Suspense, silliness and Sherlock Holmes collide when veteran Canadian theatre director Roy Surette brings Baskerville: A Sherlock Holmes Mystery to Chemainus Theatre Festival. Opening May 2, the production blends mystery and comedy into a fast-paced theatrical romp.
Based on Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s classic mystery The Hound of the Baskervilles, Baskerville follows Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson as they investigate the mysterious death of Sir Charles Baskerville and the legend of a ghostly hound that haunts the moors of Devonshire.
As one of Doyle’s most popular and enduring works, The Hound of the Baskervilles has been reimagined countless times over the past century, from Basil Rathbone’s iconic 1939 film portrayal to modern takes like Benedict Cumberbatch’s television turn as Holmes in Sherlock.
Whether you’re a Sherlockian or new to Doyle’s world of the logical, eccentric detective, this show promises to satisfy. Surette said that playwright Ken Ludwig’s version is “actually fairly honourable to the narrative of the book. It actually does hold to the narrative more than some of the movie adaptations.”
In this production, the heart of the story remains intact, but Ludwig’s script adds a vaudevillian twist: three of the five actors transform into more than 40 characters. Holmes and Watson remain at the centre of the mystery, while a parade of suspects, townspeople and witnesses swirls around them.
Ludwig said he was inspired by the rollicking adventure of The 39 Steps (a past favourite at Chemainus Theatre Festival) and wanted to try his hand at a script like that.
“Some of it’s pretty silly,” Surette said. But this production leans into the mystery.
When asked how to balance the serious stakes of a murder investigation with laugh-out-loud comedy, Surette is wry.
“That is the question we’ve been asking every day,” he said. “Trying to keep the narrative, keep the suspense, keep the question in the air as to what is being discovered in terms of clues.”
Surette hopes his balancing act blending humour and intrigue will keep audiences both guessing and grinning.
“I think the danger of the play is that you sort of lose the progressive thread of the mystery and the story in the pile up of information,” Surette said. “But Sherlock is really good at reminding us, ‘This is what we know so far, this is what we think is going on’.”
Actor Charlie Gallant steps into the deerstalker cap and Inverness cape of Sherlock Holmes and Surette has high praise for his lead performer.
“Charlie is a wonderful actor I’ve never worked with but have been a fan of for years,” Surette said. “That character is eccentric and does see the world in his own way. When we get into the madcap, he’s a little bit of Bugs Bunny.”
In an interesting twist, Surette cast a woman, actor Alex Gullason, as Dr. Watson. Gullason is playing the role as written, without changing the character’s gender or pronouns, which brings another layer of energy to the traditionally male-dominated Holmes world.
“I wanted to have at least one more female energy in the creative process and in the story,” he explained, noting that each of the women characters in the play is a victim and what he calls "women in strife, lots of women in strife."
“So it's kind of fun to explore that from a contemporary point of view,” Surette said.
Rounding out the cast are Abraham Asto, Jay Clift and Caitlin Driscoll.
Along with the high-energy performances is a captivating set designed by Hans Saefkow. Dominating the backdrop is a giant magnifying glass while the set is textured with what looks like both a hound’s paw print and human fingerprints.
The set provides a steady visual anchor amidst the rapid scene changes and madcap action, allowing the suspense to build even as the comedy unfolds.
Though Surette jokes that the actors might be cursing him for having them move heavy rock pillars mid-scene in what he calls “a lot of Jenga acting", the cast is game for the challenge in pursuit of the show’s sense of chaotic fun.
“It’s not dry and stuffy,” he said. “It’s fast moving and hopefully hilarious enough with the combination of being entertained and still intrigued, maybe a few shivers.”
Then, of course, there’s the eponymous hound.
“The big question people have is, ‘Are we going to see the hound?’ and I’m not going to tell you,” teased Surette.
Only one way to solve that mystery: head to the theatre and see for yourself.
Baskerville: A Sherlock Holmes Mystery runs May 2 to June 1 at Chemainus Theatre Festival. Tickets are available at or through the box office.