The game’s afoot at Seattle Rep! The world-premiere adaptation of Arthur Conan Doyle’s “The Hound of the Baskervilles” by local actor-playwrights David Pichette and R. Hamilton Wright concocts a magical brew of superb storytelling, elaborate stagecraft and a sterling cast that will thrill Sherlock Holmes aficionados and non-fans alike.
Most are familiar with this most gothic of the Holmes mysteries, whether through reading the original work or viewing one of its many film, television or stage adaptations. For those who are not, Canadian Sir Henry Baskerville (Connor Toms) has recently inherited Baskerville Hall in remote Dartmoor, due to his uncle Sir Charles Baskerville’s (Charles Leggett) mysterious death. The superstitious locals blame the death on a family curse and a supernatural hound that inhabits the moors.
Mortimer (Basil Harris) believes that foul play was involved and fears for his friend Sir Henry. He convinces Holmes (Darragh Kennan) and his erstwhile companion Watson (Andrew McGinn) to investigate.
Director Allison Narver helms the excellent ensemble of Seattle actors. A Seattle Footlight Award winner (for “Hamlet”), Kennan brings his flair for inhabiting a role to the part of the single-minded detective. His alternative portrayal of Holmes maintains the remote humanity of the great detective while adding a touch of humor, particularly in his dealings with loyal friend and chronicler Watson.
McGinn’s Watson is a highly likeable, if somewhat crusty, bachelor.
Toms charms as the frank, unsophisticated North American among his more seasoned Old World peers. Hana Lass, looking fetching in a bustle, portrays Sir Henry’s love interest, Beryl, a role that the playwrights, happily, have expanded with added dimension from the Conan Doyle original.
The eccentric denizens of Dartmoor include dour, trigger-happy Frankland (Leggett); the mysterious servant couple, the Barrymores (Rob Burgess and Marianne Owen, who doubles as a wonderfully saucy Mrs. Hudson) and the boyish naturalist Stapleton (Quinn Franzen).
Scene and lighting designer L.B. Morse brings alive the moors and the seamier side of Victorian London with vintage photographic images projected onto a stage populated with moving pillars and minimal furnishings that suggest a score or more of settings, ranging from Holmes and Watson’s Baker Street apartment to the desolation of the Black Tor. Morse’s design imbues a cinematic quality to the action, particularly during a spectacular chase scene through the grimy streets of London’s industrial core.
Gorgeous period costumes by Deborah Trout and spooky score and sound effects by Paul James Prendergast round out a theatrical experience that remains action-filled in spite of the two-hour, 40-minute runtime.
“The Hound of the Baskervilles” plays through Dec. 15 at the Seattle Repertory Theatre (155 Mercer St). For more information, visit seattlerep.org.
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