Stage Review - Ken Ludwig’s Baskerville (Village Theatre)

Stage Review - Ken Ludwig’s Baskerville
Presented By: Village Theatre - Issaquah, WA
Show Run: January 20 - February 22, 2026 (Everett run February 28 - March 22)
Date Reviewed: Saturday, January 31, 2026
Run Time: 2 Hours, 15 Minutes (including a 15 minute intermission)
Reviewed by: Greg Heilman

Typically, the tellings of the legend of Sherlock Holmes are shrouded in the mystery that engulfs the foggy environs of Baker Street, but Ken Ludwig’s Baskerville: A Sherlock Holmes Mystery takes that familiar cloaked world of Victorian suspense and turns it into something far more delightfully theatrical. Under the direction of Adam Immerwahr, Village Theatre’s production running in Issaquah through February 22 takes our idea of the Holmes mystery and flips it on its head, resulting in a fast-moving, self-aware, quick-change comedy thriller that thrives on invention. It is a show built on speed, precision, and theatrical playfulness, and the Village Theatre production embraces that spirit completely, delivering an evening as technically sharp as it is consistently funny.

The story draws loosely from The Hound of the Baskervilles, as our heroes Holmes and Watson find themselves pulled into the ominous curse surrounding the Baskerville family estate. Sir Henry Baskerville has inherited a title — and possibly a death sentence — and the moors of Devonshire seem alive with shadow, superstition, and danger. But Ludwig’s version is not a solemn Gothic retelling. Instead, it is a theatrical puzzle box, designed for speed and surprise, where a handful of actors populate an entire world.

At the center of it all is Richard Nguyen Sloniker as Sherlock Holmes, an actor who is no stranger to iconic roles, having played the renowned butler Jeeves in a number of shows at Taproot Theatre and the infamous sleuth Hercule Poirot, also at Taproot. Richard captures the emblematic sharpness of the detective while also allowing room for comedy and theatrical exaggeration. What stands out most is how clearly he understands the nuance of Holmes — the character is recognizable in every beat, but never one-note. His performance is grounded in the tradition of the role, yet flexible enough to match the production’s quick pace and heightened style. There’s no Holmes without Watson and Avery Clark’s Dr. Watson provides an excellent counterbalance, bringing warmth and steadiness to the chaos swirling around the case. Watson becomes not only Holmes’s companion, but as the de facto narrator of the story, he’s also the audience’s anchor, particularly as the show leaps rapidly between characters, locations, and tones.

One of Baskerville’s greatest joys is its use of a small cast playing a large number of roles, and Village Theatre leans fully into that theatrical game. Mark Emerson, Jonelle Jordan, and Calder Jameson Shilling rotate through an array of characters with remarkable precision. The show is self-aware enough to let the audience enjoy the mechanics of transformation — the next quick change, the next accent shift, the next physical reinvention. Calder in particular is a standout as Sir Henry, navigating the demands of all of his characters with clarity and comic confidence.

The sense of constant motion that Baskerville needs to succeed depends heavily on design and execution, and this is where Village Theatre’s technical work shines. Andrea Bryn Bush’s set is largely static in structure, evoking the interior of a manor or any other multi-level space, but it is built with compartments and hidden slots that allow actors and props to appear and vanish with near-magical timing. Andrea’s design becomes a kind of theatrical machine, perfectly suited to Ludwig’s rapid-fire storytelling. Geoff Korf’s lighting is especially important in establishing the show’s shifting geography. Lighting provides much of the location information, moving the action from interior rooms to street scenes and into flashbacks with seamless transitions. Geoff’s lighting shifts — including eerie green tones at Baskerville itself — help define mood and place instantly, sometimes paired with set pieces descending from above, creating an atmosphere that can turn from academic to ominous in a heartbeat. Sound design by Darron L. West plays an outsized role in the humor of the piece. Many of the biggest laughs are driven by perfectly timed sound effects, reinforcing Baskerville’s awareness that it is both mystery and farce at once.

And in a production so dependent on transformation, Pete Rush’s costume design deserves full marks. Costumes here are not simply decorative — they are storytelling devices, essential to the show’s quick-change structure. Pete’s work supports the actors superbly, helping each new character land immediately and making the rapid-fire shifts not only possible, but delightful to watch. The self-aware nature of the play uses costume changes as a comic device as well, especially when an actor is required to change in the middle of a scene, another example of the precise execution by this ensemble that makes this such a wonderfully entertaining production. Equally vital is the dialect coaching by Gin Hammond, whose work ensures that accents and vocal characterizations remain clear and distinct even as performers whirl through role after role. In a comedy that lives in its theatrical sleight-of-hand, Gin’s contribution is a major part of what makes the world feel textured, specific, and consistently funny.

None of this works without flawless backstage coordination. Stage manager Laurel Nichols and the entire crew deserve real kudos for the execution: hats, umbrellas, papers, and props fly in from the wings with perfect timing, supporting the production’s relentless pace. Much of the success of Village Theatre’s Baskerville comes back to Adam’s steady hand. This is the kind of production that only works when cast, creative team, and technical precision are all moving in perfect sync, and Adam deserves real credit for bringing together a group capable of executing Ludwig’s intricate comedy with such confidence and joy.

Village Theatre’s Baskerville is a theatrical juggling act, and it succeeds because every element — performance, design, pacing, and technical discipline — is working in concert. The result is an evening that is clever, atmospheric, and consistently entertaining, proving that Sherlock Holmes is still full of surprises when placed in the right hands.

Ken Ludwig’s Baskerville runs on stage in at Village Theatre in Issaquah through February 22, before moving to its Everett venue. For more information, including ticket availability and sales, visit https://villagetheatre.org/.

Photo credit: Rosemary Dai Ross