Fierce leading ladies take on Sherlock Holmes in the upcoming fall play
By Features Editor Noelle Kirkman
https://vimeo.com/78745233
This coming weekend, howls will fill the auditorium.
NNHS will put on their production of The Hound of the Baskervilles: A Comic Thriller Starring Shirley Holmes and Jennie Watson, taking the traditional story of Sherlock Holmes and swapping it out with his two nieces. Senior Sarah Broad stars as Shirley Holmes, and senior Katie Olifirowicz stars as Jennie Watson.
“It’s a gender swap,” said Katie Trowbridge, the play’s executive producer. “Sherlock Holmes and Doctor Watson are away on vacation together, and their nieces, Shirley and Jennie, take over.”
Something to look forward to is the show’s use of slap sick comedy. The play takes the classic story and puts a funny twist on it with physical humor, including a part where the characters repeatedly trip over a dead body.
Seven to eight weeks ago, the cast and crew began the preparation process. They have been working on perfecting their lines, sharpening their British accents, and working out technical difficulties such as light and sound cues.
“We start out by working on simple things,” said director Andy Simon. “Then, it’s just a matter of adding various technical elements to it. It is a very difficult, technical show.”
Senior Marie Beaty plays Doctor Maxine Mortimer. To prepare individually for the show, she tried to go in depth when building her character.
“You want to know your character backwards and forwards,” said Beaty.
Olifirowicz also tries to go beyond the script.
“I look for possible clues to see what their past might have been because you need to know the whole character,” said Olifirowicz.
For Olifirowicz, mastering her British accent was a struggle. She often gets her accent mixed up with either an Australian accent or a Cockney accent. She just recently got in trouble for saying “after” wrong.
“It’s a constant struggle,” said Olifirowicz.
Dispute challenges and difficulties, the cast finds the play rewarding. Beaty has found a chance to help mentor the underclassmen in the play, which has given her the opportunity to be a student and a teacher. Olifirowicz enjoys letting loose with the cast and having some fun with the script.
“So much hard work goes into it, and we don’t realize that it’s supposed to be fun. But when those [funny] moments come, it’s literally the best,” said Olifirowicz.
Tickets are $4 online and $5 at the door for students. Adult tickets are $6 online and $10 at the door. Show times run from Thursday through Friday at 7 PM, and Saturday at 2 PM and 7 PM.
