The 39 Steps to fast furious fun.
By Douglas Kennedy.
Brisbane’s Twelfth Night Theatre is the home of fast furious fun this week as the comic adaptation of Hitchcock’s The 39 Steps woos capacity audiences.
The Master of Suspense – Alfred Hitchcock – brought John Buchan’s much loved 1915 Boys’ Own story to the big screen in 1935, but it’s a stage version, featuring four actors playing more than 100 characters, that’s had three million theatre goers in more than 60 countries rolling in the aisles.
This remarkably resistant spy yarn works surprisingly well as a comic caper with actors Mike Smith, Anna Burgess, Sam Haft and Michael Linder creating some mind boggling routines under the direction of Terence O’Connell.
The story of falsely accused Canadian ex-pat, Richard Hannay (Smith), who finds himself on the run from gangsters, spies and the police, rattles along at a frantic pace with the minimum of sets and props.
Along the way there’s lot’s references of Hitchcock classics such as Rear Window and North by North West, but it’s the performances which keep the action alive.
This HIT production, originally seen last year, is only in Brisbane until Sunday, but it is definitely a must see show as Tuesday’s capacity audience can confirm.
The production, which played to a broad spectrum of ages and backgrounds, was extremely well received.
This is award winning fast paced comic theatre and its best.
