Oh, what a tonic!
You can always rely on Sherlock Holmes to solve a problem — in this case, he brings welcome relief from Covid restrictions, warmongers, partying politicians et al.
Sir Arthur Conan Doyle resurrected his most famous detective in 1901 (he had already killed him off a few years earlier) to investigate the goings-on involving the mysterious Hound of the Baskervilles.
This story spawned a plethora of adaptations on all the media of the day, but – forget all your scary black and white memories of Basil Rathbone and co. – this is spoof-time with a capital H for hilarious.
Described as a “farcical overhaul”, this production by the Original Theatre Company and first directed by Lotte Wakeham at the Octagon Theatre Bolton, makes its first foray over the border.
Unusually, not to mention innovatively, the cast members take a bow and are introduced individually to the audience at the start. Then follows a madcap adventure on the moors of Dartmoor with the many crazy characters played by only three actors, whose athleticism throughout would make many a current Winter Olympian gasp in admiration.
Jake Feretti, Niall Ransome and Serena Manteghi give a master class in comedic capers, farcical forays and theatrical timing. Jake is mainly Sherlock, Niall is Dr Watson, and Serena spends the entire evening playing men.
And those behind the scenes must also take a bow – lighting, sound effects and, especially, the costume team are just as energetically involved.
A bit of banter with the audience after the interval resulted in a “recap” of the entire first half completed in TWO minutes – phew!!
For the record, Sherlock Holmes is called in to unravel the mysterious death of Sir Charles Baskerville. Meanwhile, there are reports of a giant hound on the loose on the moors, and it’s a race against time to save the last remaining heir to the Baskerville estate. However, amongst all the comic cantrips, the story seems quite irrelevant.
And what a time to rekindle enthusiasm for live theatre —the perfect antidote to all that’s going on around us.
The Hound is kenneled at Perth Theatre until the end of the week.
