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Baskerville brilliance
HOUND OF BASKERVILLES
Duchess Theatre
I ENTERED the theatre with a sense of unease. Would it be possible to turn Arthur Conan Doyle’s Victorian melodrama, The Hound of the Baskervilles, into a genuine funny spoof? And how do you get laughs out of Sherlock Holmes?
Within minutes I knew it was all possible. But should I have been surprised bearing in mind that this creation came from the stable of the West Yorkshire Playhouse – surely one of the best theatrical companies in the country, and one that is top of the league of experimental theatre.
I noticed that the fairly packed theatre was full of young people, not filled by the typical coach party crowds but, presumably, from the suburbs. And they were clearly lapping it up.
In the vein of one of those quickie Shakespeare dramas, played by two characters – remember that is how Jim Broadbent started in the Brent Theatre? – the Hound is played by three of the very best, Javier Marzan, John Nicholson and Jason Thorpe. The jokes are quick and corny, the acting bordering, more than acceptably, on pantomime level. But there was another surprising element to the show – a wonderful touch of Brecht and Joan Littlewood’s Theatre Workshop, the actor’s involved the audience. Twice the lights were turned on while the actors harangued the audience. Funniest of all was when Sherlock Holmes, played by the superb Spanish actor Marzan, complained he had received a note from someone in the stalls who had said he couldn’t understand a word the Dago had uttered. Pandemonium broke out among the actors. “Come on,” said Javier, stabbing a finger at the auditorium, “Who said it? Own up?”
Funny? Surely, it is one of the most original plays in the West End. My teenage daughter loved it, suggesting there is a young feel about it that should pull in the crowds.
Until July 21
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