This Arts Club Touring production comes to West Vancouver for our first described performance at the Kay Meek Centre.
Tickets are $29 for VocalEye users. Please call 604-981-6335 to purchase.
Described by Ingrid Turk
Five actors play over 40 comical characters, filling the stage with suspects, allies, and heirs in this zany whodunit based on the Arthur Conan Doyle classic. When the wealthy Henry Baskerville is threatened by the fable of a bloodthirsty hound on the moors, Holmes and Watson are on the case to sniff out the culprit. The game’s afoot in this hilarious thriller that’s anything but elementary!
Written by Ken Ludwig
Directed by John Murphy
MAIN CHARACTERS (from Bill’s Notes)
Sherlock Holmes is an eccentric, yet brilliant, private detective, who resides at 221B Baker Street in London. Holmes is well-known for his prodigious ability to piece together obscure bits of evidence to solve complicated mysteries.
Doctor John Watson is a medical doctor who serves as an assistant to Holmes’ investigations. Though Watson is not as skilled as Holmes, he is a steadfast and intrepid companion to the great detective.
Sir Charles Baskerville is the former master of Baskerville Hall, Sir Charles’s mysterious death in the play’s prologue sets the story in motion.
Mrs. Hudson is the warm, good-spirited housekeeper at 221B Baker Street.
Doctor Mortimer is a young doctor formerly employed at London’s Charring Cross Hospital, now practising in Devonshire, near the Baskerville estate.
Sir Henry Baskerville is a handsome young American from Texas. Sir Henry is the heir to the Baskerville fortune and has come to England to claim his inheritance.
Wilson and Lucy are employees at the district messenger office and are familiar with Holmes and Watson.
Cartwright & Milker are two young messenger boys, sometimes enlisted by Holmes to perform tasks in return for payment.
Castilian Desk Clerk mans the desk at the Northumberland Hotel.
Inspector Lestrade is an officer at Scotland Yard, given to crude speech. Lestrade often crosses paths with Holmes in the course of their respective investigations.
Barrymore is the butler at Baskerville Hall, a longtime, loyal servant to the Baskerville family.
Mrs. Barrymore is the housekeeper at Baskerville Hall and wife to Mr. Barrymore, the butler. Originally from Sweden, Mrs. Barrymore retains a strong accent.
Stapleton is a resident of the Devonshire moor region, an avid naturalist with a particular interest in butterflies.
Beryl Stapleton is a beautiful young woman, claimed by Stapleton to be his sister.
Victor, Mrs. Barrymore’s brother, is an escaped conflict living secretly on the moors and given provisions by the Barrymores.
Laura Lyons is a woman who operates a typing business in Devonshire, seeking money to obtain a divorce from her estranged husband. Mrs. Lyons has been romantically involved with both Sir Charles and Stapleton.
Plus various servants, shopkeepers, messengers, cab drivers and opera singers.
There are 5 performers in the cast, 4 men and 1 woman. The roles of Holmes and Watson are played by two actors with no doubling. The remaining 40 or so characters are played by the other three performers.
The play is set in London and Devonshire in the late 1890’s.
Devonshire Locations include: Baskerville Hall; Baskerville Train Station; Rooms in Baskerville Hall; The Moors; Street in Coombe Tracy; Dr. Mortimer’s Home and Office; The Black Tor (a steep hill); Train Station at Coombe Tracy; Miss Laura Lyons’ Typing Establishment; and The Merripit House.
London Locations include: Holmes’ Residence at 221B Baker Street; A Box at the Royal Opera House; City Street; District Messenger’s Office; Lobby of the Northumberland Hotel; Paddington Station; and A Box at Covent Garden.
REVIEWS
“Alex Zahara plays Holmes, not as the sexy but haunted young hero of the Benedict Cumberbatch variety, but as the classic egotistical genius with a flair for the dramatic who is so certain of himself that he throws a tantrum when he trips on the tiniest detail. As a counterpoint, Mark Weatherley is appropriately stiff-backed and starry-eyed as Dr. Watson. Lauren Bowler, Kirk Smith and Mike Wasko round out the rest of the cast, playing a wide range of characters, sometimes in the same scene. This is a play that asks a lot of its cast, and a few of the best moments arise out of the three’s attempts to switch costumes, makeup and characters in a matter of seconds.” –Vancouver Sun
“Baskerville boasts great looks and strong performances” –The Georgia Straight
“Celebrate The Arts Club’s 53rd year by enjoying this great production. You’ll love it, too.” –Review Vancouver
SUPPORT MATERIALS
baskerville-company-biographies
baskerville-plot-synopsis
the-many-incarnations-of-sherlock-holmes
the-world-of-late-victorian-england
