''The 39 Steps'' is a

parody A parody, also known as a spoof, a satire, a send-up, a take-off, a lampoon, a play on (something), or a caricature, is a creative work designed to imitate, comment on, and/or mock its subject by means of satiric or ironic imitation. Often its subj ...

adapted from the 1915 novel by

John Buchan John Buchan, 1st Baron Tweedsmuir (; 26 August 1875 – 11 February 1940) was a Scottish novelist, historian, and Unionist politician who served as Governor General of Canada, the 15th since Canadian Confederation. After a brief legal career ...

and the 1935 film by

Alfred Hitchcock Sir Alfred Joseph Hitchcock (13 August 1899 – 29 April 1980) was an English filmmaker. He is widely regarded as one of the most influential figures in the history of cinema. In a career spanning six decades, he directed over 50 featur ...

. The original concept and production of a four-actor version of the story was by

Simon Corble Simon Corble is an English playwright, director and performer. He is the great nephew of Archibald Corble, the British fencer. He grew up in rural Oxfordshire, the son of a country vicar. The family moved north in 1974, and at the age of sixt ...

and Nobby Dimon.

Patrick Barlow Evan George Patrick Barlow (born 18 March 1947) is an English actor, comedian and playwright. His comedic alter ego, ''Desmond Olivier Dingle'', is the founder, artistic director and chief executive of the two-man National Theatre of Brent, whi ...

rewrote this adaptation in 2005. The play's concept calls for the entirety of the 1935 adventure film '' The 39 Steps'' to be performed with a cast of only four. One actor plays the hero, Richard Hannay, an actress (or sometimes actor) plays the three women with whom he has romantic entanglements, and two other actors play every other character in the show: heroes, villains, men, women, children and even the occasional inanimate object. This often requires lightning-fast quick-changes and occasionally for them to play multiple characters at once. Thus the film's serious spy story is played mainly for laughs, and the script is full of allusions to (and puns on the titles of) other Alfred Hitchcock films, including '' Strangers on a Train'', ''

Rear Window ''Rear Window'' is a 1954 American mystery thriller film directed by Alfred Hitchcock and written by John Michael Hayes based on Cornell Woolrich's 1942 short story "It Had to Be Murder". Originally released by Paramount Pictures, the film st ...

'', '' Psycho'', ''

Vertigo Vertigo is a condition where a person has the sensation of movement or of surrounding objects moving when they are not. Often it feels like a spinning or swaying movement. This may be associated with nausea, vomiting, sweating, or difficulties w ...

'' and ''

North by Northwest ''North by Northwest'' is a 1959 American spy thriller film, produced and directed by Alfred Hitchcock and starring Cary Grant, Eva Marie Saint and James Mason. The screenplay was by Ernest Lehman, who wanted to write "the Hitchcock picture to ...

''.

Production history

The first version of the play written by

and Nobby Dimon for a cast of four actors and funded by a £1,000 Yorkshire Arts Grant, premiered in 1995 before an audience of 90 people at the

Georgian Theatre Royal The Georgian Theatre Royal is a theatre and historic Georgian playhouse in the market town of Richmond, North Yorkshire, England. It is among the oldest of Britain's extant theatres. It was built in 1788 by the actor-manager Samuel Butler (1 ...

Richmond Richmond most often refers to: * Richmond, Virginia, the capital of Virginia, United States * Richmond, London, a part of London * Richmond, North Yorkshire, a town in England * Richmond, British Columbia, a city in Canada * Richmond, California, ...

North Yorkshire North Yorkshire is the largest ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county (lieutenancy area) in England, covering an area of . Around 40% of the county is covered by National parks of the United Kingdom, national parks, including most of ...

, before embarking on a tour of village halls across the north of England. In 2005 Patrick Barlow rewrote the script, keeping the scenes, staging and small-scale feel, and on June 17, 2005, this re-adaptation premiered at the

West Yorkshire Playhouse Leeds Playhouse is a theatre in the city centre of Leeds, West Yorkshire. Having originally opened in 1970 in a different location in Leeds, it reopened as West Yorkshire Playhouse, on Quarry Hill, in March 1990. After a refurbishment in 2018-20 ...

