Sherlock Holmes and the Case of the Red-Headed League

Sherlock Holmes and the Case of the Red-Headed League

THE MYSTERY OF THE RED HEADED LEAGUE

Cast List

Narrator 1 Narrator 2 Shirley Sherlock Dr. Watson Dr. Watsina Jabez Wilson Vincent Spaulding Duncan Ross

1

Cast List (continued) Jabez Archie Redhead Mr. Merryweather Queen of Sheba Queen of Ismeni Arabian Woman Syrian Woman Armenian Woman Persian Woman King Solomon

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The Mystery of The Red Headed League

Scene 1

Setting:

We are in LONDON in the 1890s.

Narrator 1:

(entering) Welcome to London, England. The year is 1890. We are in the offices of one Sherlock Holmes, private detective.

(Sherlock Holmes enters, smoking a pipe).

Narrator 2:

Now, everyone knows that Sherlock Holmes is the greatest detective who has ever lived. But did you know that he had an equally brilliant sister with whom he worked closely.

Shirley:

That’s me. Holmes, Shirley Holmes.

Sherlock:

And of course I rely on the services of my assistant to help me solve the mysteries.

Dr. Watson:

(ENTERING) Watson. Doctor Watson.

Sherlock:

It is Doctor Watson’s superior education that makes him so useful. He knows everything, EVERYTHING.

Watson:

Well---not EVERYTHING. But what I don’t know, my brilliant sister does.

Watsina (entering):

Watsina. Doctor Watsina.

Shirley:

You see, Watson and Watsina grew up in the wilds of Yorkshire...

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The Mystery of The Red Headed League

Sherlock:

where they attended a splendid little charter school

Watson:

This charter school followed the Core Knowledge curriculum.

Watsina:

Which is why we know EVERYTHING about science

Watson:

And math

Watsina:

And literature

Watson:

And music

Watsina:

And art

Watson:

But most or all, we learned all about

Watsina and Watson:

HISTORY!

Shirley:

You can imagine how their superior education makes them very helpful for our detective work.

There is a knock at the door.

Sherlock and Sherlock:

A red-headed man enters Jabez Wilson

Jabez Wilson:

Er, hello.

Shirley:

Do you have a mystery you would like us to solve.

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The Mystery of The Red Headed League

Jabez Wilson:

Yes, I do

Sherlock:

Detective superpowers, activate!

All four characters take out their notebooks and pens and get ready to take notes.

Jabez Wilson:

My name is Jabez Wilson. And as you can see I have shocking red hair.

Shirley:

Is this important to your story, Mr Wilson?

Jabez Wilson:

It becomes VERY important, Ms. Holmes.

Sherlock:

Proceed with your story.

Jabez Wilson:

I own a little pawn shop on Mayfair street.

Oh, it does a pretty good business.

Watson:

Deine “pretty goos.”

Jabez Wilson:

I’m barely getting by...

The four detectives nod.

Jabez Wilson:

Which was why I was SO happy when a young man offered his services to me. He said.

Vincent Spaulding:

Me name’s Vincent Spaulding. And I would like to be an assistant.. I will work for you full time, I will work hard. I will do anything you want. If you’ll have me.

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The Mystery of The Red Headed League

Shirley:

But surely, you cannot afford a full-time assistant.

Jabez Wilson:

But that was the best part! For he also said:

Vincent Spaulding:

I’ll work for half wages.

Jabez Wilson:

So naturally I took him on. He proved a brilliant assistant. Indeed he still works for me. I am very happy with him. He works all morning in my shop and all afternoon in my basement. Why, he works so hard that I often leave him in my shop working late into the evening.

Sherlock:

So what is the mystery?

Watson:

Is something missing from your shop?

Jabez Wilson:

No, no. My assistant Mr Spaulding is above reproach.

Watsina:

(annoyed) So WHY did you tell us about him?

Jabez Wilson:

Because it was SPAULDING who told me about the RED HEADED LEAGUE

Watson, Watsina, Sherlock and Shirley:

THE RED HEADED LEAGUE????

Jabez Wilson:

Yes, it happened like this. One day I was working in my shop when Mr Spaulding came over and said...

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The Mystery of The Red Headed League

Vincent Spaulding:

(carrying a newspaper that he is looking at) I would give ANYTHING to have red hair.

