New Vic Theatre – The Hound of the Baskervilles – to 14th March 2026

The New Vic Theatre – The Hound of the Baskervilles

Written by Arthur Conan Doyle – adapted for stage by Steven Canny and John Nicholson and Directed by Joyce Branagh

Fabulous photographs courtesy of Andrew Billington

Here is my review …. Jane Lythgoe for Hitmix Radio ….

Having visited the New Vic to Chat to Alyce Liburd and Tom Richardson about ’The Hound of the Baskervilles’ earlier in the day, I was in the zone and ready to be entertained, spurred on by the obvious passion and love for the play which was apparent in both of them.  And as always, I was amazed by the way the two lovely, easy to chat to individuals turned into their characters on stage …the feminine little Alyce turned into a very convincing man ….  I know …. It’s acting …It’s called talent!

Here is my chat with them … it is a lovely listen!!  ….

On the New Vic Website it claims ‘Mystery, misdirection and mayhem – a fiendishly funny whodunit’ …. It’s all of that and more in absolute abundance.  The comedy starts immediately with a ‘cut’ and some stage direction – a play within a play – very clever.  Witty dialogue combines with slapstick, fantastic facial expressions, telling glances, timely pauses, inuendo, the Cha-Cha Slide and general silliness – every aspect of ‘funny’ was exploited and I did laugh out loud on many occasions.

Alex Phelps was the only one of the actors who was new to The New Vic and he did a splendid job – as well as playing the title character, he was moving between roles with speed and skill and never missing a beat – he was particularly lovely, and very funny, as Cecille a character which he threw himself into with obvious passion and delight.

Not forgetting Jerone Marsh-Reid, the fourth cast member, who appeared to be part of the stage crew … but he definitely had his share of comedy and did it very well.

With a lovely set made inhouse by the New Vic Workshop, fabulous costumes made inhouse by the New Vic Costume Department and the New Vic Technical Team operating the sound and lighting – plus very talented off stage creative teams, The New Vic is a real family affair – and the actors always want to come back for more!

In this play, the onstage rapport and camaraderie, as well as the obvious respect and admiration the actors have for each other is very apparent on stage.  Alyce and Tom had talked about how they try not to look each other directly in the eye for fear of being overcome by the giggles, and it is obvious why.

A comfortable 5 Stars for this production which is easy to watch, and despite the intricacies of the multiple characters and costume changes, it’s very easy to follow, and more importantly an absolute hoot from start to finish!

For more information or to book tickets go to the New Vic website … newvictheatre.org.uk  …… but don’t miss it – The Hound of the Baskervilles – you have until 14^th March!