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Five actors play over 40 comical characters, filling the stage with suspects, allies and heirs in Baskerville: A Sherlock Holmes Mystery.

The Arts Club Theatre Company will open its 52nd season with this zany whodunit based on the Arthur Conan Doyle classic. When the wealthy Henry Baskerville is threatened by the fable of a bloodthirsty hound on the moors, Holmes and Watson are on the case to sniff out the culprit.

[Alex Zahara, Lauren Bowler, Mark Weatherley]

The game’s afoot in this hilarious thriller that’s anything but elementary!

“I chose Baskerville: A Sherlock Holmes Mystery to open the season as it has a theatrical flair with actors playing multiple parts in various settings,” says Artistic Managing Director Bill Millerd. “With his strong improvisation background, Director John Murphy has cast versatile performers who thrive at creating a world of intrigue and suspense — ideal for our times.”

[Alex Zahara, Mark Weatherley]

John Murphy adds, “Baskerville is definitely a comedic romp, but the play also maintains the original story’s gothic feel, so there are moments when we hope to scare the bejesus out of people. As Conan Doyle said, ‘There is no horror without imagination.’ We’re going to do everything we can to engage the audience’s imagination, by using the most rudimentary theatrical tools — like shadow puppetry — to put people in a place where they can believe that a mythical, murderous hound actually exists. Should be quite a night.”

Baskerville: A Sherlock Holmes Mystery stars Lauren Bowler, Kirk Smith, Mike Wasko, Alex Zahara and Mark Weatherley.

Arts Club Theatre Presents Baskerville: A Sherlock Holmes Mystery

Dates: Sept. 8 to Oct. 9; Tues. to Thurs., 7:30 pm; Fri., Sat., 8 pm; Wed. 1:30 pm; Sat., Sun., 2 pm
Venue: Stanley Industrial Alliance Stage, 2750 Granville Street, Vancouver
Tickets: Starting at $29 (inc. tax & fees); available in advance online and via phoning 604.687.1644

Top photo: Alex Zahara, Director John-Murphy, Lauren Bowler. Rehearsal photos by Emily Cooper.