Jabez Wilson:

Yes, it is a beautiful color!

Vincent Spaulding:

Well, yes AND if I had red hair, I could join the RED HEADED LEAGUE!

Jabez Wilson:

What’s that?

Vincent Spaulding:

Do you mean to say you never heard of the red-headed league?

Jabez Wilson:

Nope.

Vincent Spaulding:

I would have thought you’d be a member with that shocking red hair of yours.

Jabez Wilson:

What is it exactly?

Vincent Spaulding:

It’s this club that ONLY people with red hair can join. And if they accept you, then they PAY you JUST because you have RED hair.

Jabez Wilson:

That sounds too good to be true.

Vincent Spaulding:

(shrugs) Look at it in the paper.

Jabez Wilson:

(to the detectives) So I did look at in the newspaper. Here.

He hands the newspaper to SHIRLEY 7

The Mystery of The Red Headed League

Shirley:

(reading the newspaper) The Red Headed League, due to the recent death of our esteemed member ,Mr. Ginger Auburn, has a rare opening for a new member of our respected and respectable league.

Watson:

(continuing to read) Only natural red heads need apply.

Watsina:

(continuing to read) And don’t try to fool us.

We’re natural red heads ourselves so we can easily tell a fake.

Jabez Wilson:

Naturally, I was very interested in joining the Red Headed League. I needed the money.

And I have natural red hair. So I made haste to the offices of the President of the Red Headed League.

Duncan Ross:

(entering) Duncan Ross, at your service.

Duncan Ross and Jabez Wilson:

shake hands.

Jabez Wilson:

I would like to apply for membership in the Red Headed League.

Duncan Ross:

Of course. First, you won’t mind if I conduct a few tests.

Duncan begins to pull on Jabez’s hair

Jabez Wilson:

Ow! Ow! Ow!!!!!

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The Mystery of The Red Headed League

Duncan Ross:

I must establish that you are a NATURAL red head.

Duncan continues to pull on Jabez’s hair

Jabez Wilson:

Ow! Ow! Ow!!!!!

Duncan Ross:

I am satisfied. Here is your certificate: you are an AUTHENTIC NATURAL BORN red head.

Jabez Wilson:

Well, I knew that when I came here.

Duncan Ross:

And may I compliment you on your EXTREMELY bright shade of SHOCKING red hair.

Jabez Wilson:

(still touching his head because it hurts) But am I a member of the Red Headed League?

Duncan Ross:

Please sit down. Now that I have determined that you are indeed a red head, it is time for our interview. Allow me to introduce my associate, Mr. Archie RedHead.

Archie Redhead:

Greetings, fellow red head.

Duncan Ross:

During this interview I will tell you about our organization

Archie Redhead:

And we will evaluate whether you are respectable enough to join our organization.

Jabez Wilson:

Ok. 9

The Mystery of The Red Headed League

Duncan Ross:

The red-headed league was started by a gentleman named Rhett Flame.

Archie Redhead:

Mr. Flame hailed from Scotland but he made his fortune in America, (glances at audience).

Of course.

Duncan Ross:

In addition to being a millionaire, Mr. Flame had a glorious head of shocking red hair. He decided to start an organization to honor red heads.

Archie Redhead:

And when he died, he left every penny of it to the Red Headed League.

Jabez Wilson:

Do you mean I will be paid JUST for being a red-headed?

Duncan Ross:

Precisely. But only IF you can meet our strict requirements.

Jabez Wilson:

What are they?

Archie Redhead:

You must be able to come to our offices every week day from 1 pm to 4pm.

Jabez Wilson:

Strictly speaking, I should be at my business then. But I suppose I can leave my assistant there while I come here.

Duncan Ross:

Very well.

Jabez Wilson:

What would I be doing here?

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The Mystery of The Red Headed League

Archie Redhead:

(carries a huge encyclopedia on to the desk) You would be copying out the entire Encyclopedia Britannica. By hand.

Jabez Wilson:

For what purpose?

Duncan Ross:

(annoyed) Ours is not to question why, Mr Wilson! The esteemed Mr. Rhett Flame placed it as a condition of membership.

Archie Redhead:

The only question worth asking is... are you equal to this challenge?

Duncan Ross:

Can you copy out the Encyclopedia Britannica for three hours each day?

