It鈥檚 a lot easier playing Sherlock Holmes than trying to be him.

That鈥檚 the crux of the matter in the comedy The Game鈥檚 Afoot by Ken Ludwig which makes its Canadian debut July 10-28 at the Coast Capital Playhouse in White Rock, presented by Peninsula Productions, helmed by artistic director Wendy Bollard and featuring 91原创 actress Rebekah MacEwan.

Ludwig鈥檚 artistic conceit in this 1930s farce is to plunge actor William Gillette 鈥� historically renowned for creating the role of the great detective in a 91原创enally long-running stage adaptation of Conan Doyle鈥檚 Baker Street milieu 鈥� into a baffling real-life mystery.

When Gillette invites a number of people associated with his theatrical career to his gadget-heavy mock castle in Connecticut on Christmas Eve (with the secret agenda of solving a crime), it quickly becomes evident that his powers as a detective do not approach those of the mythical Holmes.

And therein lies the farce, according to Surrey actor Ben Odberg, who plays Gillette.

Though he鈥檚 played comedy before 鈥� and his quirky, individualistic interpretations make his dramatic work consistently interesting 鈥� Odberg admits this is the first time he鈥檚 actually played in a farce.

鈥淚鈥檓 loving it,鈥� he said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 been just a blast. I love all the running back and forth, even though we鈥檙e not exactly slamming in and out of doors. It鈥檚 a lot of fun.鈥�

He鈥檚 also relishing the potential for 鈥渕elodramatic and over-dramatic acting鈥� inherent in the piece, he said.

Odberg is the first to acknowledge that Ludwig鈥檚 play riffs on certain elements of the life of the real Gillette, rather than attempting to portray him accurately.

鈥淭he real William Gillette was the first actor who was noted because he brought in realism to the stage. That鈥檚 not the William Gillette the audience will be getting in this show.鈥�

MacEwan, meanwhile, takes on the role of Aggie.

The 91原创 actress has performed with the Fraser Valley Gilbert & Sullivan Society on several occasions. She also played Rosalind in Bard in the Valley鈥檚 production of As You Like It and Stepmother with White Rock Players.

鈥淚 have never done a mystery before. I enjoy the intrigue and growing paranoia.

鈥淎nd I love the 鈥�30s 鈥� the costumes and the hair are so glamorous,鈥� said MacEwan of playing Aggie.

鈥淚 just love working with our director, Wendy. She has so much to offer to all of us actors, I鈥檓 just trying to lap up all her advice.  I love the freedom working with her, and the way she shares her vision. She鈥檚 a real gem in the theater world.鈥�

Odberg said while he doesn鈥檛 want to spoil any of the twists in the script, the audience should be prepared for a few surprises.

The initial conundrum that  begins the play ends up being dwarfed by any even bigger mystery, he said.

鈥淟ike all good mysteries, there has to be a murder,鈥� he noted. 鈥淎nd from there, it all spins out of control.鈥�

Although the farcical element is very prominent, there鈥檚 a good underlying mystery, with plenty of red herrings thrown in.

鈥淚 think people will be waiting to see who did it. It鈥檚 a gold mine for people who love mysteries 鈥� and for people who love comedy.鈥�

Performances run Wednesday through Saturday at 8 p.m. with Sunday matinees at 2:30 p.m.

For tickets ($23, $18) call 604-536-7535, or order online at www.peninsulaproductions.org.

Coast Capital Playhouse is located at 1532 Johnston Rd. in White Rock.

Full story online at langleytimes.com.