WARNER ROBINS -- Warner Robins Little Theatre will present “Sherlock Holmes and The Case of the Jersey Lily,” a play that is full of tricks and treats, during the Halloween season.

The play, which opens Friday, has both the familiar “Sherlock Holmes” characters as well as historical figures from the Edwardian era.

It opens with playwright Oscar Wilde and actress Lillie Langtry, the mistress of the Prince of Wales (later Edward VII), visiting Sherlock Holmes and his assistant Dr. Watson.

Someone is blackmailing Langtry about her relationship with the prince and has stolen letters written between the two. The blackmailer also knows of the crown jewels the prince has given Langtry and replaces them with fakes, so no one realizes they are missing. It is up to Holmes to save the day -- and the future monarch.

“I just loved that there were real, true characters in the play,” said director Cathy Collins. “There are the traditional characters that you find in any Sherlock mystery, but the real characters with their real back stories add a whole new element.”

The play will have one of its performances on Halloween. Collins, who usually directs fall productions for the theater, planned that as an offering to the community.

“It is not a spooky play, but it is full of intrigue, which fits in perfectly with Halloween. It is a good choice for adults and teenagers, besides trick-or-treating, fall festivals and haunted houses,” said Collins.

Warner Robins Little Theatre is in the middle of its 50th season and has done several plays this year that have historical significance for the theater. But Collins said “Sherlock Holmes and the Case of the Jersey Lily,” adapted by Katie Forgette, is new to the community.

“I have been a fan of Sherlock Holmes all my life, and as soon as I read this play I knew it was something I wanted to do,” she said.

Something else Collins has always wanted to do is incorporate a rotating stage into one of the plays she directs. With the help of her husband, Maurice, Collins has done just that for this production.

“The set is awesome,” said Collins. “The sets are very realistic. A lot of hard work has gone into pulling them together by some incredible people.”

Contact Alline Kent at 396-2467 or allinekent@cox.net.