#Caitlin Clouthier

[larryland]

by Gail M. Burns

Sir Arthur Conan Doyle (1859-1930) earned his knighthood by writing what used to be called “ripping good yarns,” many of which still hold up well today, mostly notable his sixty Sherlock Holmes stories written between 1887 and 1927. In fact Holmes has such a rabid fan base that there are some who believe that – like Jesus, Elvis, and King Arthur – he will come again to save the world.

Indeed, Holmes did “return from the dead.” The Hound of the Baskervilles (1901)  marked his first appearance in print after his “death” in the 1893 story The Final Problem. The novella is one of Holmes’ more popular adventures, and unique in that the great detective is absent from the narrative for long stretches, leaving his companion, Dr. John Watson, alone on Dartmoor to solve the curse of Baskerville Hall.

I don’t need to tell you that Holmes and Watson are incredibly “hot” right now, with TV series and films and plays portraying and reimagining their adventures lurking around every corner. Award-winning farceur Ken Ludwig has joined the throng with Baskerville (2015), a retelling of the famous story as a comedy for five actors – two playing Holmes and Watson and the other three playing all the other 46 roles.

There is a three-actor comedy version of The Hound of the Baskervilles by Steve Canny and John Nicholson of Peepolykus that I saw in 2009 and 2011 at Shakespeare & Company and just loved, so I was concerned that Ludwig’s version might pale in comparison, but there really is no comparison. That version is all about the laughs, while Ludwig actually wants to tell the story along with showing you a good time.

The chatter before opening was all about director Jen Wineman’s decision to cast a woman, Liz Wisan, as Sherlock Holmes. Wisan has appeared in this play before, in the “woman track,” 15 roles performed here by Caitlin Clouthier, and comparing the two opportunities I am puzzled that she would think playing Holmes was the superior opportunity. As mentioned earlier, Holmes is apparently MIA for most of this story, leaving all the work to Watson, here delightfully played by Dave Quay. Offered a chance to play any role in this work, I would have chosen Watson over Holmes.

But there she is, a woman playing Sherlock Holmes. Wisan is not playing Holmes as a woman, nor is she pretending to be a man, but sadly she is also not playing Sherlock Holmes, or at least not the Holmes I am familiar with. This is a comedy, but Holmes is neither a funny man nor a man with a lot of humor. Holmes should be the straight man, the calm center in the farcical storm, where Wisan plays the role as a jolly fellow along for the fun. For me, it didn’t work, and that has nothing to do with gender.

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Because Ludwig actually wants to include the entire plot of the mystery, the show gets off to a slow start with much exposition, but by the end of Act I and all through Act II the hilarity is moving at high speed. Quay and Brian Owen, who plays a wide variety of roles, are tremendous physical comics. Clouthier and Raji Ahsan are no slouches either, but Quay and Owen, who has performed these roles in an earlier production in Cincinnati, are stand-outs.

While it is a short book, The Hound of the Baskervilles is a big story, bouncing from London to the moors of Devon and back again. Scenes take place on moors and mires, in trains and carriages, in stately halls and hotels. In his notes on the style of the play in the script Ludwig specifically says “There are no sets needed or called for.” And yet here Wineman and set designer Alexander Woodward have built a humongous set, towering bookshelves filled with every prop in the Dorset collection and then some. It is impressive to look at, but it is barely used, other than as an impediment to be scaled on occasion, because, as the playwright said, this show doesn’t need a set!

What this show demands are piles of costumes and a backstage crew of dressers well-versed in the art of the quick change. Hats off (and on and off again) to costume designer Aaron Mastin, stage manager Sarah Perlin, and all those unsung heroes behind the scenes for their impressive efforts. Owen, Clouthier, and Ahsan do an excellent job of defining their multitudinous personae through voice and body, but the costumes and wigs really seal the deal.

