The Hampton Theatre Company will launch its 35th season at the Quogue Community Hall on Thursday with “Ken Ludwig’s Baskerville: A Sherlock Holmes Mystery.” To those familiar with the work of Mr. Ludwig, an Olivier and Tony Award-winning playwright whose work includes “Lend Me a Tenor” and “A Comedy of Tenors,” it will be no surprise that “Baskerville” weaves elements of farce with theatrical ingenuity and a touch of drama.
The play is based on Arthur Conan Doyle’s “The Hound of the Baskervilles,” and, like that famous tale, brings Holmes and Watson to England’s foggy moors in search of the supernatural hellhound that has been murdering heirs to the Baskerville fortune. The play departs from the story, however, when Holmes and Watson are faced with a dizzying web of clues, silly accents, disguises, and deceit, thanks to 40 characters who are portrayed by three actors.
“It’s a wild, crazy ride,” said Diana Marbury, the theater’s artistic director and director of this production, who noted that Shakespeare’s own company consisted of 12 to 15 actors who played as many as 35 characters. “So this is sort of a fascinating old-school method of working.” The three protean actors are Andrew Botsford, Tina Jones, and Ben Schnickel. Matthew Conlon (Holmes) and Duncan Hazard (Watson) round out the cast.
“The play is definitely a challenge all the way around,” said Ms. Marbury. “It’s a challenge for the actor, first and foremost, to jump from one character to another within a page and a half, and then it’s a challenge for the director to make sure they are distinguishing each character substantially. And it’s a challenge for the costume designer, who has to make their costumes accessible from one character to another with not much time in between.”
Mr. Ludwig has written almost 30 plays and musicals, including six on Broadway and seven on London’s West End. The Washington Post called “Lend Me a Tenor,” which won two Tonys, “one of the classic comedies of the 20th century.”
“Ken is a very smart playwright,” said Ms. Marbury, “and he has a tremendous background,” including a degree from Harvard, where he studied music with Leonard Bernstein. “When I first suggested ‘Baskerville’ to our artistic committee, everybody kind of hesitated because it was so challenging. I was thrilled to have the opportunity when they decided that we could actually pull this off. And now we’ll see if we can.”
“Baskerville,” which runs through Nov. 10, will be followed in January by “Admissions,” Joshua Harmon’s award-winning satire about what happens when the son of the head of the admissions department at an elite prep school sets his sights on the Ivy League. The collision of progressive values with personal ambition rings true and topical in light of the recent college admissions scandal.
“It’s coincidental for sure,” said Ms. Marbury. “We had talked about doing the play before that scandal broke. But it certainly doesn’t hurt that it’s a timely play. And I’m excited to be acting in it.” The season will also include A.R. Gurney’s “Sylvia” and Lucas Hnath’s “A Doll’s House, Part 2.”
Performances of “Baskerville” will take place on Thursdays and Fridays at 7 p.m., Saturdays at 8, and Sunday afternoons at 2:30, with an additional matinee on Nov. 9. Tickets are $30, $25 for senior citizens (except Saturdays), $20 for those under 35, and $10 for students under 21. Dinner-theater packages will also be available.