The 39 Steps

British Playwright Patrick Barlow has a penchant for always challenging actors and with his company, The National Theatre of Brent, has even staged The Ring Cycle…with a cast of three. In fact, he and his company have overcome several similar apparent impossibilities, creating small-cast works in which, in his words, they have played “fifty Valkyries, ten thousand Zulus, the entire population of Nazareth and a million marauding Russians”.

Following on from an earlier idea by Yorkshire writers Simon Corble and Nobby Dimon, Barlow’s stage adaptation of the Alfred Hitchcock movie version of John Buchan’s book The 39 Steps must surely have been a challenge too, but once again, Barlow has been successful.

Now, after charging across the Scottish Moors on stages across the world, Richard Hannay is continuing his wild and desperate flight from evil, turning up at the Adelaide Festival Centre’s Dunstan Playhouse in a State Theatre SA production of Barlow’s play, directed by Jon Halpin.

Laced with Hitchcock references and based on the original thriller, the storyline focuses on hapless fugitive Hannay as he gets mixed up with espionage, intrigue and even love while attempting to solve the intriguing puzzle of The 39 Steps. All the while, he must keep one step ahead of the police, evil killers and possible identification through obsessive media coverage.

Tongue firmly planted in cheek, playwright Barlow has us in the palm of his hand. He has four professional actors running about playing amateurs who create multiple hilarious characters and total mayhem as they attempt to put on a play about a movie that is clearly almost impossible to recreate on stage. We are therefore left laughing at the sheer absurdity of it all and marveling at the slapstick humour, silliness, wonderful physical comedy and the ‘makeshift’ props, sets and effects.

Nathan Page has himself escaped mysterious circumstances, namely from his leading role in TV’s Miss Fisher’s Murder Mysteries, only to be consumed by deadly plots once more in his role in this play. As Richard Hannay, Page is the only actor playing a single character, essentially the straight man.  This he does extremely well and his deadpan ‘stiff upper lip’ hero is wonderful.

The three remaining actors are Anna Steen (as Anabella Schmidt, Scottish lass Margaret and love interest Pamela Edwards), Charles Mayer (as The Others) and Tim Overton (as The Other Others).

Tim Overton (Adelaide Festival’s The Young King) is superb; hilariously funny, with brilliant comic timing in his multiple roles, particularly as the wife of a Scottish hotel proprietor and as Mr. Memory. Overton’s performance is a standout for me.

Charles Mayer (STC’s The Popular Mechanicals) is fantastic in his myriad roles and is very funny, especially when a Scotsman and wearing a kilt. His multiple costume and character changes are extremely well done and a delight. Another fine performance.

Anna Steen (STC’s The Importance of Being Earnest) is very good in her various roles, bringing strong physical comedy to Annabella Schmidt and Scottish wife Margaret, together with embodying an ideal sweet heroine as Pamela Edwards.

Set, costumes, lighting, effects and sound are integral to atmospherics and to pulling off this play well, with just the right dose of professional ‘amateurism’ where needed. Working with settings ranging from a theatre, a train, an apartment, the Scottish Moors, a hotel and more, Ailsa Paterson’s set and costume design, Geoff Cobham’s lighting, and composer Stuart Day’s score are very fine. Shadow silhouettes play a role and, as in all his works, Hitchcock is briefly there, too, so watch out for him.

However, perhaps the Dunstan Playhouse’s sightline issues could have been better taken into account, especially as the play is set across the full width and much of the depth of the stage. Those seated in side-seating, where I was for this play, were prevented from seeing some of the action as sightlines there are not good.

While I wasn’t left exhausted by laughter as I was following another of STC’S ‘amateurs restaging a well-known story’ comedies, fast-paced and hilarious The Popular Mechanicals, I still enjoyed this production. Key scenes from the original movie are reproduced, so audiences should be armed with some knowledge about the original book and movie, as it enhances the fun of this spoof.

Lesley Reed

Photographer: Shane Reid