Reviews

Some literary and theatrical legends have been around so long, it won’t damage the essence of the mystery if they are played about with. So is the case with Sherlock Holmes’ mystery, The Hound of the Baskervilles. With a comedic, spoofy reworking by Steven Canny & John Nicholson, The Hound was chosen by Hobart Repertory Theatre as a drawcard for audiences as a good way to give the public lots of laughs.

For anyone brought up in London in the fifties, this production is an homage to the Whitehall farces of Brian Rix. It doesn’t have a real plot, it lacks sophistication, and theatre elitists will turn up their noses – but that’s not its purpose. Its purpose is to leave the audience weak from laughing, and that’s exactly what it does. Lord knows the world needs laughter now more than ever, and TPTGW delivers in both clichéd and innovative ways.

One thing is for sure, when you attend an 1812 Theatre production you are guaranteed to be hit with plentiful production values.  Last night at the opening of their Steptoe and Son – the second coming (as they performed 3 episodes of the 60’s UK sitcom in July 2015), it sure didn’t disappoint.  From the foyer ‘decorations’ (they might just be having the carpet replaced… I’m sure they didn’t rip it up just for atmosphere… although, the might just have!), to the slice of life dual focus set, bursting with rag-and-bone

This is not your normal serious play with realistic characters in a realistic setting but more where the audience has to use its imagination with regard to both the characters and the set – what there was of it. As the director stated, he used many of the traditions of vaudeville and satire. For the most part, this has worked really well.