A SAMUEL FRENCH, INC. TITLE
Ken Ludwig's Baskerville: A Sherlock Holmes Mystery
Full-Length Play, Comedy / 1w, 4m
Get your deerstalker cap on — the play’s afoot! From the award-winning mastermind of mayhem, Ken Ludwig (Lend Me a Tenor), comes a fast-paced comedy about everyone’s favorite detective solving his most notorious case. Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson must crack the mystery of "The Hound of the Baskervilles" before a family curse dooms its newest heir.
Image: 2015 McCarter Theatre Center Production (Margot Schulman)
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Cast Size
1w, 4m -
Duration
120 minutes (2 hours) -
Subgenre
Farce, Adaptation (Literature), Mystery/Thriller, Period -
Target Audience
Adult
Details
Summary
Get your deerstalker cap on — the play’s afoot! Comedic genius Ken Ludwig (Lend Me a Tenor, Moon Over Buffalo) transforms Arthur Conan Doyle’s classic The Hound of the Baskervilles into a murderously funny adventure. Sherlock Holmes is on the case. The male heirs of the Baskerville line are being dispatched one by one. To find their ingenious killer, Holmes and Watson must brave the desolate moors before a family curse dooms its newest heir. Watch as our intrepid investigators try to escape a dizzying web of clues, silly accents, disguises, and deceit as five actors deftly portray more than forty characters. Does a wild hellhound prowl the moors of Devonshire? Can our heroes discover the truth in time? Join the fun and see how far from elementary the truth can be.
History
Baskerville: A Sherlock Holmes Mystery received its world premiere as a co-production between Arena Stage in Washington DC and the McCarter Theatre in New Jersey in 2015, under the direction of Amanda Dehnert.
Cast Attributes
Keywords
Performing Groups
- Time Period Victorian (British and American)
- Setting
The moors of Devonshire.
- Features Period Costumes
- Duration 120 minutes (2 hours)
- Cautions
- No Special Cautions
Media
“A madcap sendup of what you might hold dear about that Doyle classic.” – DC Theatre Scene
“The joy in watching [the] witty new play Baskerville: A Sherlock Holmes Mystery is not in solving the crime but in the plethora of wildly imaginative characters you meet along the way. By dispensing with British formality, Ken Ludwig has given us a play that is ingeniously funny and will keep you guessing until the curtain call." – Broadway World, Read More
“Written by Tony-winning playwright Ken Ludwig, the new play turns one of Holmes’ most famous mysteries, The Hound of the Baskervilles, on its head. Instead of a heady whodunit, this production is a fast-paced comedy." – Washington City Paper
“Baskerville is a madcap sendup of what you might hold dear about that Doyle classic, done up in the style of The 39 Steps.” – DC Theatre Scene, Read More
“With this Baskerville: A Sherlock Holmes Mystery, the chase is on and with much joy... [There's] a freshness to this particular Holmesian world.” – DC Metro Theatre Arts, Read More
"Ken Ludvig’s zany, affectionate spoof of the Sherlock Holmes classic is two hours of inspired silliness, and here it is performed by a cast of comic timing genius." – British Theatre
"Baskerville boasts everything you could wish to see in a murder mystery comedy. It's fast-paced, laugh-out-loud, wholesome family-friendly fun." – WhatsOnStage
ON BREAKING CHARACTER
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by Annette Storckman
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For more info, visit kenludwig.com.
Videos
Ken Ludwig on producing Baskerville
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Ken Ludwig on Baskerville: A Sherlock Holmes Mystery
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Ken Ludwig discusses Holmes and Watson
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Ken Ludwig's Baskerville - Arena Stage Trailer
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Ken Ludwig's Baskerville - McCarter Theatre Center
Photos
Image: 2015 McCarter Theatre Center Production (Margot Schulman)
Image: 2015 McCarter Theatre Center Production (Margot Schulman)
Licensing & Materials
- Minimum Fee: £70 per performance plus VAT when applicable.
Please submit a license request to determine availability.
Authors
Ken Ludwig
Ken Ludwig has had six productions on Broadway and eight in London’s West End. His 34 plays and musicals are staged around the world and throughout the United States every night of the year.
His first play, Lend Me a Tenor, won two Tony Awards and was called “one of the classi ...
Now Playing
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Keywords
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