The Crucifer of Blood
Ahmanson Theatre, Los Angeles, 1980-1981
Role: Dr. John Watson

Jeremy Brett started his Sherlockian adventures as Dr. Watson in this stage production that starred Charlton Heston as Sherlock Holmes.

The Crucifer of Blood was written by Paul Giovanni in the 1970s and is loosely based Arthur Conan Doyle's The Sign of Four. The play had started at a small theatre in Buffalo in 1978, then moved to Broadway. Jeremy joined the cast during its run in Los Angeles from Dec. 5, 1980, to Jan. 17, 1981.

The title refers to a blood oath among three British soldiers who enter into a deadly covenant fueled by greed and deceit. The story spans 30 years from its prologue in 1857 imperial India to 1887 Victorian London and includes eight deaths. The scenes shift from the Red Fort in Agra, India, to 221B Baker Street to the parlor of an English officer to an opium den to a boat in the Thames.

Also, in The Crucifer of Blood, Dr. Watson is smitten with the mysterious maiden in distress, played by Suzanne Lederer.

Although he didn't study the Doyle canon like he did when it came time to prepare for Sherlock Holmes, the play did give Jeremy insight into the Holmes-Watson friendship. "It was tremendous fun," he said, "and it taught me a lot about how to approach Holmes when the Grenada series got under way. I learned a great deal about the inter-relationship of the two men."

He describes the characters further in Bending the Willow, a book by David Stuart Davies:

In some ways Watson is stronger than Holmes. That comes through his kindness, I suppose. He sees Holmes' weaknesses and tries to protect him from them. Look how Watson rants at him about cocaine. Watson is always on the lookout in order to save his friend from pain, indignity or destruction.

Jeremy also has said (IMDb bio) that he relates better to Watson:

Watson is much more my kind of person. Watson is a warm, loving, sunny person who's very enthusiastic -- and hurt and slightly upset when his friend is rude to people or him. This is much more like me.

Two actors who shared the stage with Jeremy had fine remembrances of the sunny, enthusiastic Brett.

Actor Ian Abercrombie (IMDb) wrote in an online message board:

Playing with Charlton Heston in The Crucifer of Blood one night, I got a case of the giggles when fellow actor Jeremy Brett started singing to me. I was paralyzed. Needless to say 'Chuck' Heston was not amused.

Another actor in the play, Charles Pogue (IMDb), said of Jeremy:

He was just as brilliant a Watson as he eventually was as Holmes. May I say here and now that Jeremy Brett is one of the few true gentlemen I've ever met in this business.