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Dave Johnson has experienced excitement through numerous stage-based entities, but Lantern Theater Co. has emerged as his coveted confines, owing to his overseers’ emphasis on offering intimate inspections of the human condition. Acknowledging the need for laughter to have its say, the 35-year-old is teaming with the site for the sixth time for what the location has dubbed “a zany makeover” of “The Hound of the Baskervilles.”
“I found it immediately funny on the page,” the Dickinson Square West inhabitant said from St. Stephen’s Theater, which is hosting the production through Sunday, of the take on Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s beloved Sherlock Holmes caper. “What’s been especially important is casting the audience and including them in the clowning and the goofiness.”
Johnson is enjoying a jovial run along with director Matt Pfeiffer and co-stars Daniel Fredrick and Damon Bonetti, the first two also calling South Philly home and the final member dubbing himself a former local denizen. Like his peers, the enthusiastic hire is helming multiple roles, with Dr. John H. Watson as his chief charge.
“This is my home in many respects, and the relationships keep growing stronger because of the great work available,” he said of reveling in the show’s month-long “cheeky and fast-paced” treatment of the classic. “This is a wonderful project, particularly because of the comedic qualities, which are really instructional.”
Johnson has honed in on the humorous components in part because of his stand-up comedian identity and on account of his awareness that the proper execution of amusing material demands excellent timing and consideration of patrons’ preferences. Also a member of the highly renowned trio The Berserker Residents, which dedicates itself to “original works of alternative comedy with a pop-comic aesthetic,” he values each chance to gauge crowds’ reactions, with there being no mystery to how much that matters for “The Hound of the Baskervilles.”
“We’re constantly analyzing how well everything goes over,” Johnson divulged, noting an instance where he and Bonetti responded to reactions to puns by jokingly saying many more would be coming. “I have sort of taken the lead in looking at our pace and our delivery, and that’s important because I’ve done drama and know it pretty well, but comedy is a whole different ballgame.”
The performer added that featuring mistakes and not looking to conceal them proves a precious element of mirthful works, especially ones such as his current task in which costume changes abound. He definitely deems the vulnerability valuable and appreciates that Lantern yet again has trusted him to triumph.
“It’s one of the best places to work because of the power behind each production,” Johnson said. “It’s where I’ve enjoyed my greatest success and a place where you can take chances because the people believe in you.”
The nine-month South Philadelphian matured as a Maryland resident whose initial theatrical interest centered on assisting productions rather than acting in them.
“I remember struggling to remember my lines and not feeling as if I were having much fun,” Johnson said of an eighth-grade experience. “I had this thought that something could come from me standing on a stage, but I wasn’t sure what.”
High school bore more answers, with the budding thespian acquiring confidence not only in his memory but also his receptivity to what the theater field could yield. With little knowledge of Philadelphia, he chose the metropolis as his educational haven, making the University of the Arts the only school to which he applied.
“It was such a great time to be there, and I loved it,” Johnson said of the institution. “It ended up helping me to score my first huge break, too.”
The Center City facility hosted auditions for Enchantment Theatre Co., which secured his services for a six-month tour of “The Snow Queen.” Upon the expedition’s conclusion, he knew he would remain a performer but lacked certainty on where he would mature.
“I contemplated a few places, but, in the end, I didn’t want to be lonely,” Johnson confessed. “I met great people here, and that was that.”
Referring to himself as akin to a new puppy whom everyone adores, the actor nabbed consistent work early on, with the now-defunct Mum Puppettheatre a priceless ally. A lull came after the brainchild folded, but Johnson has come to count himself as a blessed professional, with The Arden Theatre Co., through whom he earned a Barrymore Award nomination for last year’s “Sideways Stories from Wayside School,” Commonwealth Classic Theatre Co., Interact Theatre Co., People’s Light & Theatre Co., The Philadelphia Artists’ Collective, Theatre Exile, Theatre Horizon and The Wilma Theater granting his gregarious nature moments to marvel. Domestic delight has found him, too, as he and wife Genevieve Perrier, also a theater figure, recently became parents.
“There’s a ton to look forward to on all fronts, especially through fatherhood,” Johnson observed.
That progressive thinking will surely result in a stellar late summer FringeArts Festival presentation through the Berserkers, whom, he noted, are seeking an available classroom for their school-heavy concept, and a great early fall offering of “Shipwrecked” for the Walnut Street Theatre.
“I’m at a point where I’m looking for a bit more out of everything,” Johnson said, noting that “The Hound of the Baskervilles” is an initial step because it is not the sort of role that he would usually play. “‘What’s next?’ is a question that I like pondering.”
For tickets, call 215-829-0395, or visit lanterntheater.org.
Contact Managing Editor Joseph Myers at jmyers@southphillyreview.com or ext. 124.
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