Hound of the Baskervilles

This classic Conan Doyle story has many stage iterations, but I must admit that I had not come across the Tim Kelly adaptation before and I was delightfully surprised. New Kinver Players never shirk a challenge and Martin Ward’s production was no exception – let’s get it out there from the start – the hero of our tale, our archetypal deerstalker wearing, pipe smoking eccentric was successfully and perfectly played by Liz Sparke to great effect. The initial shock at seeing Holmes (drop the Sherlock) interpreted in this way was very soon forgotten as Liz encapsulated the role from the off – the characterisation, the well-chosen phrase and put down and the sense of intrigue and suspense all added to an extremely effective portrayal of this iconic character. There was a palpable air of melodrama and tension underpinning this production and very successfully executed by a very talented team. The various servants and their cohorts added to the apprehension and also featured heavily in Tim Kelly’s adapted version of the original novel. Sue Portsmouth as Kathy, gave an impassioned performance as the lover and plotter in equal measure and Mike Galikowski as Dr Watson added a touch of humour to the proceedings and proved a great foil to Holmes. Joining the list of sinister and manipulative cameos that add greatly to the eerie apprehension of the piece are Mr and Mrs Barrymore, played by Mark Middleton and Georgina Johnston, Ian Brannon’s creepy Jack Stapleton along with Laura played by Amy Evans lured by him to get involved in his subversive plot, Kate Byford’s Perkins, the naïve maid and the sonorous and mysterious Voice of Richard Delahaye. On the other side of the social coin Lady Agatha, Tim Kelly’s Dr Mortimer’s equal, was played with suitable authority and implacability by Lee Knight and the marvellous Mark Stanley as Sir Henry Baskerville, a stunning performance of a very difficult character to portray refusing to bow down to intimidation whilst retaining a positive air of brashness and courage.

Mention should also go to Neil Milton’s utterly realistic set complemented by excellent technical team backup from Frank Latham and Ashley Chambers’ lighting, Martin Ward’s sound, great costumes from Lee Knight and Martin Ward (is there no end to his talents?) and realistic Props from Seg Smith who also doubled as an extremely efficient Stage Manager bringing it all together.

My thanks to everyone at New Kinver Players for an excellent evening’s entertainment and for their very warm welcome.

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