Murder on the Moors

The Hound of the Baskervilles – City Lit Theatre

Sir Charles Baskerville has died under seemingly mysterious, but not necessarily suspicious circumstances. Found dead on his estate in Devon, his death could be chalked up to ill health, except for a legendary curse that has haunted his family for generations about a hellhound summoned by the evil deeds of a Baskerville ancestor. The great detective Sherlock Holmes doesn’t believe in curses, but when Sir Charles’ nephew arrives from America to claim his inheritance, he receives a threatening letter, warning him to stay away from the estate. Holmes must figure out who may have killed Sir Charles and stop them before they kill again.

Claiming more urgent business in London, Holmes sends faithful companion Watson to Devon alone. Having dispatched Watson as his eyes and ears, Holmes is only in the play at the very beginning and very end. This actually benefits the play. I think Holmes constantly negating Watson for two hours would wear a little thin, but book-ending the show, his (well-earned) egotism elevates his scenes rather than arrests the forward momentum of the story.

The artistic director of City Lit, Terry McCabe, adapted this play from the novel and directed. The play largely proceeds by the reading of letters that Watson sends Holmes as updates. In book form, stories told in letters have a long history from Austen to The Color Purple. Snuggled under a blanket with a book, reading the characters’ letters feels like being let into something more intimate than a narrator could provide alone. On stage, there are places, especially at the top of the second act, where it started to feel a little like a staged reading. Characters come on stage and pantomime the action that Watson is narrating. It may have been more effective to just have the characters act out those scenes directly.

The feeling of a staged reading is exacerbated slightly by the sets. There are few walls meant to be the estate and a few pieces of scenery meant to be the moors, but in the small theater at City Lit, you don’t really get the impression of an expansive, haunting moor. Even the titular hound is rendered only through the actors’ imagination. It’s not a huge problem in that it detracts from the story, but I don’t think it enhances it either. Something that is quite effective in laying the scene is a violin player, just off stage, underscoring the entire piece and providing live sound effects for the hound’s howl. The music is beautiful and live music always helps establish a mood. Though as I type this, I fear I’m accidentally making a case for what an effective radio play this would have been rather than a staged one.

Whatever issues I may have with some of the literary or staging choices, the acting more than makes this a worthwhile outing. Adam Bitterman reprises the role of Watson from previous City Lit Sherlock Holmes adaptations. He is fantastic in the part. He has a booming voice and commanding presence, and even if I find the show veered into narration too often, I can understand the temptation when you have Bitterman reading it. James Sparling also reprises his role as the great detective, and he has it down to a science. He exudes the smug self satisfaction that is made even more annoying by the fact that he is actually always right. As ever, the real joy of a Holmes mystery isn’t so much the actual solution, since the reader/audience never has all the information Holmes does, but watching Holmes flit about the room piecing the truth together. Sparling excels at this. The rapport between the leads is very good as well. The rest of the cast is great as well, doubling up parts to fill in all the remaining players in the story.

I’ve nitpicked on some of the staging or scripting choices, but overall, on the strength of the cast, this was a thoroughly enjoyable show. The two leads are comfortable but not stagnant in their recurring roles and their affection for the material and chemistry made for a delightful matinee.

Recommended

Reviewed by Kevin Curran

Presented September 27 – November 10 by City Lit Theatre at 1020 W. Bryn Mawr, Chicago.

Tickets are available at www.citylit.org.

Additional information about this and other area productions can be found by visiting www.theatreinchicago.com.