Review: Kanata Theatre's Production of BASKERVILLE: A SHERLOCK HOLMES MYSTERY

Kanata Theatre opened its production of Ken Ludwig’s Baskerville: A Sherlock Holmes Mystery at the Ron Maslin Playhouse this week. Mystery lovers beware – given that it is a Ludwig play and it has five actors depicting forty different characters, you should be forewarned that this is not going to be a traditional retelling of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's The Hound of the Baskervilles.

The stage (set design by Christy Bindhardt) is divided into three main areas: stage right is the sitting room in Sherlock Holmes’ (Elizabeth Foulds Rodgers) and Doctor Watson’s (Sarah Hearn) residence at 221B Baker Street in London. Stage left is an ambiguous area with paintings on the wall and a nondescript bench that serves as a bedroom and other various areas at Baskerville Hall, as well as a cabin on the moors in Devonshire. Centre stage remains empty for use as a pass through and to represent the vast expanse of the moors. The use of a screen above the stage subtly enhanced the dialogue, without being distracting (projections by Nicole MacLaren and Marc Seguin).

Baskerville opens onto the aforementioned moors, with fog sweeping across the stage. Sir Charles Baskerville (Gordon Walls) collapses after he is confronted and viciously attacked by an unseen beast. Shortly thereafter, Sir Charles’ Texan brother, Henry (also Walls), shows up at the Baker Street property, requesting assistance in solving the mystery. Holmes sends Watson and Henry to Baskerville Hall to gather evidence and make enquiries, stating that she will follow later. There, Watson and Henry meet Mr. and Mrs. Barrymore (Paul Arbour and Jenny Pfitzer), the estate’s caretakers, as well as neighbours Jack and Beryl Stapleton (Arbour and Pfitzer). When Henry becomes enamoured with Beryl, Watson questions whether the latter’s affection is genuine. There is also a chorus line of supporting characters, including a tobacconist, a scullery maid, an inspector (all played by Walls), Mrs. Hudson, Laura Lyons, a shepherdess, a maid, a baby, and a nurse (all played by Pfitzer), and Dr. Mortimer, Lucy, a train conductor, a desk clerk, and a farmer (all played by Arbour).

As the constant characters, Rodgers and Hearn, as Holmes and Watson, ground the play and keep it from becoming entirely ridiculous, though at times, it feels like they are walking a fine line. Arbour, Pfitzer and Walls are tasked with rapid character and costume changes (costume design by Maxine Ball), which can be as small as the simple addition or removal of a hat, to an entire dress and wig change. The director (Michael Gareau) makes these changes part of the fun. Many references to an oncoming character resulted in the actor playing that role making a beeline for the wings to change and reemerge seconds later. Some characters are heavily accented, allowing the actors to experiment with their abilities, with varying levels of success. Walls’ Texas accent was remarkably good and Pfitzer’s lispy Eastern European-ish accent was deliberately overdone for comedic effect. I thought the addition of literal red herrings was hilarious. There were other really funny moments too; the reenactment of Sir Charles’ grisly death was particularly well staged.

Perhaps surprisingly, despite its zany antics, exaggerated accents, and silly costumes, Baskerville remains faithful to the original Conan Doyle plot. Still, if you are looking for a traditional Victorian murder mystery, you may want to give Baskerville a miss. However, if you enjoy slapstick, a sense of the absurd, and don’t mind that a classic detective story has been reinvented into a farce, Baskerville will be right up your dark alley.

Part of Kanata Theatre’s 55th season, Baskerville: A Sherlock Holmes Mystery is in performances through May 25th. It should be noted that this play involves loud gunshots, flashing lights and the use of haze and fog. Click the link below to purchase tickets or click here for more information.

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