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The traditional story is enacted, sometimes at a breakneck pace, by three actors who play all the parts, speak directly to the audience, and get into arguments.
But the show – created by the British company Peepolykus in the style of “The Compleat Works of Wllm Shkspr (abridged)” – has something to appeal to diehard Holmes fans as well as those who just like silly theater.
“I’m a really big Sherlock Holmes fan,” said Christian Doyle of Olympia, who is playing Holmes and a number of other characters. “It is kind of a departure, but we get the whole story told.
“It’s a bit of an irreverent take, but certainly it captures the spirit.”
Director Mark Alford of Olympia said, “One of my taglines for this show is: It gives a better treatment of this book than most film adaptations of books do, where they will make a story more Hollywood or skip major sections. Even though it looks very zany, it has all the elements of the plot.
“The three of them are constantly changing costumes and constantly changing accents,” he added. “Not much else has to happen. It becomes immediately hilarious.”
Of course, breaking the fourth wall helps with the humor, said Alford, who founded Riot To Follow Theater Productions at The Evergreen State College and is making his off-campus directing debut. “They speak as themselves to the audience and then snap back into the play.”
“(Author) Sir Arthur Conan Doyle would no doubt have been startled by some of the liberties Peepolykus have taken with his creation, but only the most pure of purists could fail to be entertained by this very funny and inventive take on one of the great archetypes of English literature,” J.D. Atkinson wrote in a review of the British production for The British Theatre Guide (british theatreguide.info).
Doyle is excited to be taking on the archetype of Holmes, although this story focuses mostly on Dr. Watson. “This version of Sherlock is not the main focus of the story,” the actor said. “He shows up at different points, but he hides the fact that he’s there from Watson and from other people. He wanders around in disguise.”
He suggested “Hound” to TAO and helped make it possible. He’s the president of the Outfit Theater Project, based in Tacoma, which is co-producing the show. The project doesn’t have a regular season; its focus is on fund-raising shows and collaborations.
“It’s just a group of actors who like working together and want to help community theater thrive,” he said.
Doyle, who recently moved to Olympia, will be familiar to frequent theatergoers from roles in Harlequin Productions’ “Summer in the Sixties” and TAO’s “Cannibal: The Musical.” Next up: Harlequin’s “Stardust Serenade.”
For the moment, though, he’s savoring the Holmes role. “In a traditional show, I’m still probably a little young for the part, but this version is more cartoonish. He’s a bit of a caricature of himself.”
Alford said, “It’s particularly funny when one minute an actor is playing the famous character Holmes, and the next minute he is a Brazilian tango dancer. Holmes in particular has a good amount of drag moments that really light up the night.” ‘The Hound of the Baskervilles’
What: Theater Artists Olympia kicks off its season with a riff on Sherlock Holmes’s best-known case. Tacoma’s Outfit Project is co-producing the show.
When: 8 p.m. today and Saturday plus Oct. 28-30 and Nov. 4-5; 2 p.m. matinees Sunday and Nov. 6
Where: The Eagles Club Underground, 805 Fourth Ave. E., Olympia
Tickets: $12
More information: olytheater.com or brownpapertickets.com
Also: See a film promo at youtube.com/watch?v=rqS8ZiHcpzA
THE REST OF THE SEASON
“Bucket of Blood” (February-March): TAO is creating its own stage version of the Roger Corman film about an artist whose sculptures are lifelike for good reason: They’re corpses encased in plaster.
“Titus Andronicus” (August): Set during the Roman Empire, “Titus” is Shakespeare’s first tragedy and his bloodiest and most violent work.
