A feat of theatrical endurance

David Michaels as Richard Hannay

Image: Pete Jones

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Review

'The 39 Steps' by John Buchan, adapted by Patrick Barlow

‘The 39 Steps’, based on the famous 1915 novel by John Buchan and subsequent 1935 film by Alfred Hitchcock, was first aired on stage in 2005 and has since won the Olivier Award for Best New Comedy. It tells the classic tale of an innocent man accused of murder and fleeing across the Highlands in a bid to foil a dastardly plot by spies and to clear his name.

The main comic drive behind this play is that it consists of only 4 actors playing what the production claims is 139 characters, and it aims to evoke all the famous scenes from the Hitchcock movie—including an escape on the Forth Rail Bridge and a trek through the Highlands—on the humble Kings Theatre stage.

The main protagonist Richard Hannay (David Michaels) very much becomes the part of dashing hero – a hero of the kind who is inevitably landed in trouble because of the beautiful women (Clare Swinburne) he happens across. When a mysterious German lady begs for shelter and protection, he hears of an organisation called The 39 Steps. Secret information is to be smuggled out of the country within the next few days. When she is murdered he flees to Scotland, pursued by both police and dangerous spies. The race is on.

The two actors in charge of every other male role, however, steal the show. Colin Mace and Alan Perrin play characters ranging from policemen to newspaper vendors to hotel managers, delighting the audience as they portray up to four characters in the same scene. The effect of this is as much a physical display of strength and stamina as mere acting. Similarly, the quick set transformations are suitably slick, contributing to the humour and delight of the performance, as well as providing some genuine thrills and tension.

There is a great sense of timing and energy throughout the cast, and the sense of fun is in no way reduced by the impression that this is a feat of theatrical endurance as much as a play in its own right.

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