, directed by Fiona Buffini and designed by

Peter McKintosh Peter McKintosh is a British theatre set and costume designer. Background He obtained a degree in Theatre Studies at the University of Warwick and then trained at the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School. His work as an assistant to Mark Thompso ...

. The featured actors were Robert Whitelock, Lisa Jackson, Simon Gregor and Mark Hadfield.

Maria Aitken Maria Penelope Katharine Aitken (born 12 September 1945) is an English theatre director, teacher, actress, and writer. Early life and career Aitken was born in Dublin, Republic of Ireland, Ireland, the daughter of William Aitken (politician), ...

directed the revised production in its London premiere at the

Tricycle Theatre The Kiln Theatre (formerly the Tricycle Theatre) is a theatre located in Kilburn, in the London Borough of Brent, England. Since 1980, the theatre has presented a wide range of plays reflecting the cultural diversity of the area, as well as ...

(London), which opened on 10 August 2006 titled ''

's The 39 Steps''. The cast for the London premiere comprised

Rupert Degas Rupert Joel Degas (born 17 August 1970) is an Anglo-Australian actor. He is best known for his voice work in animation and audiobooks. Since the 1980s, he has worked in audiobooks, film, podcasts, radio productions, television, theatre, and vid ...

, Charles Edwards, Simon Gregor and

Catherine McCormack Catherine Jane McCormack (born 3 April 1972) is an English actress of stage and screen. Her film appearances include ''Braveheart'' (1995), ''The Land Girls'' (1998), ''Dangerous Beauty'' (1998), ''Dancing at Lughnasa'' (1998), ''Spy Game'' (20 ...

, again with designs by

. The production transferred to the

Criterion Theatre The Criterion Theatre is a West End theatre at Piccadilly Circus in the City of Westminster, and is a Grade II* listed building. It has a seating capacity of 588. Building the theatre In 1870, the caterers Spiers and Pond began development ...

in London's West End in September 2006. ''The 39 Steps'' closed on 5 September 2015 after 9 years in the West End, making it the fifth longest running play in West End history. On 27 August 2008 a Spanish production opened at Maravillas Theatre in Madrid directed by Eduardo Bazo and starring Gabino Diego, Jorge de Juan, Diego Molero and Patricia Conde (later replaced by Beatriz Rico).

United States premiere

The play premiered the U.S. at the Boston University Theatre, by the

Huntington Theatre Company The Huntington Theatre Company is a professional theatre located in Boston, Massachusetts and the recipient of the 2013 Regional Theatre Tony Award, under the direction of Managing Director Michael Maso. It is notable for its longstanding artist ...

, in

Boston Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...

on 19 September 2007. Billed as ''Alfred Hitchcock's The 39 Steps'', it opened on

Broadway Broadway may refer to: Theatre * Broadway Theatre (disambiguation) * Broadway theatre, theatrical productions in professional theatres near Broadway, Manhattan, New York City, U.S. ** Broadway (Manhattan), the street **Broadway Theatre (53rd Stree ...

in a

Roundabout Theatre The Roundabout Theatre Company is a leading non-profit theatre company based in Midtown Manhattan, New York City, affiliated with the League of Resident Theatres. History The company was founded in 1965 by Gene Feist, Michael Fried and Elizab ...

production at the

American Airlines Theatre The American Airlines Theatre, originally the Selwyn Theatre, is a Broadway theater at 227 West 42nd Street in the Theater District of Midtown Manhattan in New York City. Built in 1918, it was designed by George Keister and developed by brothe ...

, with previews beginning on 4 January 2008 and the official opening on 15 January 2008. The initial run concluded on 29 March 2008 and transferred to the

Cort Theatre The James Earl Jones Theatre, originally the Cort Theatre, is a Broadway theater at 138 West 48th Street, between Seventh Avenue and Sixth Avenue, in the Theater District of Midtown Manhattan in New York City, United States. It was built in ...

on 29 April 2008 and then transferred to the

Helen Hayes Theatre The Hayes Theater (formerly the Little Theatre, New York Times Hall, Winthrop Ames Theatre, and Helen Hayes Theatre) is a Broadway theater at 240 West 44th Street in the Theater District of Midtown Manhattan in New York City. Named for actress ...

on 21 January 2009. Aitken also directed the United States productions, with McKintosh designing, and Edwards transferred to these productions as Richard Hannay, the only actor from the UK cast to do so. The other actors in the premiere US productions were

Jennifer Ferrin Jennifer Ferrin (born February 25, 1979) is an American actress. Early life and education Ferrin was born in Lawrenceville, Georgia. She attended Brookwood High where she was the lead in many high school plays and was a member of the choir. Up ...

