WHEN translating a story from one medium to another, sometimes it pays to rewrite the script.
Transposing John Buchan’s classic peacetime spy thriller from book to film was one step – masterfully done by Alfred Hitchcock – but moving it to the stage with a band of four actors playing 139 roles and mixing it with comedy was a bold move.
For those who haven’t read the book or seen the silver screen adaptations, the story revolves around bachelor Richard Hannay (Richard Ede, playing it straight) who gets caught up in a web of espionage and murder.
After a German spy gets killed at his central London flat, Hannay takes the train to Scotland to find the man who is going to sell secrets to foreign agents, and find out the meaning of the 39 Steps.
Taking a ridiculous stance to Hitchcock’s version, writer Patrick Barlow has turned suspense into slapstick.
The plot unfolds without missing a beat but the homages to the master of suspense – Bernard Herrman score, scenes straight out of North By Northwest, even a silhouette of his profile mimicking the director’s cameo signatures – become a distraction.
The other three cast members, Charlotte Peters, Tony Bell and Gary Mackay, move perfectly and seamlessly from one demanding and exhausting role to another.
But at times the high jinks seem tiresome and there were moments when the comedy felt forced in a short play.
However it was an interesting and amusing take on a timeless classic that would please fans of both the book and of Hitchcock.
- The 39 Steps is on at the Nuffield until Saturday.
- To book tickets for the show, click here
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