CAMBRIDGE – “The Hound of the Baskervilles” may be one of the most well-known Sherlock Holmes stories, but a new production at Central Square Theater has a perspective on the mystery you may never have seen before.
Three actors portray every role in the piece.
The Hound of the Baskervilles
Aimee Doherty, who plays Holmes and about ten other characters, said “It’s surprising for the audience how funny it is, because people just assume that it’s going to be like a moody, dark drama.”
Jenny S. Lee, who tackles the role of Watson and others, agrees.
“I think more than quaking in the boots. You’re probably, hopefully, laughing and rolling out of your seats,” Lee said.
Along with actor Sarah Morin, the three women use accents and costumes to help create distinct characters.
“What really strikes me about this particular casting in this group of women is that we get to create a piece of art that isn’t often told by women and put our own stories and our narratives in there,” Lee said.
Cambridge’s Central Square Theater
Doherty hopes the play will serve as an example to others.
“It’s fun to see young people in the audience getting to see women play these parts of very, very smart, courageous, funny people,” Doherty said.
But Lee said it’s not easy.
“I think comedy does not get enough props a lot of the times for exactly how hard and mathematical and scientific it is. It is math. It is timing. Sometimes I feel myself losing a joke. If I miss it by a fraction of a second, it escapes. It’s gone,” Lee said.
You can check out the laughs for yourself in The Hound of the Baskervilles at Central Square Theater in Cambridge, playing through October 6.
