This is Ken Ludwig’s (Lend Me a Tenor, Moon Over Buffalo) acclaimed adaptation of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s 1902 classic mystery, The Hound of the Baskervilles. There’s intrigue along with the laughs. Can the renowned sleuth, Sherlock Holmes, along with his trusted sidekick, Dr. Watson, discover if there really is a curse leading to the murders of the male heirs of the Baskerville family before it dooms the newest heir?
What may intrigue you most, however, is how this story is brought to life by just five actors who play 40 quirky characters and move from foggy London streets to crowded railway stations to gloomy baronial mansions and, finally, to the treacherous Devonshire moors.
“The challenge with this show is finding the comedy within the spaces of the script,” says Joel Fenster, who is directing the show. “Some of the writing is funny in and of itself, but some is brought to the table by the actors.”
“This is one of the most ambitious shows we’ve ever undertaken,” says producer Marcia Vinci. “Two of the actors spend the entire play as Holmes and Watson, but the other three expend a lot of energy by playing multiple roles, often in the same scene.
“In addition, our production team is creating a set that captures Victorian times as well as period costumes and props.”
Featured in the cast are Jonathan Jacobson as Sherlock Holmes, Rick Haylon as Dr. Watson, Gillian Bailey as Actress 1, Bob Filipowich as Actor 1, and Jeff Bukowski as Actor 2. The production team includes Caryn Raimondi as stage manager, Deborah Burke as costume designer, Patrick DeBlasi as set designer, Joel Reynolds as master carpenter/crew chief, Ed Donahue as sound designer/operator, Nick Kaye as lighting designer.
Performances are Friday and Saturday nights July 27, 28, August 3, 4, 10, and 11 at 8 p.m. and Sunday afternoons, July 29 and August 5 at 2:30 p.m. To order tickets, call 203-594-3636 or visit www.tpnc.org.