The main summer production at Eastbourne’s Devonshire Park Theatre is a comedy adaptation of ‘The Hound of the Baskervilles’, the turn-of-the-20th-century story by Arthur Conan Doyle featuring his famous detective Sherlock Holmes. It’s been done on film and television a multitude of times, but probably never with quite the anarchic sense of humour that this production delivers.
Adapted from Doyle’s original story by Steven Canny and John Nicholson, the show follows the familiar tale of the mysterious death of Sir Charles Baskerville out on Dartmoor during the 1880s, which is brought to the attention of Sherlock Holmes, and his assistant Dr Watson, to try and solve. The detectives try to unravel the secrets hidden within the Baskerville family tree and a potential curse on its bloodline, while also avoiding the snapping jaws and claws of the legendary demonic hound. So far, so faithful, until you throw in a sauna, an imaginary horse and even Kylie Minogue.
Doyle’s intricate plot arguably gets a little lost in Eastbourne Theatre’s production, where it takes a back seat to the comic parodying, but in truth this doesn’t matter, as the result is such joyously silly entertainment that it’s safer to just switch your brain off and let the madness rain down around you. Directed by Chris Jordan, ‘The Hound of the Baskervilles’ is quick-paced and inventively delivered, brimming with the daft kind of humour that you can’t help but smile at.
Fans of the Mischief Theatre creations like ‘The Play That Goes Wrong’ and, indeed, some of Eastbourne Theatre’s previous productions, will find plenty to enjoy here, with spectacularly high levels of off-the-wall humour, fourth-wall-breaking and tongue-in-cheek nods to its own silliness. The show uses the performance space well, showcasing the traditional charm of the story, but also allowing the “larger” moments of the story to be delivered cleverly. One of the opening scenes is a masterclass in minimalism where the story is told with only sound effects and lighting cues.
This is definitely a production for energetic actors…. who are prepared to make fools of themselves, and this cast certainly deliver that by the bucketload. These are uniformly excellent performances, with each of the three actors who play every character in the piece, showing impeccable comic timing, versatility and stage presence. Andrew Pollard (Sherlock Holmes and others), Tom Richardson (Henry Baskerville and others), and Ben Roddy (Dr Watson and others) are a talented trio and they’re a joy to watch, with their superb performances being of West End standard.
A very special mention needs to go to the scene at the start of the second act, where the actors “redo” the first act at a pace which leaves the audience breathless and splitting their sides with laughter. How the actors manage it is anyone’s guess – but it’s hugely impressive.
Eastbourne Theatre’s The Hound of the Baskervilles, which runs until the end of August, is totally bonkers entertainment, guaranteed to make you forget your problems for a couple of hours. You probably won’t be able to recount the plot in great detail as you’re walking out, but you won’t forget its sense of daft madcap fun any time soon, or the brilliant performances of its three exceptionally talented actors.
***** Five Stars