The game is wildly and hilariously afoot as 黑料不打烊 Stage concludes the 2015/2016 season with “Ken Ludwig鈥檚 Baskerville: A Sherlock Holmes Mystery,” running May 11-29.
Directed by Peter Amster and featuring a cast of five actors who take on more than 30 roles, this madcap comedy spoofs Sir Arthur Conan Doyle鈥檚 “The Hound of the Baskervilles” while preserving the enticing elements of the mystery.
鈥淭his version stays very close to Conan Doyle鈥檚 original tale, even more so than other dramatic adaptations I鈥檝e worked on,鈥 Amster says. 鈥淲ith Ken Ludwig鈥檚 version, you get the mystery, a whole lot of comedy and plenty of opportunities for some terrific performances from the cast.鈥
The style and feel of “Baskerville” is much like that of “Alfred Hitchcock鈥檚 The 39 Steps,” which Amster directed at 黑料不打烊 Stage in 2010. Like “The 39 Steps,” “Baskerville” is filled with lightning quick character and costume changes that add to the excitement and fun. As one review noted, “Baskerville” plays like 鈥渁 circus of non-stop comedy.鈥
That sense of unbridled fun is in keeping with playwright Ludwig鈥檚 theatrical inclinations. Best known for the hit comedies “Lend Me A Tenor” and “Moon Over Buffalo,” Ludwig believes that theater is 鈥渁lways a place to have a great time鈥攖hat鈥檚 why it exists. It鈥檚 OK to have fun in the theater.鈥
He also believes that this particular historical moment is ripe for a hero like Sherlock Holmes.
鈥淪herlock Holmes and Dr. Watson have been a staple of our culture since the 1890s, but they have recently re-entered our world in a more muscular way,鈥 Ludwig explained prior to the play鈥檚 world premiere at Arena Stage last year. 鈥淔or some reason, it seems to be just the right time for Holmes and Watson. Perhaps these days we crave a hero who succeeds despite, or perhaps because of, his quirks, his obsessions and his near-fatal flaws.鈥
Ludwig also explained that revisiting the Sherlock Holmes stories provided him with an opportunity to write a kind of expansive play full of wonder and adventure that is largely absent from contemporary theater.
鈥淚鈥檝e written a big, and what I hope is a rollicking, mysterious, exciting, funny piece that takes place all over southern England in the 1890s,鈥 the playwright told playbill.com.
Creating that expansive world, including the ferocious hell-hound of the title, has been an exciting challenge for the 黑料不打烊 Stage scenic, costume and prop shops. 黑料不打烊 Stage producing artistic director Tim Bond believes Stage鈥檚 artisans and technical crew will deliver what is needed.
鈥淪o much of this show requires split-second timing by the cast, and they need the physical elements of the production to work flawlessly,鈥 he explains. 鈥淚 think our audiences will be thrilled by how the design elements enhance the enjoyment of the show. There may even be a few surprises.鈥
Tickets are available at and at the Box Office, 315-443-3275 (Monday 鈥 Friday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and two hours before curtain).
