Hound of the Baskervilles

by Tim Kelly, Arthur Conan Doyle

Mystery

Tim Kelly

Characters: 5 male, 5 female

Interior Set

Holmes' most spine chilling mystery is placed in a modern setting in this version with suspense, humor and terror. Sir Henry is heir to the vast Baskerville fortune, a legacy that comes with a family curse death at the fangs of a horror that prowls the moor. Only Holmes can stop the beast. While mysterious lights signal Baskerville Hall and the hound terrifies the countryside, the sleuthing begins and suspicion falls on sinister servants, butterfly collectors, ladies in distress and escaped convicts. Who wrote the letter that summoned the hound? Is Sir Henry's romance with the lovely Kathy doomed? Is the supernatural at work?

"Professional, witty, suspenseful.... Conan Doyle would be pleased." Holmes ian Tattler.

"Magnificent job of bringing the novel's characters to life.... Great family entertainment." Desert Sun.

Genres: Plays

72 pages, Paperback

Published March 15, 2011

About the author

Mr. Kelly, who was born in 1931, wrote more than 300 comedies, dramas, one-acts, mysteries, melodramas, children's shows and musicals, making his living writing for the stock, amateur and educational markets.

He wrote under his own name, and also at least four pseudonyms (Vera Morris, J. Moriarty, Robert Swift, Keith Jackson), for publishers such as Samuel French, Pioneer Drama Service and Contemporary Drama Service, among others.

Pioneer alone has 130 scripts by Kelly, according to Pioneer publisher Steven Fendrich. "It covers the gamut," Fendrich told Playbill On-Line Dec. 10. Mr. Kelly was the first playwright to sign up with the Colorado-based Pioneer when it was founded in 1967 by Fendrich's father.

Reviews

[Jillibean · Rating 1 out of 5]

I’ve been a long time fan of both the original Holmes series by Doyle as well as many of the adaptations. So I’m ok with variations on Holmes and Watson’s characters as long as they are true to their core personality traits. Unfortunately the characterization here felt like a poorly written fan fiction with campy dialogue that somehow remained dry enough that the camp was not fun. I can see how this would be an easy play to stage and produce, it’d be well suited as a practice project for students but not something you’d go out of your way to watch live. I was hoping to see my love of theater and Sherlock Holmes collide here but I guess I will need to keep looking.

[Ian · Rating 1 out of 5]

This is the most performed version of Hound Of the Baskervilles. However It is hard to see why. It is poorly written and the dialouge is very dry and this version seems very camp. I wouldn't recommend any drama group perform it truth be told.

[Ginnye · Rating 3 out of 5]

This play wasn't bad: but it was missing something. It was very dry and some of the humour wasn't always apparent to the audience.