Archie Redhead:

Between 1 to 4pm

Duncan Ross:

Every day.

Jabez Wilson:

I can.

Duncan Ross:

Then, as the president of a Red-Headed League, I hereby welcome you to our club.

Archie Redhead:

You will begin immediately and you will be paid $100 pounds each week for your services. In cash.

Sherlock:

So...what is the MYSTERY?

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The Mystery of The Red Headed League

Jabez Wilson:

Well....I began my work at the league immediately. Every day at 1pm precisely I came to the league and copied out the encyclopedia. The first few days Mr. Ross supervised my work closely, but then he said he had other affairs to look after and I never saw him again. Nevertheless, on every Friday I was paid 100 pounds cash for my services.

This carried on for three weeks in a row. But yesterday when I arrived at the league, the office was locked. A sign on the door read:

Duncan Ross:

The Red Headed League has been permanently disbanded.

Jabez Wilson:

Imagine my disappointment! I was earning 100 pounds a week! Plus I was learning all sorts of things from the Encyclopedia Britannica!

Shirley:

What exactly do you want to know about the mystery of the Red Headed League?

Jabez Wilson:

Was it all a joke? Is there some way I can meet with the executors of Mr. Auburn’s will?

Sherlock:

You say your pawn shop is on Mayfair Street.

Jabez Wilson:

Yes, right across from the Bank of England.

Sherlock:

Yes.

Shirley:

And this assistant of yours, 12

The Mystery of The Red Headed League

Jabez Wilson:

Mr. Vincent Spaulding,

Shirley:

Is he a well-spoken man?

Jabez Wilson:

Yes, he seems very well-educated.

Sherlock:

Odd, isn’t it, that a well-educated man is prepared to work for half-wages.

Jabez Wilson:

I suppose it is, but I just thought I had been lucky.

Shirley:

This Mr. Spaulding...is he still in your employ?

Jabez Wilson:

Yes, he is at the pawn shop right now.

Sherlock:

And you said he works a great deal in the basement?

Jabez Wilson:

Yes, he shines up all the silver and gold goods down there.

Sherlock:

And you have been pleased with his work?

Jabez Wilson:

Very.

Shirley:

Does he have an earring in his left ear?

Jabez Wilson:

Why, yes! He does!

Shirley:

Then we have solved the mystery.

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The Mystery of The Red Headed League

Jabez Wilson

But what? How?

Sherlock:

There is no time to explain. We must head to the Bank of England. There is not a moment to lose!

Narrator 2:

So the four detectives and Mr Wilson took a taxi to the Bank of England on Mayfair Street.

They met with the director of the bank.

Mr. Merryweather:

(he bows) Mr. Merryweather, at your service.

Shirley:

Mr. Merryweather, you are about to be robbed.

Mr. Merryweather:

(shocked) That’s impossible.

Sherlock:

I am afraid it is entirely possible and it is about to take place in precisely (he looks at his watch) five minutes.

Mr. Merryweather:

(irate1) This is the most important bank in England. We have state of the art security.

There is no way that any thief could break into this bank!

Watson:

Mr. Merryweather, is your bank in the possession of anything of particular value?

Mr. Merryweather:

You mean, besides thousands and thousands of British pounds?

1

“Irate” means “very angry.”

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The Mystery of The Red Headed League

Watson:

Yes, Mr. Merryweather, besides money. Is this bank in possession of items of almost priceless value?

Mr. Merryweather:

Ummmm...

Watsina:

Mr. Merryweather, there is no time! Tell us!

Mr. Merryweather:

As it happens, the bank has been entrusted with a rather special treasure trove of jewelry.

It is safely housed in our vault deep under ground.

Watsina:

What can you tell us about this jewelry?

Mr. Merryweather:

If anyone ever found out I told you, I would lose my job.

Watson:

Tell us, Mr. Merryweather!

Mr. Merryweather:

It is the jewelry that belonged to the Queen of Sheba.

Shirley and Sherlock:

Tell who?

Watsina and Watson:

And this is where our Core Knowledge curriculum lets us shine!

Watson:

The Queen of Sheba lived in Biblical Times.

Watsina:

She was the monarch of an ancient kingdom in what is today Ethiopia and Yemen.

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The Mystery of The Red Headed League

(The QUEEN OF SHEBA enters, dripping in jewels.)

