The Hound of the Baskervilles
In spite of almost every movie or play I’ve seen about Sherlock Holmes, Dr. Watson is never given his due. He is not stupid, foolish or inane. Rather he is a smart, a true companion, a brilliant doctor with a long history of medical triumphs under difficult circumstances, an honest chronicler of Holmes exploits and adventures, and an observant aide to the great detective’s criminal investigations. He is not the "foil."
In The Hound of the Baskervilles Watson is at the center of the action. It is Holmes intention that the villains of the piece believe that Watson is the mastermind. Watson is actually the one who uncovers plot points and identifies probabilities - the role usually associated with Holmes.
Now, for the first time, Watson is the star of his own show. A three-man script requiring lightning fast costume and character changes for two of its players, this new version of the Baskerville story gives center stage to Watson; and in doing so provide some the funniest moments of the 2009 season at Shakespeare and Company.
Under Tony Simotes’ inspired direction the farcical elements easily overtake the emotional moments. The characterizations stimulate the laughter and the performances cloud the memory with so many brilliant and hysterical realizations.
Jonathan Croy, Josh Aaron McCabe and Ryan Winkles make a perfect ensemble. I lost count on how many different roles are taken by McCabe and Winkles, but the official number is 15. First and foremost, McCabe is Holmes; but he also plays the beautiful Brazilian vamp, Cecile. Winkles is Sir Henry Baskerville, but also a lawyer, a Scotsman with a bagged lamb, and his distant cousin who may not be what he seems. Croy plays Watson, so integral to every scene that he can only take on one other role: the gypsy guitar-fiddler in the extraordinarily sensual La Cumparsita dance sequence.
I know, Holmes purists; there is no La Cumparsita dance sequence. Here there is and it is one of the funniest bits in this hilarious two-hour evening.
Winkles has fast become one of the company’s finest physical comedians. As Sir Andrew Aguecheek in Twelfth Night and Flute in A Midsummer’s Night Dream he nearly stole the shows away from long-term players. In the current show he brings a fluidity and variation to his many characters that seems born out of a natural lack of humility. He is equally comfortable with his pants off or on. He contorts his face and body into character requirements without flinching. He is believably straight, gay, young, old, you-name-it.
McCabe’s strong jawed Holmes is superb. He is not the classic Holmes actor Michael Hammond brought to Shakespeare and Company’s 2007 The Secret of Sherlock Holmes; but he brings a confidence to the role that allows even the silliest lines to seem exactly right. His household servants - husband and wife - are delicious, and the funniest jokes about costume changes are his as he struggles back and forth between the two. As Cecile he manages to convey serious romance, and he handles fans better than Sally Rand (the stripper/fan dancer) would have done.
Croy is a master of farce, playing his relatively straight role with finesse. He can elicit solo laughs as when he shoots his pistol (sort of) to protect another character; and handles the rapid-fire, verbal sparring with aplomb.
In this American premiere, director Simotes and his production team have provided the threesome with everything they need to pull off the play’s wilder. Nothing deters this trio, not missing costume pieces, nor falling props, from completing each moment perfectly. Jim Youngerman’s set pieces provide enough of an indication to keep the viewer on track as to the changing locations. Steve Ball’s lighting illuminates everything, including minor mistakes that really don’t matter. Govane Lohbauer’s costumes are sometimes just as funny as their occupants, or sometimes useful indicators of class and station. Alexander Sovronsky has created a musical ambience that truly enhances the play.
A major departure for this company in their autumn mystery/horror series, this fast-paced farce might confuse young children, but in its sell-out opening night, even an audience participation moment had its pride of place and made the fun that much funnier.
As a proponent of Dr. Watson’s place in the realm of superior people, I am proud of the authors, the company and Jonathan Croy for raising him to the sublime through the ridiculous. This is a delicious delicacy, an evening of theater that would give even a cynical, critical show-hater an appetite for more live performances.
The Hound of the Baskervilles plays through November 8 at the Elayne P. Bernstein Theatre at Shakespeare and Company, located at 70 Kemble Street in Lenox. MA. Tickets range from $16-$48. For schedule and information, or to book tickets, contact the box office at 413
