Casting puts new spin on ‘Hound of The Baskervilles’

By Rich Fahey

CAMBRIDGE – Comedy is hard. Physical comedy is comedy on steroids.

And it doesn’t get more physical than the manic doings in “The Hound of the Baskervilles,” the 2007 adaptation by Steven Canty and John Nicholson of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s classic tale, now being presented at the Central Square Theater.

In the manic comedy, three actors play 15 different characters, often shape-shifting from character to character in just a few seconds, running off and on the stage. It is a daunting task for any actor – or director, for that matter — requiring split-second timing.   

In this production. Director Lee Mikeska Gardner has cast three women, which means the cast has two huge hurdles to scale. First, the audience must believe they are inhabiting the character they are creating; and then, even with the cross-gender casting, the characterizations still work.

Given all that, actors are actors and their job is to suspend your belief and create an illusion, and in this case that requires an immense amount of energy, concentration and strong direction.

 In its pacing, its construction and a small cast playing many roles. “Baskervilles” is a close cousin to another British import, “The 39 Steps,” a Tony-winning comic thriller which has had several successful local productions.

Fortunately, this cast is all in on director Gardner’s vision. Aimee Doherty as the imperious and brilliant Holmes and several other characters can handle anything you can throw at her, as proven in a previous cross-gender role portraying John Dickinson in New Rep’s 2018 production of “1776.”

Jenny S. Lee as Dr. Watson stays in character most of the time but will also be called to don a huge beard and go undercover.

Sarah Morin as Sir Henry Baskerville et al is required to change and shape-shift the most, portraying a dizzying number of characters — many of them odd and eccentric and requiring many costumes, wigs, and beards.

The shape-shifting, visual gags and comic cultural references don’t always work, but they come at you so fast and furious you just have to hold on for dear life and embrace the next one. The one major problem of the show is that the characters come and go in such a hurry that keeping up with the plot requires the audience to have as much concentration as the performers.

Part of the charm is when things don’t go quite right, and Doherty, say, as Miss Stapleton, rushes breathlessly onstage, her flaming red wig askew.

Adding to the fun is some “inside baseball.” Before the show begins, the cast issues a faux warning that the horror and terror they are about to see may be too much for some theater-goers and they should leave then,

At the beginning of Act II, Doherty addressed the audience and “blamed” local actress Paula Plum for a vicious Tweet Plum was alleged to have sent about “The Hound of the Baskervilles” at Central Square and Doherty.

Doherty said because of Plum’s tweet, the cast was forced to recap all of Act I at the beginning of Act II, and a “madcap recap” for the ages ensues.

I reached out to Plum, who said: “I will neither confirm nor deny evil wrongdoing!”

In this adaptation, timing is everything and the various production values – lighting, sound, costumes, props, etc. – play an outsized role in creating the desired effect, be it terror, horror or laughter.

Costume Designer Leslie Held is on her game in the seemingly endless number of outfits required and Scenic and Props designer Julia Wonkka’s work is also vital to the show’s success.

Sound Designer David Bryan Jackson provides the music and sound effects that set the tone, while Lighting Designer John R, Malinowski and Lighting Supervisor Matthew Breton are able to darken or lighten the mood at will. In this production, Production Stage Manager Brian M. Robillard, Technical Director Wesley Scanlon, and Assistant Director Catherine Alam-Nist are all keys to success.

Assistant Stage Manager Melissa Smith is not credited as a member of the cast, but plays a huge role onstage throughout, moving ropes and set pieces at warp speed and often assisting the cast in quick changes.

This adaptation of “The Hound of the Baskervilles” was presented at Central Square in both 2010 and 2011 with a male cast and found great success. The current presentation is very different, to be sure, but it its effort, execution and overall effect, it stands proudly alongside them.

The Central Square Theater production of “The Hound of the Baskerville.” Written by Steven Canny and John Nicholson, based on characters created by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. Directed by Lee Mikeska Gardner. At the Central Square Theater through Oct. 6. Centralsquaretheater.org.