BASKERVILLE: A SHERLOCK HOLMES MYSTERY – Written by Ken Ludwig; Directed by Matt Zambrano. Produced by Lone Tree Arts Center (10075 Common Street, Lone Tree) through April 16. Tickets available at 720-509-1000 or LoneTreeArtsCenter.org.
I’m just going to start with the one thing that bothered me about this production – then tell you about everything I adored. Ken Ludwig, the playwright who brought us such comic gems as LEND ME A TENOR, MOON OVER BUFFALO, LEADING LADIES, and the companion piece to tonight’s production, MORIARTY, has a gift for rapid-paced dialogue, farcical situations (with fewer doors), and lightning-fast action and costume changes. BASKERVILLE was built to that model as well.
But the playing space at Lone Tree is marvelously huge, working beautifully for productions such as EVITA, WHITE CHRISTMAS, DREAMGIRLS, and the like with casts of dozens. Ludwig’s little delight had six actors who were required to fill a space suitable for a spectacle. The distance the fast-moving cast members had to travel from backstage to mid-stage created a slower pace – sometimes disturbing; other times funny as the actors seemed to acknowledge their difficulty in getting into place. That isn’t to say that the evening isn’t completely enjoyable. There is much to praise in this production. I just wish the producers could have found a way to make the space fit the script.
OK – that being said, I still thoroughly enjoyed the production. It revisits one of Holmes’ most well-known cases, THE HOUND OF THE BASKERVILLES, who preyed on travelers crossing the Moor, as illustrated in the first scene. Sherlock and his faithful companion Dr. Watson are acted with great aplomb by Gareth Saxe and Cameron Davis. Gareth’s Sherlock is soft spoken, slightly arrogant, and gently elegant until the game’s afoot. Then he revels in costumes and mental tricks. Cameron’s Dr. Watson is a little more verbose and questioning, but up for anything.
The remaining four actors in the cast include Noelia Antweiler and Jamie Molina, playing everything from housemaids to heiresses with complete confidence. The male actors are Bryan Black and Zayaz Da Camara, who are equally at home with quick changes and becoming lovesick suitors and diabolical villains. Together they do, of course, solve the murders and save the day. But getting to the solution of the case is only a means of creating the fun of watching the case pursued.
Kevin Nelson’s sets were splendid and moved quickly from Victorian parlor to London streets to mysterious Moor. Max Silverman as Sound Designer created bloodcurdling wolf howls and background street sounds with equal skill. Sarah Zinn’s costumes were beautiful and authentic. Also, obviously designed to go off and on quickly as there were a multitude of changes of character and clothes.
You have the chance to see the first of the Ludwig Sherlock Holmes plays with this one. Someone will surely bring MORIARTY to life in Denver soon. You can also bet that Ludwig is working on the third version as we speak.
A WOW factor of 8.50!