Young Washington lawyer Ken Ludwig cast aside his comfortable position with the Steptoe & Johnson LLP law firm for the flimsiest of reasons: He yearned to become a playwright. Sensible souls clucked their tongues. What a farce!
A farce it was, of the most rib-tickling kind. “Lend Me a Tenor” debuted at the Kennedy Center in October 1989 to the roar of guffaws as Ron Holgate and a merry assortment of comedic actors romped across the stage slamming doors, engaging in zany high jinks and committing general mayhem to confirm that Mr. Ludwig was not pursuing a pipe dream. It won three Tony Awards and was nominated for nine. His next venture, “Crazy for You,” a retelling of Gershwin’s “Girl Crazy,” reigned on Broadway for five years and picked up even more awards, including the Laurence Olivier Award for Best Musical on London’s West End.
Twelve plays, a book and a host of honors later, his uproarious wit dissects Sherlock Holmes in “Baskerville,” a world premiere adaptation of “The Hound of the Baskervilles.” The co-production with Princeton’s McCarter Theatre Center runs at Arena Stage for more than a month before heading to New Jersey.
Mr. Ludwig last visited Holmes in 2011 with “The Game’s Afoot,” a comedy-mystery about William Gillette, the actor who originated the role of Sherlock Holmes. This time, he dips into the bone-chilling tale of a legendary supernatural hound on the moors and the related curse placed on the Baskerville family.
True to form, Mr. Ludwig sends a cast of five actors through wildly choreographed paces as they seek answers to the mystery while portraying 40 characters that zip on and off stage, into and out of costumes.
Lucas Hall, who plays Doctor Watson, was astounded when he first read the script. “I wondered how they could ever do something so theatrical and ambitious,” he said. “In addition to Gregory Wooddell, who plays Holmes, and myself, the only other actors are Stanley Bahorek, Michael Glenn and Jane Pfitsch. Holmes and Watson are on stage throughout the show, but it’s a madhouse backstage, a show in itself, as the others dash in and out changing into dozens of characters. Some of them even come out with different accents. We should be selling tickets for the audience to see what goes on back there.”
The play balances madcap comedy and profound mystery as the scene switches rapidly from the streets of London via railway stations to the bleak moors of Devon, with Sherlock and Watson continually in pursuit of a logical solution.
To prepare for his role, Mr. Hall investigated various Watsons in film and on television, including the doctor as a woman (Lucy Liu) in “Elementary.” Ironically, he recently appeared in that series, although not as Watson, he quickly points out. For a while, he studied Martin Freeman’s approach to Watson in the BBC “Sherlock” series with Benjamin Cumberbatch before developing his own take on the character.
“Watson is an iconic character,” he said. “I’m very different from Martin Freeman, just as he is very different from others in the role, so I stopped watching that show. The only way you can get into a character is by experiencing him on your own terms. This play gives a unique concept of Holmes and Watson by switching back and forth between serious, scary moments and ridiculous humor. Ken is very collaborative and easy to work with, and his humor runs throughout the script. It’s very pleasant to go to a job where you laugh most of the day.”
A native of Boston, Mr. Hall was a child actor who stopped performing by age 10. But he was already hooked and ready for life in the theater when he fell in love with Shakespeare at age 22. Although his credits include some of the Bard’s characters, he enjoys variety and can soon be seen in the still-untitled Steve McQueen pilot for HBO.
“We hope the audience enjoys this version of the story,” he said. “There are so many twists and surprises that I don’t dare reveal, but in a few days we’ll find out what they think. The audience always informs us how we are doing. Sometimes they even tell us how to tell the story.”
IF YOU GO
WHAT: “Baskerville: A Sherlock Holmes Mystery”
WHERE: Arena Stage, Kreeger Theatre
WHEN: Thursday through Feb. 22. Showtimes are at 7:30 p.m. on Sundays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays; at 8 p.m. on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays; and at 2 p.m. on Saturdays and Sundays. Weekday matinees start at noon on Jan. 27, Feb. 4 and Feb. 11.
INFO: Tickets: $40-$90; 202/488-3300; arenastage.org.
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