The 39 Steps
Tour - Oxford Playhouse
Like The Mousetrap, The 39 Steps seems to be withstanding the test of time, now that it is in its 6th year in the West End. Yet watching the current touring production I feel that the play is just a one-trick pony. This is a spoof on John Buchan's book and Alfred Hichcock's classic film. A cast of four tells the story about Richard Hannay being pursued by the law as he endeavors to stop a conspiracy that would undermine Britain in the upcoming Second World War; all of this goes on within an hour and thirty minutes. The actors play a multitude of characters whilst poking fun at Hitchcock and his films. However the production does use tricks that I have seen before in other productions without introducing anything new or clever. I was merely chuckling along.
That said, the efforts of the cast must not be ignored. My favourites would have to be the two supporting actors. It is enjoyable to watch Tony Bell and Gary Mackay alternate amongst the majority of the characters in the play, including policemen, train passengers, paperboys, and the occasional female role. Richard Ede is the embodiment of the stiff upper lip. When he is not being hunted down, he is a boisterous and gallant Richard Hannay. Charlotte Peters plays all the love interests that Richard meets during his adventurous, from an enigmatic spy, Annabella Schmidt, to the reluctant lover, Pamela.
The set design consists of a theatre-within-a-theatre, with boxes on either side of the stage. The rest of the set consists of a brick-walled backstage area. Against this sparse backdrop the cast recreate scenes including the Forth Railway Bridge and the plane chase, using all sorts of props and occasionally some shadow puppetry. Despite my reservations, the gags that the cast create using the set would have to be the funniest of the play. Otherwise, if you have not seen shows like The Complete Works of Shakespeare (Abridged) then you should enjoy this immensely. I myself find The 39 Steps to be a rather average, and at times gimmicky, production. It is only because of the acting and set that I will give this production a Bargain.
That said, the efforts of the cast must not be ignored. My favourites would have to be the two supporting actors. It is enjoyable to watch Tony Bell and Gary Mackay alternate amongst the majority of the characters in the play, including policemen, train passengers, paperboys, and the occasional female role. Richard Ede is the embodiment of the stiff upper lip. When he is not being hunted down, he is a boisterous and gallant Richard Hannay. Charlotte Peters plays all the love interests that Richard meets during his adventurous, from an enigmatic spy, Annabella Schmidt, to the reluctant lover, Pamela.
The set design consists of a theatre-within-a-theatre, with boxes on either side of the stage. The rest of the set consists of a brick-walled backstage area. Against this sparse backdrop the cast recreate scenes including the Forth Railway Bridge and the plane chase, using all sorts of props and occasionally some shadow puppetry. Despite my reservations, the gags that the cast create using the set would have to be the funniest of the play. Otherwise, if you have not seen shows like The Complete Works of Shakespeare (Abridged) then you should enjoy this immensely. I myself find The 39 Steps to be a rather average, and at times gimmicky, production. It is only because of the acting and set that I will give this production a Bargain.
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