While the set is superfluous, it is handsome, and it, and Wineman’s direction, are greatly enhanced by Michael Giannitti’s superb lighting design. Jane Shaw’s elaborate soundscape also adds much to the fun, but sadly she misses the most important mark, providing snarls and growls more leonine than canine and no bone-chilling howls for the title character.

For die-hard fans of Doyle’s Sherlock Holmes, this show may be disappointing, but anyone who loves a good farce is in for a treat. This is a show that you can take grandma and the kids (8+) to and everyone will leave with a smile on their face. And it is an excellent way to encourage young readers’ appetite for a few of Doyle’s ripping good yarns.

Baskerville: A Sherlock Holmes Mystery by Ken Ludwig, directed by Jen Wineman, runs July 13-29 at the Dorset Playhouse, 104 Cheney Road in Dorset VT. Scenic design by Alexander Woodward; lighting design by Michael Giannitti; costume design by Aaron Mastin; sound design by Jane Shaw; stage manager Sarah Perlin. CAST: Liz Wisan as Sherlock Holmes, Dave Quay as Dr. John Watson, with Raji Ahsan, Caitlin Clouthier, and Brian Owen as everyone else.

Single tickets and subscriptions for the 2017 Summer Season are on sale. The box office may be reached by calling (802) 867-2223 ex. 2 Tuesday through Saturday 12-6pm (8 pm on performance days.) For more information, or to purchase tickets and subscriptions online, visit Dorset Theatre Festival’s website at dorsettheatrefestival.org.

  REVIEW: “Baskerville: A Sherlock Holmes Mystery” at Dorset by Gail M. Burns Sir Arthur Conan Doyle (1859-1930) earned his knighthood by writing what used to be called “ripping good yarns,” many of which still hold up well today, mostly notable his sixty Sherlock Holmes stories written between 1887 and 1927.

[larryland]

“Now is the dramatic moment of fate, Watson, when you hear a step upon the stair of someone walking into your life, and you know not whether for good or ill. What does Dr. Mortimer, man of science, ask of Sherlock Holmes, specialist in crime? Come in!”

– Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

Is the Baskerville family cursed? Who, or what, lurks amongst the mist out in the Great Grimpen Mire?

So begins the adventure in The Hound of the Baskervilles, the fifth of Conan Doyle’s Sherlock Holmes stories, originally published serially in the Strand Magazine from August 1901 to April 1902. It has been called one of the best murder mystery/detective stories ever written. Holmes is hot right now, and in 2015 award-winning farceur Ken Ludwig (Lend Me a Tenor) hopped on the bandwagon and adapted the novella for five actors – two playing Holmes and Watson and the other three playing all the other 46 roles.

Baskerville: A Sherlock Holmes Mystery, under Jen Wineman’s direction, is opening at the Dorset Theatre Festival for a three-week run July 13-29. The added wrinkle? The role of Holmes is being played by Liz Wisan, who played the “woman track,” comprising 15 different roles, in the production at the Old Globe in San Diego in 2015.

“I called Liz and asked her if she was interested in doing the show again if she could play a different role,” Wineman explained. “I was open to a woman or a man playing Holmes and/or Watson, as their genders are kind of irrelevant. I wanted to find the best people to play these parts, I was not out to make a statement with the casting. Getting Liz in any role would be a treat, and after she decimated the competition at auditions I knew that that was it.”

“And Jen is one of my favorite directors. I really I wanted to work with her,” Wisan chimed in. “She is a genius at directing comedy.”

“I wanted an actor who could take command of the stage,” Wineman said. “Even today many female characters have to be led and be told what to do. Holmes has agency, like Rosalind in As You Like It. I was looking for someone with that agency, and Liz has it.”

“Liz will join the ranks of the great virtuoso actresses like Katherine Hepburn, Glenn Close and Fiona Shaw, who have played traditionally male roles,” said Festival Artistic Director Dina Janis, who has made Dorset a mecca for female playwrights, directors, and artists during her tenure. The Festival’s 40th anniversary season opened with a world premiere of Downstairs, a Theresa Rebeck play directed by Adrienne Campbell-Holt. “We are thrilled to present this twist on Sherlock and welcome to our stage a star in the making. Our audiences are going to be delighted by her, and we could not be more excited.”