, Arnie Burton and Cliff Saunders. Edwards concluded his run on 6 July 2008 and

Sam Robards Samuel Prideaux Robards (born December 16, 1961) is an American actor, best known for his role as Henry Swinton in the film ''A.I. Artificial Intelligence''. Early life and education Robards was born in New York City, the son of actor Jason Roba ...

took over the role of Richard Hannay. Jeffrey Kuhn and Francesca Faridany joined the cast on 28 October 2008. In December 2008 it was announced that

Sean Mahon Seán Mahon is an Irish stage and screen actor. He is known for playing Nicky Giblin in the Broadway production of '' The Seafarer'', Richard Hannay in the Broadway production of ''The 39 Steps'' and Michael Hess (the lost son) in the award-winni ...

would take over the role of Richard Hannay. The show had its final Broadway performance on 10 January 2010 after 771 performances, "the longest-running Broadway play in seven years" (according to the writer for Playbill.com). ''The 39 Steps'' transferred to the

off-Broadway An off-Broadway theatre is any professional theatre venue in New York City with a seating capacity between 100 and 499, inclusive. These theatres are smaller than Broadway theatres, but larger than off-off-Broadway theatres, which seat fewer tha ...

venue

New World Stages New World Stages is a five-theater, Off-Broadway performing arts complex in the Hell's Kitchen neighborhood of Manhattan in New York City. It is between 49th and 50th Streets beneath the plaza of the Worldwide Plaza complex at Eighth Avenue. ...

, reopening on 25 March 2010. On 1 April 2015, performances of the play, subtly retitled "39 Steps", resumed at the

Union Square Theatre Union Square Theatre was the name of two different theatres near Union Square, Manhattan, New York City. The first was a Broadway theatre that opened in 1870, was converted into a cinema in 1921 and closed in 1936.(8 October 1921)Two landmarks to ...

with the entire original creative team, and starring Robert Petkoff as Hannay, Brittany Vicars as the women, Billy Carter as Man #1. Arnie Burton resumed his long-running stint as Man #2; a role he continued until the 'clock' for his tenure reached 1000 performances on 28 September 2015. Mark Cameron Pow replaced Arnie Burton in the role and the production continued performances until 3 January 2016, when the theatre and building were closed for repurposing of the building into creative office space and high-end retail. This production, produced by Douglas Denoff, ran 317 performances to 61,590 ticket holders ranging in age from 5 years to 103, and each received a trademark red nose in honor of the plays' branding "Hitchcock Made Hilarious". A Broadway return for this production is anticipated in 2018–2019.

Awards

The play won the

Olivier Award The Laurence Olivier Awards, or simply the Olivier Awards, are presented annually by the Society of London Theatre to recognise excellence in professional theatre in London at an annual ceremony in the capital. The awards were originally known as ...

for ''Best Comedy in 2007'' and the What's On Stage Award for ''Best Comedy 2007''. The 2008 Roundabout Broadway production won the 2008

Drama Desk Award The Drama Desk Award is an annual prize recognizing excellence in New York theatre. First bestowed in 1955 as the Vernon Rice Award, the prize initially honored Off-Broadway productions, as well as Off-off-Broadway, and those in the vicinity. Fo ...

for Unique Theatrical Experience and Outstanding Lighting Design (Kevin Adams). It won two

Tony Award The Antoinette Perry Award for Excellence in Broadway Theatre, more commonly known as the Tony Award, recognizes excellence in live Broadway theatre. The awards are presented by the American Theatre Wing and The Broadway League at an annual cer ...

s on 15 June 2008 for Best Lighting Design in a Play and Best Sound Design. It was nominated for four other Tonys: Best Play, Best Direction of a Play (

), Best Scenic Design of a Play (

) and Best Costume Design of a Play (

Film references & production notes

The play shares the plot and characters with the film. However, the play is a more comic treatment of the story, in the style of

Monty Python Monty Python (also collectively known as the Pythons) were a British comedy troupe who created the sketch comedy television show '' Monty Python's Flying Circus'', which first aired on the BBC in 1969. Forty-five episodes were made over four ...

and Barlow's own

National Theatre of Brent The National Theatre of Brent is a British comedy double act, in the form of a mock two-man theatre troupe. Patrick Barlow plays Desmond Olivier Dingle, the troupe's founder, artistic director and chief executive. The role of his assistant (or a ...

