York Theatre Royal – until 23 October 2021
Reviewed by Michelle Richardson
5*****
Murder, Mystery, and Mania? The famed character of Sherlock Holmes, in The Hound of the Baskervilles, written by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, is briefly visiting York Theatre Royal. This production is brought to the stage by the Original Theatre Company and is touring nationally.
Three actors take on the roles of multiple characters from the novel, while the novel may be a gripping tale of ghostly curses and evil intentions, the play is anything but. A comedic journey though the moors and pages of the tale, we are shown the story in a new more farcical light. Full of slapstick, sarcasm, and silly nonsense.
As I mentioned, composing of just three actors, mainly playing the characters of Sherlock Holmes (Jack Ferretti), Sir Henry (Serena Manteghi), and Dr Watson (Niall Ransome). Though I’ve just listed three characters, they all played a plethora of personalities, from Scottish doctors, to country yokels, to a fiery Latin lady, and a seemingly useless house servants.
What I witnessed on stage was phenomenal and I loved watching it happen. Three actors working so in sync and expertly together to create an entertaining performance, where there is never a dull moment. With perfect comedic timing and the ability to jump between character and actor was hilarious. With many gags gracing the night, from horses that won’t come on stage, lifeless rubber bodies, and diva attitudes within the cast. Although one thing stood out for me more than anything else, which made me howl with laughter, a surprising and out of nowhere gay subplot from Watson, who seemed to swoon over both Sir Henry and Holmes. Whilst this was subtle it made for some iconic moments on stage and made everyone laugh.
During the interval I was already stunned at how much I enjoyed the show and was excited for act two well. I wasn’t disappointed, we were even treated to reprisal of the first act, at breakneck speed. This was so fast paced that I was exhausted just watching it and was amazing to watch.
With the impressive set on stage, which had a light-up mini mansion, and the incredible comedy skills of the cast, it is basically a recipe for a perfect evening of theatre. This is a show where you can take your kids, bring your gran and even your worst enemy, because not a single soul would be straight faced throughout this performance.
This show is slick, high energy, full humour and greatly entertaining. This is the best show I’ve seen since theatres have reopened.
The Hound of the Baskervilles is at the York Theatre Royal until Saturday the 23rd of October, so get seeing it right now, you will not be disappointed