The Indiana Repertory Theatre’s latest offering, The Hound of the Baskervilles, is based on one of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s most famous Sherlock Holmes stories. It was adapted for the stage by R. Hamilton Wright and David Pichette, who managed to incorporate Sherlock’s idiosyncrasies into a plot as full of twists and turns as an English rural road, and motivations murkier than London’s famous fogs.
Stunningly crafted sets designed by Kevin Depinet provide a sweeping backdrop for the action in London and Devonshire. Sherlock, played Marcus Truschinski, and Dr. John Watson, played by Matthew Brumlow, find themselves engaged by Dr. James Mortimer about the tragic death of Sir Charles Baskerville at his Devonshire estate, Baskerville Hall. Some are convinced it is the result of a family curse, where family members are murdered by a “hellhound” that lives on the wild moors. Intrigued, Holmes and Watson take on the case, trying to protect the estate’s last living heir, Sir Henry Baskerville (played by Eric Parks) from meeting a similar fate. Watson ventures out to Devonshire, gathering information for his busy friend on Baker Street and sending it back to London. There is a very convoluted plot involving a runaway convict and mysterious neighbors, but finally the eminently logical Holmes discovers the truth.
Clocking in at two-and-a-half hours, The Hound of the Baskervilles is one of the longest and most ambitious productions this season at the IRT. Truschinski gives an adept interpretation of Holmes, playing him with great confidence and an encyclopedic knowledge of everything from walking sticks to pipe ashes. Brumlow gives us an enthusiastic and efficient Watson — one of the pleasures of the original book as well as this adaptation is Watson’s expanded role in solving the mystery. Constance Macy as Mrs. Huson and Mrs. Barrymore is once more a delight to watch on the IRT stage, and Ryan Artzberger as Dr. Mortimer and Selden, the runaway convict, turns in a versatile performance. Director Peter Amster manages to make this production comprehensible and exciting.
The Hound of the Baskervilles runs through March 15 on the OneAmerica Stage. Tickets range from $59 to $25, depending on dates and times. Call 635-5252 or visit www.irtlive.com for reservations.
