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The Hound of the Baskervilles (Harlequin Theatre, Redhill, October 28^th 2022 and touring)

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The game’s afoot in an entertaining new version of The Hound of the Baskervilles currently on a tour to mark its 120^th anniversary.

There have been plenty of versions of Conan Doyle’s Sherlock Holmes thriller on stage, screen and radio but the Crime and Comedy Theatre’s fun take on the tale mixes two of the media to give an unexpected twist to one of the greatest detective stories ever told.

In director Martin Parsons’ adaptation the Holmes chiller featuring murder most foul, family history, dark mystery and a haunting canine is framed by the device of actors performing a radio play. In this case it allows a more complete version of the story, keeping in some delicious Conan Doyle lines, avoiding the need to design complex sets from Baker Street to the Devonshire moors and giving the audience the chance to listen and let their imagination work.

Undoubtedly a major draw for this production is bringing two actors with great experience in radio and audio work back to the stage: Colin Baker and Terry Molloy. Both so completely inhabit their roles that exciting new dimensions are added to this familiar story, with neither settling back into tried and tested interpretations of the characters.

Baker, who has already proved his worth as a fictional detective on stage having played an engaging and multi-layered Inspector Morse in House of Ghosts on tour back in 2010, is perfect as a likeable if rather smart Alec Holmes, played with a sense of amusement rather than a tormented sleuth with hidden nightmares.

He flings himself into the role with effervescence, a Sherlock determined to test every theory thoughtfully, practically and scientifically before solving the case of a family curse and diabolical hound. He also savours playing Barrymore, the Baskerville Hall butler, and nosey neighbour Frankland, while Holmes is out of the picture, as he is for much of the central part of the story.

He is well balanced by Molloy as Doctor John Watson, played as an invaluable aide trying his best to keep up with the super sleuth rather than as a bumbling buffoon as has sometimes been the case. Molloy does a great job differentiating between Watson the chronicler and the character sent off to investigate the supernatural goings-on in Devon by himself and his many years as a voice actor show as he delivers every nuance and emotion with skill.

It’s a shame Dee Sadler’s Doctor Mortimer fades away in the story somewhat as she gives a pleasing and refined performance as Sir Henry Baskerville’s friend who brings the case to the attention of the Baker Street detective, but she makes the most of some smaller roles too, giving life to some who are mere extras on the page.

As the sceptical Sir Henry Nigel Fairs keeps his head while being pursued by the great detective’s “most formidable foe” and trying to cope with the mysteries of the moors; Kate Ashmead plays a number of the smaller roles with relish, including Mrs Barrymore and Beryl Stapleton; while Parsons plays the worthy antagonist Stapleton with villainous charm.

Stage manager Alexandra Bradford has the hard job of inserting all the sound effects from her desk on stage. Perhaps more could be made of these live effects, or more fun had with them as other “radio drama” companies have done, but it’s enjoyable watching the foley artist at work before our very eyes, creating the clatter of horses’ hooves, the boggy winds on Grimpen Mire and the classic footsteps on gravel.

This a well-judged production in every sense, with a lot of effort spent on creating the right atmosphere and allowing the actors space to explore their roles vocally. One suspects each performance may bring slightly different flavours to the drama as the actors get to know the characters more and more and enjoy uncovering various aspects of them.

Even on entry the audience can spot some neat nods to the leads (the theme tune of The Archers is one of the pre-show tracks, there’s a microphone on a shelf which looks suspiciously like one of the radio awards The Archers has won over the years, while another shelf even contains a model TARDIS, bound to please fans of Baker, who Doctor Who aficionados have  just seen popping up in the latest TV episode in a Sixth Doctor cameo). And hanging on a hatstand towards the back of the stage is none other than a deerstalker.

It’s good to see the Crime and Comedy Theatre Company back on the road and with The Hound of the Baskervilles they assuredly have a howling success on their hands.

David Guest

Tour dates: http://crimeandcomedytheatrecompany.co.uk/dates/