• The Hound of the Baskervilles; by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle; adapted by Steven Canny and John Nicholson; directed by Lindsey Bishop; Waipukurau Little Theatre, until April 8.
Directed by Lindsey Bishop, reviewed by Rachael McNaught.
From the mires of Dartmoor, Lindsey Bishop brings the mystery of the Sir Arthur Conan Doyle classic and the sheer mayhem of the Canny and Nicholson adaptation to the Little Theatre of Waipukurau in a play so cunning even the great Sherlock Holmes gets lost.
Most readers will be familiar with the intriguing Holmes tale; The detective and Dr Watson are called to Dartmoor to solve the case of the Baskerville family and their fatal curse.
Now take the original story and have three sensational actors play all 16 characters. Add a backstage crew of six, some very clever set and costume design, throw in marshland lighting, lots of smoke and a random tweet and it's a recipe for chaos - but it's chaos that is superbly delivered.
The youthful exuberance of Connor Hirst as he hilariously switches between the Lords' Baskerville and various locals is perfectly balanced by the comedic timing of the dynamic duo, Owen Potter (Dr Watson and a yokel) and Edward Carlton-Holmes, as not only the famous detective, but no less than seven other people, including two couples.