Queen of Sheba:

I was born in the tenth century BC. My mother was

Queen of Ismeni:

Queen of Ismeni

Queen of Sheba:

The kingdom of Ethiopia was an empire that encompassed

Arabian Woman:

Arabia,

Syrian Woman:

Syria,

Armenian Woman:

Armenia,

Persian Woman:

and the Persian Gulf

Queen of Sheba:

This is the kingdom that I reigned over.

Arabian Woman:

Naturally, the Queen of Sheba was very rich.

Syrian Woman:

And she was very wise.

Armenian Woman:

So she journeyed to Israel to get advice from the wise King of Israel, King Solomon.

King Solomon:

That is me.

Persian Woman:

King Solomon admired the Queen of Sheba very much.

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The Mystery of The Red Headed League

Queen of Sheba:

He thought I was very clever. And wise.

King Solomon:

So I gave her everything she wanted.

Arabian Woman:

Including

Syrian Woman:

Four

Armenian Woman:

Tons

Persian Woman:

Of

Queen of Sheba:

Gold!

Sherlock:

(to Mr. Merryweather) Is all of that gold in your vault right now?

Mr. Merryweather:

Well, yes. But it’s in the vault! It’s safe!

Shirley:

Do you have any idea how much four tons of gold is worth?

Mr. Merryweather:

Of course I do. I’m a banker!

Sherlock:

How can you even have a vault large enough to contain it all?

Mr. Merryweather:

Well, it is getting quite crowded down there.

Shirley:

I’m not surprised.

Mr. Merryweather:

Especially because...

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The Mystery of The Red Headed League

Shirley:

Because what?

All Four Detectives:

Because what, Mr. Merryweather?

Mr. Merryweather:

Because we’re holding some other really valuable stuff in there!

Watsina:

Like what?

Mr. Merryweather:

Well, you know Leonardo da Vinci, right?

Watson:

Mr. Merryweather, you need to take us down to that vault RIGHT NOW! (They race to the vault.)

Sherlock:

So who is this Leonardo da Vinci exactly?

Watsina and Watson:

Thank goodness for our Core Knowledge education !

Watsina:

Leonardo da Vinci was born in 1452 in Italy.

Watson:

He was a genius. He was a painter,

Watsina:

a sculptor,

Watson:

an architect,

Watsina:

a musician,

Watson:

a mathematician, 18

The Mystery of The Red Headed League

Watsina:

an engineer,

Watson:

an inventor,

Watsina:

an anatomist,

Watson:

a geologist,

Watsina:

a cartographer,

Watson:

a botanist,

Watsina:

and a writer.

Watson:

He made extraordinary paintings

Mr. Merryweather:

(he holds up the painting) Like the Mona Lisa?

Watsina:

And he designed amazing things--remember he lived in the 1500s!

Watson:

Yes, he even designed a helicopter.

Mr. Merryweather:

(holding up a drawing of helicopter) You mean this?

Watsina:

and a tank,

Mr. Merryweather:

(he holds up a drawing of a tank)

Watson:

and a flush toilet.

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The Mystery of The Red Headed League

Watsina:

He made important discoveries in anatomy,

Watson:

civil engineering,

Watsina:

optics,

Watson:

and hydrodynamics.

Sherlock:

These designs must be priceless!

Watson:

Especially the flush toilet!

Shirley:

Mr Merryweather, do you have any idea how much these items are worth?

Mr. Merryweather:

A great deal. A very great deal. But as I mentioned, they are in the vault. So all is safe.

Sherlock:

I cannot believe that you have 40 tons of gold and priceless works of art from Leonardo da Vinci all stuffed into this tiny vault.

Mr. Merryweather:

But wait there’s more!

All Four Detectives:

MORE???

Mr. Merryweather:

You will recall that there was a Gold Rush in 1849.

Watsina:

Yes, of course. In California.

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The Mystery of The Red Headed League

Watson:

People found gold near San Francisco

Watsina:

Turning that town from a small settlement of about 200 residents in 1846

Watson:

to a boomtown of about 36,000 by 1852.

Watsina:

People came from all over the world to California to seek gold.

Sherlock:

Ah yes, even some Englishmen left for California to look for gold,

Watson:

but few found it.

