Bigfork Community Players stage hilarious parody of Sherlock Holmes classic
Cast of Bigfork Community Players' production "The Hound of the Baskervilles" — Front row on floor: Scott Roskam, David Vale and Ethan Waltman
Early in the 20th century, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle wrote the third of his four Sherlock Holmes mysteries, “The Hound of the Baskervilles.” Considered by many to be the best of the series, it was honored by the BBC as being one of the 100 most influential books in Britain. Then a three-person comedy company often compared to the Marx Brothers and Monty Python, commissioned Steven Canny and John Nicholson to write a stage version. That effort turned the story on its end.
The comedy, a combination of farce, parody and mystery, prods laughter at three levels. First, it’s the mystery of the Hound of the Baskervilles, a fearsome tale of a spectral hound pursuing its victims to their graves. But it’s also the story of three enterprising actors trying to make a fast buck by playing all 15 roles in the story by themselves, including false starts, production glitches and audience reactions. The result is a parody of the original story.
In addition to playing Dr. John Watson, David Vale plays one of the actors as himself, the de facto leader of the three actors. “It seemed like a good idea at the time,” he says in character. “A cast of just three actors. But I didn’t anticipate that before the killer was uncovered, my cranky colleagues would be trying to kill each other. How that turns out is still a mystery.”
Michele Shapero directs the production. “It’s supposed to be a scripted play that looks like part of it is improvised. But, when these actors get wound up, there’s rarely a performance where they don’t do something unexpected.”
Carol DiNolfo is in charge of sound effects. “Normally running the soundboard is a matter of turning the microphones on and ringing an occasional doorbell. But the layered sound effects on this one — a train, a howl, and a well-placed gunshot, for example — make me wish I had three hands.”
Ethan Waltman plays Sherlock Holmes, the World’s Greatest Detective. “Some contend in this play that Sherlock is the second or third greatest detective. I’m not bothered by that. I’m sure none of the others look as good as I do in a dress.”
Scott Roskam plays Sir Henry Baskerville. “I guess Sir Henry is of pretty high standing in England. But he’s spent most of his life in Canada and looks and speaks like a Scot. Probably because he can’t manage a Canadian accent.”
Allison McCarthy is Shapero’s assistant director. “It’s somewhat uncommon for a community theater play to need an assistant director. But with three actors changing in and out of costumes and the set pieces moving around for every scene, it’s just too much for one person to keep track of.”
“The Hound of the Baskervilles” opens Friday, April 22, at the Bigfork Center for the Performing Arts and plays for two consecutive weekends with performances at 7:30 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays, and at 2 p.m. on Sundays through May 1. Tickets are available at the Pocketstone Cafe, Bigfork Drug, at the door, and online at bigforkcommunityplayers.com.