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Regional Reviews: New Jersey Baskerville: A Very Amusing Sherlock Holmes Adaptation Also see Bob's reviews of Buyer & Cellar and The Hunchback of Notre Dame
Dr. John Mortimer seeks out Holmes because of the recent death of his friend Sir Charles Baskerville outside his Baskerville Hall estate under circumstances invoking a legendary family curse concerning a hellhound who roams the moors seeking the blood of Baskervilles. Mortimer is concerned for the safety of Sir Charles' American nephew from Texas and heir, Sir Henry. Although he has just arrived in London, Sir Henry has already received a threatening note to stay away, is being followed by a man with a beard, and has mysteriously had one of his shoes stolen. Holmes is intrigued by the case. Sir Henry is determined to go to Baskerville Hall and secure his inheritance. Holmes, stating that he has other cases to pursue in London, arranges for his friend and biographer (someone may not know this) Dr. Watson to accompany Sir Henry on his railway journey to Baskerville Hall. Once there, they encounter a number of suspicious individuals: the Baskerville servants, Mr. and Mrs. Barrymore; neighbors Jack Stapleton and his sister Beryl; Laura Lyons, the woman whom Sir Charles had secretly met with on the night of his death: and an escaped convict who is roaming the moors. Gregory Wooddell plays Holmes and Lucas Hall plays Watson. Thirty additional roles are played by the very busy trio of Jane Pfitsch, Stanley Bahorek, and Michael Glenn (identified in the cast listing as Actress One, Actor One and Actor Two, respectively). They employ a dizzying variety of accents, voices, speech patterns, mannerisms, expressions, attitudes, and body language along with clothing, wigs, and props to delightfully delineate their roles which for each include (often comically unconvincingly) members of the opposite sex. The playing of two characters on stage simultaneously is accomplished by a quick turn of the head and a change of hats. Dicey comic bits which have them momentarily step out of character self-referentially, even a few times, breaking up over antic performance moments, are delightful because they are so well directed and performed. The lovely Jane Pfitsch is amazingly adept at delivering convincingly dimensional, varied performances in rapid succession. Stanley Bahorek displays a sweet, demented comic presence which ideally suits the conceit of this production. It is the emphatically comic Michael Glenn who delightfully plays two roles simultaneously. Baskervilles is that rare, but not unique, play in which the leading roles (Watson and Holmes) are actually subservient to the featured roles. Happily, this does not faze Lucas Hall (Watson) and Gregory Wooddell (Holmes), who enthusiastically and with good humor provide a solid base for their fellow cast members. Director Amanda Dehnert, set designer Daniel Ostling, costume designer Jess Goldstein, lighting designer Philip S. Rosenberg, wig designer Leah J. Loukas, and the entire production team have provided author Ken Ludwig and his cast all the bells and whistles that any author could ever hope for. Scenic elements emerge from trapdoors, are rolled onto the stage, drop down from the flies, and emerge from backstage. Butterflies emerge from a trapdoor and a considerable number of flowers individually, vertically, and at great speed crash land onto the stage, and remain upright with roots (okay, bases) in the ground. Storms roar and a strong wind conveyed by the sound design challenges Watson, Mortimer, and Sir Henry as they laboriously walk into it. Steam and smoke arise from several pipes near the footlights across the front of the stage, and heavy blasts of foam arise from additional below-stage pipes to simulate steam blasts from railway trains. It appears that this production is inspired by the success on Broadway of a similarly styled adaptation of the 1935 Alfred Hitchcock film The 39 Steps which was originally produced in Leeds in 2005. In 2007, a similarly styled adaptation of The Hound of the Baskervilles was produced at Leeds with a troupe of three actors playing all the roles (this adaptation was produced by New Jersey Rep in 2013). Perhaps, as with A Christmas Carol, we will have soon have theatres around the country producing their own comedic adaptations of Sherlock Holmes mysteries. Just so no one is unnecessarily disappointed, it should be noted that, as entertaining Ludwig's adaptation is, The 39 Steps easily stands head and shoulders above any other play in its genre. What impresses the most about Ken Ludwig's play is that it so successfully combines a satire of the florid melodramatic style with which classic period melodramas have always been presented while respecting and allowing us to enjoy the pleasures of Conan Doyle's classic Victorian Sherlock Holmes novels. The McCarter Theatre (in association with Arena Stage) production of Ken Ludwig's Baskerville - A Sherlock Holmes Mystery, replete with bells and whistles, emerges as a delightful entertainment. Ken Ludwig's Baskerville - A Sherlock Holmes Mystery continues performances (Evenings: Wednesday, Thursday & Sunday 7:30 PM; Friday & Saturday 8 PM/ Matinees: Saturday 3 PM; Sunday 2 PM) through March 29, 2015 at the McCarter Theatre Center, Matthews Theatre, 91 University Place, Princeton. Box Office: 609-258-2787; online: www.mccarter.org. Ken Ludwig's Baskerville -A Sherlock Holmes Mystery directed by Amanda Dehnert Cast |
