Jay Baruchel as the title character in Sherlock Holmes at Montreal’s Segal Centre for the Performing Arts. The Montreal-raised Hollywood actor won’t be with the show when it transfers to Toronto.Andrée Lanthier
The Segal Centre's recent hit production of Sherlock Holmes will head to Toronto and the United States next fall – if the right star can be found to take the place of Jay Baruchel as the super-sleuth.
Starvox Entertainment, the Toronto-based company behind the recent revival of Evil Dead: The Musical and the off-Broadway production of Potted Potter, has licensed the stylish, sold-out show for a commercial North American tour, Segal artistic producer Paul Flicker told The Globe and Mail on Thursday night.
"We are looking at a commercial transfer to Toronto and at least one American city in the next 12 months," said Flicker, after the Montreal opening of Peter Hinton's new version of The Seagull at the Segal.
Sherlock Holmes, directed by Andrew Shaver, made national headlines last year for two reasons: The sudden death of playwright Greg Kramer during rehearsals; and the presence of home-grown Hollywood star Baruchel in the lead role.
Starvox president Corey Ross is currently in Los Angeles holding meetings to find a replacement for Baruchel, who will not be able to rejoin the cast due to film projects. Shaver, who is acting in the cast of The Seagull, said the new producers are working toward a Chicago opening in November, followed by a Toronto run – with an eye to then move the show to New York in the Spring of 2015.
But, cautions Shaver, it all depends on tracking down the right replacement for Baruchel: "We're still trying to find our Sherlock."
Flicker revealed the plans for Sherlock while talking about the successes of his soon-to-end tenure as artistic producer of the Segal; he recently announced his departure and he will be replaced by current managing director Lisa Rubin in June.
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J. Kelly Nestruck