, compared to the original and more serious film. The play incorporates references and use of music excerpts from other Hitchcock films. The cast of four actors portrays between 100 and 150 roles, including actors doubling parts within the same scene. The quick, comic changes are reminiscent of

Charles Ludlam Charles Braun Ludlam (April 12, 1943 – May 28, 1987) was an American actor, director, and playwright. Biography Early life Ludlam was born in Floral Park, New York, the son of Marjorie (née Braun) and Joseph William Ludlam. He was raise ...

's ''

The Mystery of Irma Vep ''The Mystery of Irma Vep'' is a play in three acts by Charles Ludlam. It is a satire of several theatrical, literary and film genres, including Victorian melodrama, farce, the penny dreadful, ''Wuthering Heights'' and the Alfred Hitchcock ...

''. The actress playing Annabella Schmidt also plays the two other romantic females, Pamela and Margaret, while the two clowns play nearly all the other roles. The part of Richard Hannay is the only one where the actor does not double in another role in the play.

Roles

Productions

Apart from the transfers to London and Broadway, this lists only the first production in a country. * 2005, Leeds –

* 2006, London –

* 2006, London West End –

* 2007, Boston –

Huntington Theatre The Huntington Theatre Company is a professional theatre located in Boston, Massachusetts and the recipient of the 2013 Regional Theatre Tony Award, under the direction of Managing Director Michael Maso. It is notable for its longstanding artist ...

* 2008, New York City, Broadway –

* 2008, Melbourne – Playhouse,

Victorian Arts Centre Arts Centre Melbourne, originally known as the Victorian Arts Centre and briefly called the Arts Centre, is a performing arts centre consisting of a complex of theatres and concert halls in the Melbourne Arts Precinct, located in the central ...

(

Melbourne Theatre Company The Melbourne Theatre Company is a theatre company based in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. Founded in 1953 as the Union Theatre Repertory Company at the Union Theatre at the University of Melbourne, it is the oldest professional theatre compa ...

) * 2008, Aachen – Grenzlandttheater, first performance in German * 2008, Tel Aviv –

Habima Theatre The Habima Theatre ( he, תיאטרון הבימה ''Te'atron HaBima'', lit. "The Stage Theatre") is the List of national theatres, national theatre of Israel and one of the first Hebrew language theatres. It is located in Habima Square in the ce ...

, in Hebrew * 2008, Hong Kong – Lyric Theatre,

Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts The Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts (HKAPA) (Chinese: 香港演藝學院) is a provider of tertiary education in Hong Kong. Located near the north coast of Wan Chai on Hong Kong Island, the main campus also functions as a venue for pe ...

* 2008, Mexico City – Ramiro Jiménez Theatre * 2008, Athens – Knossos Theatre, Greek adaptation * 2008, Madrid – Maravillas Theatre, in Spanish * 2008, Turku –

Åbo Svenska Teater Åbo Svenska Teater ( fi, Turun ruotsalainen teatteri) is a Finland-Swedish theatre in the city of Turku in Finland and the oldest theatre in the country, founded in 1839. The building itself is also the oldest still functioning theatre house in F ...

, in Swedish * 2008, Tampere – Komediateatteri, in Finnish * 2009, Paris – Paris théâtre Labruyere * 2009, South Korea – Sejong Arts Center * 2009, Wellington – Circa Theatre * 2009, Warsaw, Poland – Teatr Komedia (in Polish) * 2010, Gananoque, Ontario –

The Thousand Islands Playhouse The Thousand Islands Playhouse is a summer theatre company located in Gananoque, Ontario, Gananoque, Ontario, Canada. It was founded in 1981 by Greg Wanless and a group of local actors and graduates from Queen's University at Kingston, Queen's Uni ...

