Rating: 4/5
With three actors playing several roles throughout the show, The Hound of the Baskervilles is a theatre production that provides a refreshingly unconventional take on Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s most well-known Sherlock Holmes mystery.
Featuring Detective Sherlock Holmes (Nick Dunbar) and his ever-inquisitive sidekick, Doctor Watson (Simon Leary), the crime-murder-mystery-turned-comedy adds some extra fuel to the classic storyline. The pair are called on to investigate the death of Sir Charles Baskerville (Patrick Davies), a man who believed in a family curse — one where his ancestor had sold his soul to the devil in exchange for help to abduct a woman and was apparently killed by a giant hound. Before his death, Charles was suspected of running away from something and, in an attempt to protect Charles’s son, Sir Henry Baskerville (Patrick Davies), the duo look for clues to unravel the mystery.
Patrick Davies, Nick Dunbar, and Simon Leary tackle the mission of playing and changing into different characters. The small cast may not seem advantageous but the actors’ talents at effortless transitions allow them to embody characters, both male and female, with consistent accents, voices and mannerisms that create a recognisable persona within each of them. The ease with which each actor executes a change in character excellently marks each role apart from each other.
Its varyingly subtle gags, as well as the hilarious facial expressions and gestures accompanying such well-directed and brilliantly presented lines, will have you chuckling away. Each scene is relatively short, holding the audience’s attention and keeping the plot fast-paced. An interval is offered as a quick breather before the three characters commence a fast-forward run-through of the first half before continuing with the second. This reminds the audience of exactly what they have been watching, and the action and lines become even more laughable at double speed.
If you are looking for a funny, warm, entertaining and out-of-the-ordinary night, this spectacular production is awaiting you.