This is the first time Wineman and Wisan have worked at Dorset, and they are both blown away by the physical beauty and tranquility of the area.

“I am in love with this place, it is so beautiful,” Wisan said. The landscape, the architecture, the rolling hills, I have been walking around for hours learning my lines.”

Wineman agrees. “It is so gorgeous here. I just did a very serious play in New York City, so the contrast is wonderful. I want to make Baskerville the funniest thing it can be!”

“There is this myth that women aren’t funny and we beg to differ!” Wisan added emphatically.

Wineman confesses that her cast inspires her to new comedic heights. “The five people I’ve cast are pretty zany. They share my sense of humor, and the show is a thriller but also incredibly hilarious,” she explained, warning the audience to prepare for lots of cross dressing and hilarious physical capers.

Dave Quay is portraying Holmes’ faithful companion, Dr. John Watson.

“Dave is a very talented physical comedian and clown. He really nailed the role at auditions when he performed a scene where Watson is falling down a hill. Different actors handled it different ways, but when I saw Dave I said ‘That’s it!’,” Wineman said. “Often Watson is played as the straight man, but here you’ll be surprised to find out how funny Watson can be.”

The cast is filled out by Brian Owen, who has performed in two previous productions of Baskerville, Caitlin Clouthier, in the “woman track,” and Raji Ahsan. Wineman was cagey about whether any canine performers were in the cast.

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Wisan explained that she is playing Holmes as a person, not specifically playing in to gender. “I am a woman bringing to the tale and to the stage whatever ‘womaness’ there is about me, but there are also things about me that are ‘mannish’ – I have a deeper voice and I am tall. Holmes is a person who is smart and quick, a genius. It is so wonderful to play a role that is traditionally male and have access to that brilliance and wit. In this time when women’s rights are being called into question it feels good!”

“There’s been a lot of attention recently to gender identity, we don’t call Holmes ‘madam,’ we haven’t changed the pronouns in the play. What defines a man is sort of left open,” Wineman explained. “We’re trying to look 30 years into the future when no one will be asking who can play iconic roles.”

Wisan defies anyone who would define what is feminine. “A friend had readings of iconic film scripts in her living room where men would read women’s roles and women would read men’s roles. I was reading the John Travolta role in Pulp Fiction and someone told me ‘You were reading it like a man.’ I was reading it in my voice and I am a woman. What is a woman? What is a man? And who decides these things?”

Baskerville: A Sherlock Holmes Mystery runs July 13-29 at the Dorset Playhouse, 104 Cheney Road in Dorset VT. Single tickets and subscriptions for the 2017 Summer Season are on sale. The box office may be reached by calling (802) 867-2223 ex. 2 Tuesday through Saturday 12-6pm (8 pm on performance days.) For more information, or to purchase tickets and subscriptions online, visit Dorset Theatre Festival’s website at dorsettheatrefestival.org.

There will be a pre-show discussion Hounding Holmes’s History on Thursday, July 20 at 6 pm in the café, led by resident dramaturgs Sam Levit and Matt Kirby, who will discuss the history of Baskerville adaptations

Holmes and Hounds at the Dorset Theatre Festival “Now is the dramatic moment of fate, Watson, when you hear a step upon the stair of someone walking into your life, and you know not whether for good or ill.

[larryland]

DORSET, VT: Dorset Theatre Festival continues its 40th Anniversary Season with the Regional Premiere of Ken Ludwig’s Baskerville: A Sherlock Holmes Mystery. Baskerville: A Sherlock Holmes Mystery, under the direction of Jen Wineman (Twelfth Night at Asolo Rep, Sweeney Todd at Playmakers Rep) runs for 16 performances between July 13 – 29, 2017. All performances take place at the Dorset Playhouse, 104 Cheney Road, Dorset.

