Reviewer: Kristine Gotham
Venue: Pit and Balcony Theatre
Are you a fan of a mystery? Are you a fan of comedy? If you answered yes to these questions then this play is the play for you. Ken Ludwig’s Baskerville is an adaptation of the well- known Sherlock Holmes story. Five actors come together to present a production with more than 30 characters, each with their own personality, accent, interactions and costumes.
Dan Kettler opens the show as Dr. John Watson, the faithful and brilliant companion of Sherlock Holmes. Kettler’s Watson is equal parts serious and thoughtful investigator and comedian with perfect timing of jokes both between characters and physical movement. Kettler’s interactions with the other actors are perfectly timed, thoughtful and funny. He continues throughout the production to offer a narrative of the story and the action, while fully participating with the scene unfolding on stage.
The main character of the play is performed by Dale Peters. As Sherlock Holmes, Peters presents a character who is consumed with solving the mystery of the deaths of the Baskerville men and the mythic hound who haunts the moor, He is intuitive to the thoughts and actions of the people involved, comedic in his attempts to conceal his presence as he investigates and absorbed in his own thoughts as he processes the evidence as the story unfolds.
Peters and Kettler are supported on stage by three other actors, Caroline Asiala, Andy Eisengruber and Jeff Rogner. Each of these three actors perform a minimum of nine characters each. Their almost Olympic ability to perform a scene and change costumes keeps the play moving at a brisk pace. Audience members are not left to wait for the scene to progress but rather to watch at a lightning fast speed full of comedy and dialogue.
The set changes are minimal but effective, helping the audience to see the room, the street, the moor, as the scene suggests. Accompanied by costumes accurate for the time period and sound effects that realistically reflect the action, Pit and Balcony’s presentation is a delight to watch.
Ken Ludwig’s Baskerville: A Sherlock Holmes Mystery is on stage at Pit and Balcony for two more performances, Saturday, April 18 and Sunday, April 19. Don’t miss your chance to be a part of this farcical adventure.