THE HOUND OF THE BASKERVILLES

I have just put down a very old school copy of ‘The Hound of the Baskervilles.’ Reading the Sherlock Holmes mystery after a fifty year gap was an intriguing experience. I remembered it as a fast-moving thriller full of dark forbodings, misty moonlit moorlands and that giant howling hound prowling around the ghostly tracks and remote farmhouses of Devon.

The book, I am happy to say, still works though challenging my memory, oddly lacks a real cliffhanging edge. So it is with great interest that I can report a new theatre version of the Victorian tale. It promises to be an ingenious adaptation In the ’39 Steps’ ‘Kneehigh Theatre’ world of ripping-yarn send ups, farcical action and laugh-out-loud comedy. The sets look amazingly effective – a crooked world of foggy wilderness, gothic ghastliness and sinister doorways behind which…..It should be a real hoot.  

This is well as, to be honest, there are absolutely no laughs in Conan Doyle’s original novella – not when the last heir to Baskerville estate is in mortal danger of falling foul of his uncle’s mysterious demise perhaps at the claws of the eponymous demonic cur. Only Holmes and his sidekick Dr Watson can prevent another death but if it is the result of a magical curse, how can the inevitable be avoided? Can Holmes’ intellect fight against seemingly Satanic forces? Or…or….or….The company PR calls the story ‘the greatest detective story of all time’. That’s a bit over the top but it is a great canvass on which clever drama creatives can build a jolly entertainment.

The cast of the Hound of the Baskervilles consists of Jake Ferretti (The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night Time) as Sherlock Holmes, Serena Manteghi (To Build a Rocket) as Sir Henry and Niall Random (Mischief Movie Night, The Comedy About a Bank Robbery) as Dr Watson. Adapted for the stage by Steven Canny and John Nicholson from the dark melodrama of the original, this Hound promises to make you howl – with laughter.  

Cambridge Arts Theatre

Thursday 16 – _Saturday 18 September

Thursday – _Saturday, 7.30pm

and Thursday & Saturday, 2.30pm

Tickets - £20/ £25 / £30/ £35

All ticket prices include a £3 per-ticket booking fee

Age guidance: 7+

Box Office: 01223 503333 / www.cambridgeartstheatre