With three masterly actors essaying fifteen roles, director Aakash Khurana presents a comic take on one of Sherlock's finest murder mysteries
India-wide release, December 2020: A story that highlights the bizarre and the unexplained. A story that oscillates between truth and fantasy. A Sherlock murder mystery tastefully transformed into a rib-tickling comedy is ready to hit the stage albeit online. Aadyam - the theatre initiative by Aditya Birla Group presents a whimsical parody of The Hound Of The Baskervilles by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle through its digital season. The play, directed by Aakash Khurana, will be screened via insider.in's online streaming service making it the second play of Aadyam's Digital Edition. Adapted by Steven Canny and John Nicholson, this is a comic take on the Sherlock Holmes story that turns a tale of terror into an engaging burlesque.
The illustrious cast includes Vivek Madan as Sherlock Holmes, Arghya Lahiri as Dr. Watson and Nadir Khan as Sir Charles Baskerville. Celebrating a cult novel from over a century ago, the artists along with the entire production team have created a piece that is thoroughly entertaining while delivering remarkable performances. The gloriously funny parody of this famous story becomes special with greater reason - the three seasoned actors - Madan, Lahiri and Khan - play not 3 but a total of 15 characters.
In a display of pure virtuosity and prowess, the veteran actors take up multiple roles in the play also adding to the comic element of the show. At one instance, Vivek Madan is Sherlock, at another he is the guard, the scary lady, Mrs. Barrymore, and several other characters. In similar fashion, Lahiri and Khan also essay multiple roles with effortless brilliance.
Play Synopsis
When Sir Charles Baskerville is found dead on his estate, with a look of terror still etched on his face, and the paw prints of a gigantic hound beside his body, the great detective Sherlock Holmes is summoned from Baker Street, with Dr Watson in tow, to unravel the mysteries surrounding his death, and investigate the ancient curse of the Hound of the Baskervilles. The plot may seem gripping and mysterious but the audience will be in for a surprise that will leave them in splits. The wily Holmes and his colleague Dr. Watson, take you through this comedic adventure that is a hilarious adaptation of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s crime novel.
Talking about the second play in the digital edition of the play, Shernaz Patel, Aadyam's Artistic Director says, "There is no better way to welcome 2021 than with laughter. Not the intellectual kind. The farcical, slapstick, gloriously silly kind. The kind you can enjoy with the full family, kids definitely included. Produced by one of India’s leading production companies and directed by thespian Akash Khurana, you will marvel at the skill and madness of the three wonderful actors as they change characters, accents, costumes and wigs in the blink of an eye. This fun and inventive take on one of the classics of English literature has been shot the Aadyam way - on a set, in an auditorium, with a multi-camera set up. So if your New Year’s resolution is to forget the blues and start afresh, then be sure not to miss this ridiculously funny spoof."
Enunciating his experience with creating a play for the screens, Director Akash Khurana said, "It's certainly a very new experience but the actors and the entire crew have been extremely supportive through the making of this play. There was added pressure to perfectly execute this script while maintaining the humor quotient, but considering the collective hard work that went into it, we are very hopeful that the audience will enjoy watching this one as much as we did putting it together for them."
It's certainly a very new experience but the actors and the entire crew have been extremely supportive through the making of this play. There was added pressure to perfectly execute this script while maintaining the humor quotient, but considering the collective hard work that went into it, we are very hopeful that the audience will enjoy watching this one as much as we did putting it together for them."
The play was first staged by Aadyam in 2015 when it received rave reviews not for a riveting murder mystery that the plot originally dwells upon, but for a cheeky, humorous twist that audience with a sense of humor truly enjoyed. In bringing back this version of the classic in a digital format with a change in the cast and staging, Aadyam is also telling its audience - let's not stop celebrating our chaotic, over populated social lives. The show will certainly go on so whistle, cheer, applaud - this time, at the screens.
Show date & timings:
9th Jan 2021, 7 PM | 16th Jan 2021, 7 PM | 17th Jan 2021, 7 PM
Tickets for Aadyam’s The Hound of The Baskervilles by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle go live on 20th December 2020 on Insider
For more details about the initiative, head to www.aadyam.co.in and to stay updated on all things theatre, log on to Aadyam’s new blog Theatre Ink.
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