Metropolis Performing Arts Centre Present KEN LUDWIG'S BASKERVILLE

Fog filters through the darkened stage. In the dense fog, Dr. Watson and Sir Henry Baskerville search the moors for a strange man crucial to solving their mystery. Bone-chilling howls split their tense dialogue, leaving chills running down our spine. Dr. Watson and Henry walk through the fog with revolvers held high, and a figure looms out of the darkness behind them. As we witness Dr. Watson and Henry turn to face the figure, we turn as well, believing there is someone behind us too…

In playwright Ken Ludwig’s Baskerville: A Sherlock Holmes Mystery, this tense, intriguing atmosphere builds on a mystery filled with deduction, secrets, and moments of comedy. Duo Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson work together, surrounded by characters of every variety.

We see a variety of characters played by only three ensemble members. In one scene, a mustached man in bright pink and orange stands in front of a hotel register, speaking to Sherlock with a thick Spanish accent. In another scene, a woman with a strong Cockney accent answers Sherlock’s questions for payment. In a moment of comedy, Henry and his Southern accent comes face-to-face with an attractive, young woman and fumbles for words, dropping the toothpick that had been hanging from his mouth in a new slapstick gesture.

Chameleon and ensemble member, Rachel Livingston, is called into portraying a wide range of characters. As Mrs. Hudson, Sherlock’s elderly, but spirited maid, Livingston’s jerky movements and hunched frame bring us to believe Livingston truly is Mrs. Hudson. Sherlock employs the help of an energetic messenger boy played by Livingston as well. As the boy reads a letter crucial to the mystery, he speaks rapidly and jokes with Sherlock, who is in no mood for jokes. Livingston tricks us into believing she is that messenger boy.

As characters slip down a hill, the camera shakes and moves with them to add to their terror. When Sir Charles Baskerville runs from a horrifying beast at the top of the show, the camera becomes the beast’s eyes. With specific direction like this, the character’s terror is understood. In only the most intense and thrilling moments, the deliberate lighting darkens the characters’ faces. Here, their dialogue is the only part of the play we can hold on to. In this darkness, we are forced to trust that nothing will jump out at us from the dark.

Metropolis Performing Arts Centre Presents KEN LUDWIG’S BASKERVILLE Review – A Thrilling Comedy

Click here to read more Picture This Post Metropolis Performing Arts Centre stories.

Metropolis Performing Arts Centre Brings Comedy into a Thrilling Adventure

Visuals Are Not to Be Ignored in Metropolis Performing Arts Centre’s Production

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED

Nominate this for The Picture This Post BEST OF 2021???
Click Readers' Choice

Want to see who won the Picture This Post READERS’ CHOICE competition last year?
WATCH THIS SHORT VIDEO—

When:

Where:

Tickets:

About the Author: Annabelle Harsch

Make a Comment

Leave a Reply Cancel reply