the Speckled Band’ and it was really well received and we thought we hit on something really great,” said Mr. Aviezer.

Riverdale resident Lisa Spielman has a lead role in the show, which centers on an elaborate ruse to conceal a bank robbery. The biological statistician said she is glad to give back to the community through theater.

“That’s the great thing about community theater,” she said. “Almost everyone has their day job… they’re attorneys and teachers and totally different things. It’s nice to do something totally creative with the other side of my brain.”

Ms. Spielman said most cast members had participated in previous productions, making the process this time around comfortable and fun. 

“The rehearsal process was wonderful because there is such a level of comfort and trust working with people that you know really well,” she said. “You can sort of experiment and go off the rails and then bring it right back.”

She and Mr. Aviezer said the best part of the production process was the setup at Mount Saint Vincent’s Cahill Theater.

“It’s what’s called a thrust theater, which means there’s three sides, so the audience is basically surrounding you,” Ms. Spielman said. “It’s a wonderful place to play in but it’s a challenging space to play in because you have to be conscious of, ‘I can’t have my back to this part of the audience for too long.’”

“You really feel like you’re inside 221B Baker Street, in Watson’s home,” said Mr. Aviezer. “So it’s kind of a voyeuristic experience watching the play.”

He worked hard to get one of literature’s most famous friendships right.

“A really important facet for us is getting that friendship and bonding between the two of them,” he said. “We wanted to make sure we could go on stage with fidelity to as much of the story as possible.”

Later this season, the group will perform “The Red Monkey Variety Show,” “Becky Shaw” and “Julius Ceasar.”

“Sherlock Holmes: The Adventures of the Red-headed League” runs at the College of Mount Saint Vincent’s Cahill Theater through Sunday, Oct. 25. Tickets cost $25 for general admission and $15 for students.