Review: TheatreWorks' 'The 39 Steps'

A steering wheel on the wrong side of the car. A fireplace that doesn't light up until the actor kicks it. Delayed sound effects. The audience laughing at the mess. But don't worry, it's all intentional.

This slapstick play by Patrick Barlow is an adaptation of the 1935 movie by Alfred Hitchcock, which, as it happens, was itself an adaptation of the 1915 novel by John Buchan. The event-driven narrative centers on Richard Hannay, an average bachelor living in London who accidentally finds himself in an extremely sticky web of international espionage, which sends him dodging both bullets and sheep in the moors of Scotland.

The now-hackneyed story may seem dull on paper, but throw in some cross-dressing, a few shadow puppets and a helpless blonde, and you'll find the impetus of the remake: complete and utter farce.

Once the tone of The 39 Steps is understood and embraced, even the most reluctant patrons will be slapping their knees. Really, it's that funny.

The floundering of the protagonist (played by a likable Mark Anderson Phillips) and the seductive female roles (all played by a versatile Rebecca Dines) are theatrically set upon the backdrop of, well, a theatrical set. The actors spontaneously grab what seem to be discarded theater props, while improvising with what seem to be minimal set changes. In truth, however, each and every footstep has been carefully plotted and remains in absolute synchronization with its environment.

It's the kinetic sideshow of the other two actors, Dan Hiatt and Cassidy Brown, that makes us laugh even more hysterically. They don't limit themselves to perfected pratfalls; instead, they juggle more wigs and accents than a highly caffeinated Dame Edna.

To be fair, the whimsy of the storyline does create occasional confusion, but it hardly detracts from the overall entertainment. At show's end, after seeing well over a hundred characters, you'll be stunned to see only four folks trot out on stage for curtain call.

Because of this insane amount of multitasking, throughout the performance one can expect a quick exit to be followed by an even quicker entrance, during which an out-of-control Scottish accent and/or spontaneous piece of facial hair may appear at will. In one scene, Hiatt and Brown actually change their characters a dozen times—on stage—depending on which hat they're wearing, before tossing their hats to each other and swapping characters entirely. What the audience receives from all this is guaranteed immunity from anything resembling boredom.

From the first moments of the show (with a cameo from a familiar silhouette) to the last, the characters learn vital life skills, such as how to remove your stockings tastefully when you're handcuffed to a stranger, or how to shimmy out of a chair when a corpse has fallen on your lap. A hefty number of lines and scenes are kept intact from the 1935 version, but some only in a manner of speaking: the iconic train ride, for example, is introduced by a toy train put-putting its way around the perimeter of the stage.

Where the play carves its own style is in the overt and cognizant role of the technical elements (like lighting and sound, for which the Broadway version of the production snatched a pair of Tony Awards). Intentionally dysfunctional fog machines and spotlights only remind audiences how vital tech crews are to theater—especially in the other 99 percent of productions, where their job is to go unnoticed.

Watching these four actors run their character relays is in itself a master class in flexibility, teamwork and organized chaos. It's easy to realize, beneath the noir motifs of the story, that this adaptation is in a sense paying due homage to the act of adaptation itself. Whether it be Hitchcock puns or just the sight of a lanky man in a dress, The 39 Steps doesn't just deliver—it delights.

TheatreWorks' 39 Steps runs until Feb. 20 at the Mountain View Center for the Performing Arts (a post-show discussion will be held with cast/staff on Wednesday, Feb. 9.) Tickets available here.