(Canadian Premiere) * 2010, Buenos Aires, Argentina – Teatro Piccadilly * 2010, São Paulo, Brazil – Teatro Frei Caneca * 2011, Makati City, Philippines-Greenbelt, Ayala Center * 2011, Montevideo, Uruguay – Gran Teatro Metro * 2011, Barcelona, Spain – Teatre Capitol * 2012, Shanghai, China,

Shanghai American School Shanghai American School (SAS) is an independent, Non-profit international school located in Shanghai, China. Founded in 1912, SAS has two campuses and over 2,800 students enrolled in Pre-K through 12th grade, making it China's largest internatio ...

* 2012, Dubai, United Arab Emirates ackstage Theatre Group* 2013, Stockholm, Sweden – Intiman theatre * 2013, Nuremberg, Germany – Staatstheater, in German * 2015, Halifax, Nova Scotia – Neptune Theatre * 2015, Kincardine, Ontario- Bluewater Summer Playhouse * 2015 American Stage St Petersburg, Florida * 2017, Alley Theatre, Houston, Texas * 2017, The Lake Charles Little Theatre, Lake Charles, Louisiana, starring Clay Hebert and Alex Landry. * 2017, Oakhill College, Castle Hill, Sydney * 2017, Alberta, Calgary, Vertigo Theater * 2018, Springfield Little Theatre, Springfield, Missouri * 2019, Muskegon Civic Theater, Muskegon, Michigan * 2019, Costa Mesa Playhouse, Costa Mesa, California * 2020, Uxbridge Music Hall, Uxbridge, Ontario * 2022, St. Lawrence Shakespeare Festival, Prescott, Ontario

Awards and nominations

; Awards * 2007

Laurence Olivier Award The Laurence Olivier Awards, or simply the Olivier Awards, are presented annually by the Society of London Theatre to recognise excellence in professional theatre in London at an annual ceremony in the capital. The awards were originally known as ...

for Best New Comedy * 2008 Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Lighting Design (Kevin Adams) * 2008

Drama Desk Award for Unique Theatrical Experience The Drama Desk Award for Unique Theatrical Experience is an annual award presented by Drama Desk in recognition of achievements in the theatre among Broadway, Off Broadway and Off-Off Broadway productions. Due to their unusual nature, these product ...

* 2008

Tony Award for Best Lighting Design in a Play This is a list of winners and nominations for the Tony Award for Best Lighting Design in a Play for outstanding Lighting design of a play. The award was first presented in 2005 after the category of Best Lighting Design was divided into Lighting D ...

(Kevin Adams) * 2008 Tony Award for Best Sound Design of a Play (Mic Pool) * 2009

Helpmann Award for Best Regional Touring Production __NOTOC__ The Helpmann Award for Best Regional Touring Production is an award, presented by Live Performance Australia at the annual Helpmann Awards since 2007. The award recognises excellence in a production which has toured in the last thr ...

* 2009 Molière France Best Comedy ; Nominations * 2008

Tony Award for Best Play The Tony Award for Best Play (formally, the Antoinette Perry Award for Excellence in Theatre) is an annual award given to the best new (non- musical) play on Broadway, as determined by Tony Award voters. There was no award in the Tonys' first year ...

* 2008

Tony Award for Best Direction of a Play The Tony Award for Best Direction of a Play has been given since 1960. Before 1960 there was only one award for both play direction and musical direction, then in 1960 the award was split into two categories: ''Dramatic'' and ''Musical''. In 1976 ...

(Maria Aitken) * 2008 Tony Award for Best Scenic Design of a Play (

) * 2008 Tony Award for Best Costume Design of a Play (Peter McKintosh) * 2008 Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Sound Design (Mic Pool) * 2009 Molière France révélation Actress Andrea Bescond * 2009 Molière France Best Director Métayer Éric * 2009 Molière France Best adaptation Gerald Sibleyras

References

External links

*
Broadway website
* {{DEFAULTSORT:39 Steps 2006 plays Broadway plays Comedy plays John Buchan Laurence Olivier Award-winning plays Off-Broadway plays Plays based on films Plays based on novels Plays set in the 1930s Plays set in London Plays set in Scotland West End plays