At the posting of the cast list for the University Theatre’s “The Hound of the Baskervilles,” University of Wisconsintheatergraduate VJ Wesley was excited to learn that, for his final role in a theater production at UW, he would take the stage to play Arthur Conan Doyle’s renowned character Sherlock Holmes.

However, Wesley’s excitement grew upon learning that Holmes’ right-hand man, Dr. John Watson, was cast to a long-time friend and fifth-year senior, Jacob Toll. 

“It’s funny. Jacob and I literally met the first day of college,” Wesley said. “We both lived in the same dorm, and who knew that four years later we would be sidekicks on stage? It was kind of welcoming that I knew who Watson was. It was very cool.” 

In the play, a hound causes terror for a royal family, and who else should be called to investigate a murder other than detective Holmes and his trusty sidekick, Watson? With rehearsals completed and performances underway, Toll and Wesley are both pleased with the results of the show thus far. 

“It has been a great experience for me,” Toll said. “It’s the largest role I’ve ever had and having the cast that we have, and crew, it has just been amazing.” 

At some points during rehearsals, both actors said the material started to feel old, but once the cast took to the stage, they found the spark that made the Sherlock Holmes stories successful. 

“In the middle of that month, when we’ve been going over the same lines every day with no sets, minimal props, no costume…It can start to feel repetitive, but as soon as we come on stage and costumes come out and lights are going, there’s just a huge re-up of energy,” he said.

Recently, the Sherlock Holmes stories have become popular in the entertainment industry. Between Guy Ritchie’s cinematic adaptation starringRobert Downey Jr. and Jude Law, CBS’s “Elementary” starringJonny Lee Miller and Lucy Liu and the BBC’s “Sherlock” starring Benedict Cumberbatch and Martin Freeman, which of these adaptations does the play most closely relate to? The answer: none of them. 

“The play is the opposite of what you’re seeing right now,” Wesley said. “Sherlock Holmes has been around for a long time. It’s the pinnacle of murder mysteries, and recently they have been trying to modernize it to make it more appealing to audiences.” 

This production is set between the two World Wars. Traditional period aspects of England are present. No cell phones or forms of modern technology are present, which many audiences have grown accustomed to seeing in the television series.

Toll agreed with Wesley, arguing his Watson in the play is especially different from the representations of the doctor in today’s productions. 

“When you look at the Jude Law, he’s the sexy, heroic type,”Toll said. “That’s a very modern take. They wanted to add some sex appeal. Lucy Liu, well that’s completely different. Even with Martin Freeman, he’s more soldier-esque and lament. The take that we are going with our production, Watson is just the goofy doctor sidekick that Sherlock brings along with him because he trusts his opinion and is someone that he can count on.” 

In addition to preparing for a Sherlock Holmes that returned to his roots, the cast also had to prepare for a Holmes story that didn’t include the usual 221 B. Baker Street setting. “The Hound of the Baskervilles,” set on the countryside moors of England, is different from the detective’s usual cases. 

“We are faced with this challenge of trying to convey to the audiences how creepy this place is. We’ve seen photos and film of the geography we are supposed to be in, and it’s pretty creepy stuff,” Wesley said. “The set designer did a really good job with conveying that, but now our job as the actors is to be frightened by the stuff happening out there.”

It was also important for Wesley and Toll to convey the powerful friendship between Holmes and Watson. However, for these two actors, who have hada strong friendship since their freshmen year, it was rather elementary.

“We don’t have to fake it on stage at all. We act like that anyways,” Toll said.

Both performers agreed the production of “The Hound of the Baskervilles” is a work of art at its finest. They also both said audiences would enjoy the opportunity to see an authentic adaptation of the renowned literary character.

When asked to describe the play in one sentence, both the performers silently sat in thought for two minutes, struggling to find words. Finally, Toll managed to find an ideal tagline.

“Has Sherlock Holmes bitten off more than he can chew”? 

For more information or to purchase tickets, visit the University Theatre’s website or the Box Office at East Campus Mall.