Stage 2 Dinner Theatre in Wichita Falls

Deanna Baran

Stage 2 Dinner Theatre in Wichita Falls

I’m always interested in a good mystery, so when I saw Stage 2 Dinner Theatre in Wichita Falls was performing Ken Ludwig’s “Baskerville”, I decided to buy a ticket and have a nice evening out.

Years ago, I had experienced a dinner theatre performance in a different building across the street. Now, however, they’ve re-acquired a new building that is entirely devoted to dinner theatre. The floor and first tier seating is sold by the table, intended for groups of two or four. The second tier of seating is for individuals. You choose both your performance date and your table.

There are three different kinds of tickets: one is the full dinner; one is the appetizer-and-dessert ticket; and one is just the show, with no food or drink. Because of the organization involved in arranging the catering, show-only tickets are only available for purchase after 10:30 a.m. on the day of the show, and people desiring refreshments need to purchase their tickets prior to noon of show day. Dinner included a spinach salad with tomatoes and ranch dressing, chips with artichoke dip and salsa, rolls and butter, chicken chasseur, scalloped potatoes, and green beans. Upon arrival, you could select your dessert from a series of options. Desserts were provided by the 1889 Cake & Coffee Bar at Nacol’s and were served with coffee at intermission. Wine was also available for purchase onsite from Horseshoe Bend Cellars and Winery. Charcuterie boards were available for ordering in advance.

Although I had read “The Hound of the Baskervilles” a long time ago, I did not know much about what to expect with tonight’s performance of “Baskerville.” The plot itself adhered relatively closely to the original Sir Arthur Conan Doyle story, with a few compressions and modifications. Sir Henry Baskerville was now a Texan in a cowboy hat with a six-shooter on his hip.

That was my first clue to help me realize how tongue-in-cheek it was, and despite its superficial faithfulness, it was definitely a comedy. And as the plot unfolded, I realized that there were 42 characters played by five actors. Ian Kirkpatrick was an excellent Sherlock Holmes. Chris Crow was Dr. Watson, our narrator, with a bit of a Scottish accent. That left 39 other characters (and many other accents!) to be divided between three people: Bethany Morgan, Max Trusler, and Nicole Rhoads, effortlessly keeping their characters lively and distinct. They were assisted behind the scenes (and sometimes in front of the scenes) by four quick change assistants, keeping the plot barreling along at a rapid pace. The digital screen gave “Baskerville” the luxury of 26 different scenes.

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