Shirley:

I remember reading about the Duke of Cambridge. He went to California to search for Gold.

Sherlock:

But he did not find it.

Watsina:

Instead he wasted his family’s huge fortune looking for gold that wasn’t there.

Sherlock:

At the end, he was so ashamed of himself that he never returned to England.

Watsina:

That’s right. He abandoned his wife and his young son in England.

Shirley:

The Duke’s wife and son had to sell their castle and live in poverty in London.

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The Mystery of The Red Headed League

Watsina:

The old Duke of Cambridge died in America in disgrace.

Mr. Merryweather:

A sad story...

Shirley:

Mr. Merryweather, why did you get us talking about the Gold Rush of 49?

Mr. Merryweather:

Because there was gold in the Gold Rush even if many never found it---and all of the gold is ...here.

Shirley:

Let me get this straight. You have 40 tons of gold belonging to the Queen of Sheba,

Sherlock:

plus priceless paintings and designs by Leonardo da Vinci,

Watsina:

plus all the gold from the Gold Rush of 49?

Watson:

And you have it here in your vault?

Mr. Merryweather:

Well... yes.

Jabez Wilson:

This has all been very interesting, but Detective Holmes and Detective Holmes---

Shirley and Sherlock:

Yes?

Jabez Wilson:

Can you FINALLY solve the mystery of the Red Headed League?

Shirley and Sherlock:

Yes, we can.

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The Mystery of The Red Headed League

Sherlock:

Your assistant,

Jabez Wilson:

Mr. Vincent Spaulding,

Sherlock:

is about to dig through that basement wall at any moment

Jabez Wilson:

But why? How? Where? Who?

Shirley:

It’s really very simple.

Sherlock:

What person offers to work for half the pay that he could get anywhere?

Shirley:

That was the first clue.

Sherlock:

Mr. Vincent Spaulding is not Mr. Vincent Spaulding.

Jabez Wilson:

Then who is he?

Sherlock:

He is the Duke of Cambridge

Mr. Merryweather:

But you said he was dead!

Watson:

He is the SON of the Duke of Cambridge who went to America to find gold

Watsina:

in the gold rush of 49,

Watson:

but couldn’t find it

Watsina:

And died of heartbreak and shame, 23

The Mystery of The Red Headed League

Sherlock:

leaving his wife and infant son to live in poverty...

Vincent Spaulding:

(emerging with a shovel) Until now!

ALL:

Vincent Spaulding!

Sherlock:

Or should I say, Duke of Cambridge?

Vincent Spaulding:

What is a Duke without a fortune?

Jabez Wilson:

You made up the Red Headed League?

Shirley:

To make sure that he would have the pawn shop to himself

Sherlock:

so that he could dig a tunnel from the basement of your shop

Shirley:

to the basement vault of this bank.

Mr. Merryweather:

How dare you, Vincent Spaulding!

Jabez Wilson:

I thought you were a faithful assistant!

Vincent Spaulding:

My father lost our entire fortune trying to get some gold out of California. That fortune included priceless paintings of Leonardo da Vinci, ingenious designs he had made for a fliush toilet and all the jewels and gold of the Queen of Sheba. Plus, it had all the gold from the Gold Rush...

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The Mystery of The Red Headed League

Sherlock:

the gold your father never found.

Vincent Spaulding:

That’s right---and it ALL would have been mine if you hadn’t stuck your noses in.

Shirley:

But we did.

Jabez Wilson:

Does this mean that the Red Headed League isn’t real?

ALL:

YES!

Jabez Wilson:

But how did you realize that my assistant is the Duke of Cambridge?

Sherlock:

The first clue was that he was willing to work for half-price.

Shirley:

Who does that?

Sherlock:

The second clue was that he had an earring.

Shirley:

It’s 1890. Most men don’t have an earring.

And everyone knows that the Duke of Cambridge has an earring.

Watson:

And that’s how you deduced that Mr. Vincent Spaulding was...

Watsina:

The Duke of Cambridge!

Shirley and Sherlock:

Elementary, dear Watson! Elementary, dear Watsina!

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The Mystery of The Red Headed League

Narrator 2:

And so, this concludes the mystery of the Red Headed League.

Narrator 1:

With our thanks to the Core Knowledge Curriculum

All Characters:

For helping us solve the mystery!

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