Baskerville Does Vaudeville

It was my privilege to attend the opening night of The Hound Of The Baskervilles at The Genesian Theatre Kent Street Sydney. Having seen the film and knowing how very famous the story is, I wondered how on earth it could be staged in such a small intimate theatre. Who knew a Sherlock Holmes caper could be so funny.? The whole production was carried by three very talented actors portraying a great variety of characters with often hilarious results. It was fast paced, clever and utterly remorseless in the delivery of corny one liners from the very beginning. Definitely worthy of the Vaudeville stage.

The play begins with a brooding Sherlock played by the the great star, Alyona Popova, who, as you’ve probably guessed is not really British. Still she does a brilliant job of portraying the Baker Street sleuth right down to the incessant use of a monocle. Good sleuthing, what? Wonderful to have a woman play Holmes. How positively progressive! Enter Watson, ( Kate Easlea ), and guess what? She’s female too! On stage there are only rudimentary props including Holme’s red velvet chair and a coat rack. There is also a big black door, quite obviously, not attached to a wall. On the other side of this door there is someone knocking. Enter Oliver Harcourt Ham as Sir Henry Baskerville, heir to the Baskerville Estate in that eeriest of eery places, Dartmoor.

What ensues is mime, slapstick and mayhem, as these extremely versatile young actors break the fourth wall and let the audience in on the act. As Sherlock and Watson accompany Sir Henry to Dartmoor, the hound can be heard, snarling in the distance. Watson immediately takes out a pistol and shoots into the air at anything that moves,. Cows, sheep, birds and whatever else he comes across. All done with sound effects and dim lighting against a sky full of stars. There is a mysterious staircase too, which characters climb, and disappear behind. We meet strange characters who appear in little vignettes. The Barrymores, a butler with a leaning candle, and a housekeeper with sass, as well as the Stapletons, a brother and sister with some truly weird quirks. There is a fog, a bog and a hog in a bag. All of which Mr Harcourt Ham explains ,in person, in his unique acrobatic style..

In act two we find that someone in the audience has dared to question the way Holmes is running the case, so, we get an action replay of the whole first act in fast motion. More clever banter and carefully thought out deductions follow, with Watson asking, ‘Is it all really just smoke and mirrors?’ ‘ Well it would seem so in this case. But to let you in on the secrets of the case and how it is resolved would be to give the game away and we all know the game is afoot. Sorry. Couldn’t resist that one.

Such an original production. Equal kudos to all involved. Brilliantly directed by Richard Cotter with minimal set and props relying on the skills of the performers and the lighting and sound effects. A real surprise and a welcome one.

Renee Lou Dallow ( Bourgeoise Bloomers )