Imagine the wedding priest from Princess Bride meets the Bride of Frankenstein meets Frau Blücher. Pekar, a freeFall alum, morphs from housemaid to lovely young ingenue, to a cockney boy, to an old German crone – Inga, my personal favorite, made me laugh out loud. What can I possibly say about the supporting ensemble of Kelly Pekar, James Putnam and Robert Teasdale? The rapid-fire ease with which they changed characters – a LOT of characters – was almost as impressive as their precise comic timing and the world (literally), of accents they mastered. The natural tempo and timing between Davis and McGee is born out of decades of working together, and the audience is the beneficiary. McGee narrates while performing and can still crack you up with just a look or motion, and with subtlety here. Yet McGee’s Watson is understated, mostly doing case recon for Holmes, allowing the ensemble to shine and deliver a good portion of the laughs. ![]() Watson – could you think of anyone else you’d want to play this role? No. Also, he looks great in a deerstalker cap. Bottom line – Davis is loud, overly dramatic (by design and in the best possible way), and he delivers – as always. Did Father demand too much? A new mystery to be solved – another time. It makes you wonder what kind of childhood Holmes must have had. He’s unintentionally funny – and has flashes of insecurity and self-recrimination at any mistake, no matter how small. Davis’s Holmes has all the hyberbolic brilliance you’ve come to expect, not just from Doyle’s perspective, but from a Ludwig character. WatsonĮric Davis, freeFall’s Artistic Director, returns to the stage after an almost four year hiatus – his last appearance being in James Goldman’s classic, The Lion in Winter. Eric Davis as Sherlock Holmes and Matthew McGee as Dr. After a few Ludwig plays, you begin to recognize the style and you’re all in. His humor adds depth and comic relief to Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s iconic characters. His work is staged over a thousand times a year – and locally at Asolo Rep in Sarasota ( Murder on the Orient Express) and here at freeFall. Playwright, Ken Ludwig loves adapting classics like The Three Musketeers, Murder on the Orient Express, and of course, Arthur Conan Doyle’s The Hound of the Baskervilles. Can they do it in two hours? Call me an optimist. Are hounds into all that material stuff? The crime-solving game is afoot, and Holmes and Watson have about 40 potential suspects to investigate. Could history be repeating itself? The Baskerville Mansion and estate are at stake. The myth is that a huge and vicious hound lurking on the English Moors is responsible – just as it was for a Baskerville ancestor. Two of the Baskervilles have been murdered. ![]() A murder mystery set on the 1890s Devonshire Moors and environs, with a mythic murderous hound and great performances, Baskerville is altogether a wonderfully entertaining theater experience. It’s a bandwagon you’ll have no difficulty jumping on. Pete to sold out crowds and great acclaim. Ken Ludwig’s Baskerville opened this past week at freeFall Theatre in St. Rathbone and Nigel Bruce were my father’s favorite sleuthing duo – and by genetic osmosis, mine as well. ![]() More than 84 actors have portrayed Sherlock Holmes on stage, screen and radio since 1908 – from current day Robert Downey Jr, Benedict Cumberbatch and Will Ferrell (no lie), back to Christopher Lee, Peter Cushing, Larry Hagman, Roger Moore and of course Basil Rathbone (just love saying that name).
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