Murder and mystery abound in Franklin Regional's 'The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes'

Colin Miller has pretty much had his fill when it comes to being killed off in Franklin Regional stage performances.

“I’ve died multiple times in multiple shows, plus I was in ‘Clue’ my freshman year,” Miller said.

So how about in his senior year, for the upcoming production of “The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes”?

“Oh, I die three times,” he said with a shrug.

Miller’s deaths will surely be the subject of much investigation, and that will happen onstage with a wide variety of cast members.

“We’re telling four separate Sherlock Holmes stories, and so we cast a Sherlock and a Dr. Watson for each of them,” said director and FR teacher Richard Sunny.

That has made student director Grace Hough’s final show at FR a little more challenging.

“It’s a lot of switching on and off between scripts and scheduling,” Hough said. “We can’t have a rehearsal where main characters are just sitting around for hours with no lines, so we’ve had to juggle everyone’s schedules.”

With eight shows worth of experience under her belt, including three as student director, Hough is up for the challenge.

“I just love working with the cast and crew,” she said. “I get to be a part of everything and talk to everyone. Being able to have that kind of an impact on the show is really exciting.

For Miller, who plays five different roles as a member of cast’s ensemble, there is plenty to juggle as well.

“It’s a pretty cool challenge,” he said. “They aren’t the hardest lines I’ve had to memorize, but some of it is kind of rough, especially one monologue I have that just goes on and on and on. There’s also kind of the weird cadence people spoke in Victorian English times, and that can sometimes trip you up.”

“The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes” will take place at Franklin Regional Senior High School, 3200 School Road in Murrysville, at 7:30 p.m. on April 29-30, with a 2 p.m. matinee on May 1.

Tickets are $5 and will be available at the door.