The Hound Of The Baskervilles

The Hawth, Crawley, Friday, August 31

I AM a huge fan of all of the Sherlock Holmes stories and was therefore delighted to get the chance to review the Illyria theatre company’s production of The Hound Of The Baskervilles.

I was unaware, when I arrived at the Hawth that the production would be taking place around the back of the theatre, in the amphitheatre.

Despite not bringing chairs (the other audience members clearly knew that this was an outdoor event) when I arrived, I was offered a cushion and shown down a leafy track to the amphitheatre.

Unsure as to what to expect, I emerged into a natural bowl at the front of which was a stage. The rest of the audience were decked out with jumpers, blankets and some even with picnic hampers, I felt very underprepared.

As the show started it became clear that this theatre company consisted of just four actors who would be playing all the parts during this evening’s performance.

The four actors certainly earned their fee with quick costume changes and all of them playing a range of characters both male and female.

The performance very much kept to the story written by Conan Doyle, with Watson being the main narrator of the story, making sure that the audience was up to date with the intricacies of the case at hand.

All four performers portrayed each character with the specific subtleties required to both tell the story and keep those of the audience who did not know the outcome of the story in suspense as to how the case would pan out.

Along with this, the play was full of laughs which added beautifully to the occasion, whether that be one foot walking or the horse-drawn carriages played with coconuts.

At the start of the evening I was not sure what to expect but by the end I had been thoroughly entertained and I would recommend anyone go and see something by Illyria – be it will be a fantastic evening for any age.

Matt Cousins