The Baskerville mystery soon to be solved

THE mystery surrounding Arthur Conan Doyle's classic whodunnit, The Hound of the Baskervilles, has beguiled readers for more than 120 years and the stage version by Ken Ludwig is as equally enthralling - in a laugh out loud way. That's the most accurate way to sum up Wangaratta Players' next production, Ludwig's 'Baskerville: A Sherlock Holmes Mystery'. The parody of the Holmes classic is a laugh-a-minute, roller-coaster of action, funny accents, gruesome deaths, and costume changes to amuse and challenge any audience. Leading the ensemble cast, and two of the few who don't change costumes, are Liam Keane as Holmes and Bec Carta as trusted sidekick Dr John Watson. While Bec has been a regular at the Players over the last few years, for Liam it's a welcome return to the stage in Wangaratta after completing a degree in Film, Television and Animation at Deakin University. The pair have formed a remarkable partnership befitting one of literature's most renowned duos. "It has been a while since my last major role, which would have been when I played the character Edna in the 2018 Galen Catholic College production of Hairspray," Liam said. "When I started at the Players last year, I knew almost no one there, but I soon got to know Bec and working with each other frequently, we built up a rapport that translated into our characters very well. "Bec is a fantastic person to work with, she’s very kind and easy to get along with. "Her easy-going nature made it easy to show the chemistry between Dr Watson and Sherlock Holmes." The chemistry came just as easy for Bec. "I set out to become friends with Liam from our very first meeting, knowing full well how our characters' friendship dynamic is well known to most people," she said. "It's not a difficult thing to do as Liam is such a fun guy and very talented. "From the beginning we'd joke around with each other and improvise in character, which then transferred to our interactions on stage. "I'm so happy to be working with Liam, I feel my Watson is well supported by his Holmes." Their characters have the added challenge of remaining straight-faced while the chaos and hysteria pervades around them. "It's not easy to stay composed when there's so many funny lines and ridiculous characters, that's for sure," Bec said. "But the comedy only works when the characters stay true to who they are in the moment. "Knowing my part in this helps me hold my laughter back during the crazy moments, no easy feat because there's so many of them. "By the way, it doesn't always work and I find a big fat grin expanding across my face no matter how much I try to stop it." Liam agreed. "It can be challenging to stay composed, especially since everyone has done such a good job of bringing their characters to life," he said. "I remind myself of the behaviours and personality of Sherlock Holmes and focus on maintaining that stoic and unphased demeanour. "There certainly have been times during rehearsals when I have broken character and laughed. "It has gotten easier, however, to maintain that composure the more we have rehearsed." That wasn't the only challenge for Liam. "One of the biggest challenges I’ve faced with this role is getting the personality of Sherlock Holmes right," he said. "As someone who isn’t particularly fantastic at solving mysteries, I did find it hard to adopt the personality of someone who is always one step ahead and is so self-absorbed and sure of themself." For Bec bringing her vision of the character to life to match the directors vision (Fiona Evans and Nicky Powell) was initially daunting. "As an actor I have a vision of how my character fits in to the story being told and it's been a pleasant challenge bringing the two together," she said. "It's all part of the fun of theatre. "One thing for sure is Wangaratta Players always delivers. "Without the support of our directors, the talents of our set, lighting and sound engineers, the creativity of our costume ladies and props lady, the ninja presence of our backstage crew, the brilliance of our publicity coordinator, and the unwavering love of our patrons we wouldn't be able to create the magic that is community theatre." Amazingly, Bec was less concerned about playing a famous male. "I remember as a student actor, before the turn of the millennium, "back in the 90s", I was cast in female cameo or character roles because I didn't have "the look" needed for the larger leading lady roles. "That was perfectly fine with me because I wasn't interested in the leading lady roles, and was thrilled to throw myself into character development for the role I was cast in. "I was happy with that, though I did complain that the male character roles were so much more interesting and beloved by the audience and wished I could be given those roles. "Now that attitudes have changed and society is coming to grips with the fact that gender is more fluid than it is rigid, it's extremely important that theatre reflects that. "Wangaratta Players embraces community diversity, the casting of Baskerville is a fine example of this. "Nicky and Fiona, have done a fantastic job casting a diverse range of people for the parts. "I'm so grateful for this opportunity and the opportunity I was given in Little Voice. "It's like my wish from all those years ago was granted." Likewise Liam could not be happier in his role. "I have always found Sherlock Holmes's character interesting," he said. "I like the way his mind works and how he manages to piece everything together even from the slightest detail. "I wanted to bring this character to life. "Even though the last time I did a stage show was back in 2018, I wanted to jump right back into it and challenge myself, taking on my biggest role to date." Both can't wait for the audience to enjoy the production that has taken five months to develop. "The audience can expect to be enthralled in a gripping mystery, that will have you on the edge of your seats one moment, then laughing the next," Liam said. Bec said, "It's a fast- paced comedic farce with characters who are larger than life - they can expect to laugh, a lot." Wangaratta Players Inc presents Ken Ludwig's Baskerville - A Sherlock Holmes Mystery, at the Stage Door Studio on February 7, 8, 14, 15, 21 and 22 at 7.30pm and on February 16 and 23 at 2pm with tickets available now at trybooking.com/CXPSH.

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