From Baker St to Bombay: Sherlock gets a comic spin

The Times of India
06 May 2015

New play adapts 'The Hound of The Baskervilles'

Since it made its debut in February, the Aadyam initiative has brought to stage three new productions by Mumbai theatre groups. There was the modern-day take on William Shakespeare's 'The Merchant of Venice", where the battle of wills between Shylock and Antonio unfolded in a land of discotheques and the stock exchange. Next came 'The Siddhus of Upper Juhu', which trained an eye on the daily mayhem of urban living, and the last, 'Mere Piya Gaye Rangoon' brought another Bard classic to Gujarat's mercantile world at the turn of the 19th century. This weekend, Aadyam returns with its fourth theatre production, 'The Hound of the Baskervilles'. An adaptation of the Sherlock Holmes novel, by Akvarious Productions, it'll be staged on Saturday and Sunday at the NCPA's Jamshed Bhabha Theatre.

The Holmes thriller has inspired several adaptations for the stage and screen over the years, says director Akash Khurana. The version that Akvarious has based their play on is the 2012 one by British authors Steven Canny and John Nicholson. It is a comic take on the 1902 novel, written by Arthur Conan Doyle.

"(This adaptation) is the first funny take on the original that I have come across," says Khurana, who aims to stay faithful to the original plot, while adding cheeky innovations as homage.

The story revolves around a murder, believed to have been caused by a supernatural hound — part of a long-standing, fearsome legend. Sir Charles Baskerville is found dead on his estate, his face frozen in terror and the paw prints of a gigantic hound near his body. Detective Sherlock Holmes is roped in to solve the mystery. Along with Dr Watson, he delves into the ancient tale about the Baskervilles' hound, and whether it has somehow actually come true.

The complexity of the original's writing fascinated Khurana, who decided to tap into its potential as a play for Aadyam.

"There is a great deal of emphasis in this version on just how essential the backstage work is, while simultaneously bringing out powerhouse performances by those on stage," he adds. "It is this very nature of the play that captured my interest."

Aadyam has so far staged well-received adaptations of classics like Shakespeare's 'The Merchant of Venice' and 'All's Well That Ends Well'. The Akvarious production is expected to live up to that tradition.

"A play like this requires committed support to its vision and it is here that stakeholders like Aadyam go the extra mile," Khurana says. "To have faith in the production and to encourage it every step of the way only goes to show how patronage and trust are so essential to theatre in India."

Those familiar with Arthur Conan Doyle's writing can expect to get a humorous perspective on the mystery. "And for those totally unfamiliar with the text, it will still make for a fun-filled evening at the theatre," assures Khurana.