A theatre troupe that tours Metro Vancouver will bring its act to Port Coquitlam for the first time.
The Royal Canadian Theatre Company (RCTC) opens its season with The Hound of the Baskervilles, with eight shows at the Terry Fox Theatre from Nov. 1 to 11.
Artistic director Ellie King told The Tri-City News the company picked the School District 43-managed venue at the recommendation of PoCo resident — and RCTC's new promotional director — Ashton Ramsay.
The Hound has other Tri-City connections, too.
Michael Charrois, the performing arts education co-ordinator at Coquitlam's Evergreen Cultural Centre, stars as Holmes while Stephanie Bruce, Evergreen's technical operations assistant, is the stage manager.
The Hound was selected, King said, because "it's an absolute hoot. I love Sherlock Holmes and I've wanted to do this play for a long time. It's really silly but also one of the most challenging to put on."
The 23 performances in all — including this month at the Surrey Arts Centre, Metro Theatre (Vancouver), Anvil Centre in New Westminster and the ACT Arts Centre in Maple Ridge — are physically demanding for the cast and crew, King said, as they have to change scenes and characters quickly.
And because of the fast pace and complexity, King — who also directs — said the company has its own sound and lighting experts at each show.
Adapted by Steven Canny and John Nicholson from the novel by Conan Doyle, The Hound is described as "a mix of mystery, mayhem and madcap comedy" as Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson try to solve the ancient curse of the Baskervilles.
The pair come to the aid of Henry Baskerville, who gets a warning not to enter his newly inherited manor. "It's good, old-fashioned entertainment," King said. "Even though it's a spoof, it still follows the original story and our actors and crew certainly rise to the challenge."
King said her company has also included an educational kit on the RCTC's website (rctheatreco.com) for high school drama students and teachers.
Besides Charrois, The Hound includes Jonathan Mason as Sir Henry and Steven Weller as Watson. RCTC is the only company in Western Canada licensed by the authors to perform the British version of the classic tale.
• For tickets starting at $8, call 1-800-838-3006 or visit baskervilles.brownpapertickets.com.
jcleugh@tricitynews.com
