THE 39 STEPS Returns to the Dunstan Playhouse

Three years since it first wooed audiences and smashed every box office record in State Theatre Company South Australia's history, farcical comedy The 39 Steps is returning to the Dunstan Playhouse - but not for long.

Featuring the stellar original cast, including TV favourite Nathan Page, the theatrical mash-up of John Buchan's original novel and Alfred Hitchcock's legendary film will have a two week season at the playhouse before heading to Mt Gambier, Canberra and Wollongong.

On a striking, ever-changing set from resident designer Ailsa Paterson, audiences will travel from a West End theatre in London to the moors of Scotland as Page, Anna Steen (Sense and Sensibility), Tim Overton and Charles Mayer (The Popular Mechanicals) navigate 139 roles in 100 madcap minutes.

Page (Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries, The Hunting) will return to his starring role of Richard Hannay, a debonair international spy who finds himself at the centre of a seemingly unsolvable mystery that turns into a dangerous global game of cat-and-mouse.

Based on an original concept by Simon Corble and Nobby Dimon, Patrick Barlow's adaptation has played to audiences of more than three million worldwide. Originally directed by Jon Halpin in 2016, State Theatre Company's production of the film noir parody played to sold out audiences and smashed the company's box office records.

Associate director Corey McMahon says he is proud to be steering the return season of one of the company's most successful productions.

"Patrick Barlow's adaptation is clever, witty and at times, downright ridiculous," McMahon says.

"He skilfully and faithfully preserves the essential ingredients from John Buchan's novel and Hitchcock's film adaptation and then up-ends it all as our company of actors desperately try to pull-off presenting one of the great, epic spy-thrillers on stage, with hilarious results".

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