In Baskerville: A Sherlock Holmes Mystery, Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson must crack the mystery of “The Hound of the Baskervilles” before a family curse dooms its latest heir. Watch as the intrepid investigators untangle a dizzying web of clues and deceit. Does a wild hellhound really prowl the moors? Can Sherlock and Dr. Watson discover the truth in time? Silly accents and disguises abound as 5 actors portray over 40 characters in this fast-paced comic mystery.

The ensemble cast is led by Liz Wisan (The Servant of Two Masters at Theatre for a New Audience), a Festival newcomer whose portrayal of Sherlock Holmes will lend a fresh twist to the much-beloved sleuth. She is joined by Dave Quay (Netflix’s House of Cards, Gotham) as Dr. John Watson, the detective’s trusted confidant.

“Once in awhile, you are lucky enough to find an actress who can do anything and everything, and Liz Wisan simply blew away the competition when we were searching for our Sherlock in New York City this spring. Liz will join the ranks of the great virtuoso actresses like Katherine Hepburn, Glenn Close and Fiona Shaw, who have played traditionally male roles. We are thrilled to present this twist on Sherlock and welcome to our stage a star in the making. Our audiences are going to be delighted by her, and we could not be more excited,” says Artistic Director Dina Janis.

Rounding out the ensemble and portraying a motley medley of over 40 characters, are actors Brian Owen (Baskerville at Cleveland Play House and Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park), Caitlin Clouthier (Table Manners at Dorset Theatre Festival), and Raji Ahsan (The Elaborate Entrance of Chad Deity at Asolo Rep).

Liz Wisan will play Sherlock Holmes.

Dave Quay will be Dr. John Watson.

Ryan Owen

Caitlin Clouthier

Raji Ahsan

Playwright Ken Ludwig has had 6 shows on Broadway and 7 in London’s West End, and his plays and musicals have been performed in more than 30 countries in over 20 languages. His first play on Broadway, Lend Me A Tenor won two Tony Awards and was nominated for seven. He has also won two Laurence Olivier Awards, the Charles MacArthur Award, two Helen Hayes Awards, the Edgar Award for Best Mystery from The Mystery Writers of America, the SETC Distinguished Career Award, and the Edwin Forrest Award for Services to the American Theatre.

As a supplement to Dorset Theatre Festival’s production of Baskerville: A Sherlock Holmes Mystery, audiences are also invited to a discussion with Lyndsay Faye, author of The Whole Art of Detection: Lost Mysteries of Sherlock Holmes, at 5pm on Thursday, July 6 at Northshire Bookstore in Manchester.

DORSET THEATRE FESTIVAL

Dorset Theatre Festival, sponsored for its 40th season by Manchester Designer Outlets, creates bold and innovative theatre that engages a diverse, multi-generational community: enlightening, entertaining, and inspiring its audience through the celebration of great plays produced with the highest degree of artistry.

Dorset Theatre Festival’s 2017 mainstage summer season includes Downstairs by Theresa Rebeck, running June 22—July 8; Ken Ludwig’s Baskerville: A Sherlock Holmes Mystery, running July 13—29; The Legend of Georgia McBride by Matthew Lopez, running August 3—19; and American Buffalo by David Mamet, running August 24—September 2. All performances take place at the Dorset Playhouse, 104 Cheney Road, Dorset, VT.

Single tickets and subscriptions for the 2017 Summer Season are on sale. The  box office may be reached by calling (802) 867-2223 ex. 2 Tuesday through Saturday 12-6pm (8pm on performance days) and Sunday 12-4pm. For more information, or to purchase tickets and subscriptions online, visit Dorset Theatre Festival’s website at dorsettheatrefestival.org.

Dorset Season Continues with Female-Driven “Baskerville: A Sherlock Holmes Mystery” DORSET, VT: Dorset Theatre Festival continues its 40th Anniversary Season with the Regional Premiere of Ken Ludwig’s Baskerville: A Sherlock Holmes Mystery.