The Hound of the Baskervilles
Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, adapted by Steven Canny and John Nicholson
New Vic Theatre, Newcastle-under-Lyme
14 February–14 March 2026

Sir Charles Baskerville meets a gruesome death, a victim of an unseen but sinister hound. He lies
prostrate, the latest casualty of the dog which, as legend has it, has caused the premature death of
many Baskervilles.

But the atmosphere is disrupted when one of the actors comes on stage to deliver a terror warning.
Anyone with a heart condition, of a nervous disposition or with low self-esteem is advised to
consider leaving the auditorium. No one does.

This is the start of a new version of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s The Hound of the Baskervilles which
is considered one of the most famous stories ever written. And you only have to look at the comedy
pedigree of Steven Canny and John Nicholson to realise their adaptation is probably nothing like
anything you’ve seen before.

The New Vic has chosen to start its 40th anniversary year with this comedy thriller, updated from
Canny and Peepolykus’ 2007 production which toured the UK and ended up in the West End. That
had three actors; the current show has four who play multiple roles and turn it into what director
Joyce Branagh describes as “hopelessly silly” and a “bonkers tale”.

There’s a nod to Patrick Barlow’s adaptation of John Buchan’s The 39 Steps which the New Vic
produced in 2019 — yet The Hound of the Baskervilles is possibly better.

Alex Phelps is a joy to watch, playing Sherlock Holmes with arrogance and superiority that we’ve
come to expect from the character. There is also the beginnings of a tantrum when Watson won’t
believe Holmes’s theory about who is controlling the hound.

Phelps also excels in other roles, most notably Spanish woman Cecille, whose charms attract the
attention of Sir Charles Baskerville.

As Dr Watson, Alyce Liburd is charmingly dim, especially when she fails to see through Holmes’s disguises. Her vast range of facial expressions means she can react in so many different ways to what’s going on around her.

Tom Richardson plays all the Baskervilles and several other characters with panache and skill. The most notable is Sir Henry Baskerville, Charles’s heir, who comes to England from Canada. But Richardson has to explain to the audience he can’t do a Canadian accent!

As the stage manager, Jerone Marsh-Reid mainly deals in visual comedy, cleverly wheeling on and
off a door which signifies Holmes’s Baker Street lodgings. Later, he teams up with Richardson in
the portrait gallery, presenting the whole Baskerville family with a series of mannerisms, wigs and
hats. Tremendous stuff.

The second half starts with a revelation: someone has posted a bad review online. This leads
Phelps to make an executive decision: the cast are going to do the first half again! They don’t
always get the correct costumes as they race through it in seven hilarious minutes.

Branagh does a commendable job, getting every possible laugh out of a lively script which features
puns, pratfalls and pranks all the way through.

This version of The Hound of the Baskervilles may not be everyone’s kind of humour. But even if
you don’t end up guffawing at the action, you’ll have to admit it’s a slick, superbly produced show
with impeccable timing.

* This review originally appeared on the British Theatre Guide website