Sherlock Holmes’ classic case of The Hound of the Baskervilles is on stage at the Lone Tree Arts Center. This production of the whodunit is not like anything audiences would expect. Of course, Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson are on the case, figuring out who is killing the Baskerville heirs. But, this telling of the story is a fast-paced farce.
“It’s a haunted story. It’s a mystery. It’s a ghost story, but it’s also a comedy,” said Matt Zambrano, Director of “Ken Ludwig’s Baskerville: A Sherlock Holmes Mystery.”
Sir Arthur Conan Doyle first write Hounds of Baskerville as a serial for a magazine called The Strand around 1899. Readers got a new piece of the story every week. Since then, the story has been adapted into many radio broadcasts, films, and plays. Playwright Ken Ludwig adapted the story in 2015.
“So his aesthetic , his quality is very much fast-paced, zany, farce,” Zambrano explained.
In addition to Holmes and Watson, four actors play more than 40 individual characters.
“So you’ll see an actor say a line as one character, walk off stage, come right back and it’s a completely different costume,” Zambrano said.
The play has 5 separate story line and goes to 25 different locations. For the first time, Lone Tree Arts Center is using it’s extensive fly system to change scenery in seconds.
“It’s a lot, but it’s also a great challenge,” said Zambrano. “My job, as a director for a piece like this is to herd the cats, make sure that you have all the pieces working together.”
For Zambrano, it’s a labor of love. For the audience, it’s an exciting whodunit.
“At it’s best it’s an opportunity to come inside a lovely theater and sit back for 2-hours and 15-minutes and enjoy a really well told story. You’ll laugh along the way. You may have a few jump scares at some points perhaps, but at the end of the day, you’re going to watch a really good play performed by some really good performers and designed by the incredible designers,” Zambrano added.
The ‘game is a foot’ at the Lone Tree Arts Center.
