Review by Natasha Wood
Sherlock Holmes has taken many faces over the past century. The Adelaide Repertory Theatre brings this parody of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s classic tale The Hound of the Baskervilles to life with a talented cast and dedicated crew.
Based on the legend of a spectral hound haunting at Devonshire Moor, Holmes is called to protect the heir of Sir Charles Baskerville. Sherlock Holmes (Andrew Horwood) brings the consulting detective alive alongside his trusty companion Dr Watson (Sam Wiseman). Horwood’s personal spin on everyone’s favourite detective was well placed within the show. Wiseman believably portrayed Dr Watson, and successfully grounded the show with intermittent story narrations. Anita Zamberlan Canala, Thomas Midena, and Kim Clark play, well, everyone else in the story with numerous rapid costume changes and different accents. Notably, Clark portrayed the Texan Sir Henry Baskerville with a consistent and memorable performance. Zamberlan Canala emphasized the comedic elements of each of her characters, especially working as many Eastern European accents as possible as Mrs Barrymore. Midena’s careful portrayal of each of his characters shows his flexibility and acting mastery, however his opening as Dr Mortimer was a standout performance.
Despite the cast’s strong performances the show’s pacing felt a little slow throughout. The cast’s antics and varying costumes drew laughs from the audience, however appeared to not accelerate to the level of chaos the style of show calls for.
A show of this style requires a well-oiled crew; ready at the wings with costumes, props, and sets. Director Geoff Brittain has clearly carefully selected his crew to ensure these changes run smoothly. Cleverly designed set incorporates 22B Baker Street’s cosy interior, Devonshire Moors, and every location our characters visit are enhanced with charcoal sketched projection backdrops. Unfortunately, there were some glitches on the projections during opening night. Nonetheless, Brittain brings the parody of a classic tale to life with quality performances and laughs all round.
