Jeffrey Kuhn and Francesca Faridany will join the cast of Alfred Hitchcock’s THE 39 STEPS on Tuesday, October 28. Kuhn will play the role of Man #1 and Faridany will play the roles of Annabella Schmidt, Margaret and Pamela. Current cast members Jennifer Ferrin and Cliff Saunders will play their final performances on Sunday, October 26. THE 39 STEPS, the winner of two Tony Awards, two Drama Desk Awards and the 2007 Olivier Award for Best New Comedy, is playing at the Cort Theatre (138 West 48th Street, between Sixth and Seventh Avenues).
Kuhn’s Broadway credits include Giuseppe Zangara in Assassins, Boq in
Wicked, Sir Bedevere in Monty Python’s Spamalot and the original company of Ragtime. Off Broadway, he played Cliff Roney in the
Playwrights Horizons concert of Floyd Collins. Regional: Romeo and Juliet (Shakespeare Theatre), Sea of Tranquility (Old Globe), The Fourth Wall (
ALLIANCE THEATRE), I Am My Own Wife (Stageworks/Hudson), Dirty Blonde (
Cincinnati Playhouse), the world premiere of The Story of My Life. (CanStage, 2007 Dora Award nomination) and St. Louis Rep and
Prince Music Theater, among others. As a member of Canada's renowned Stratford Festival, his credits include Love's Labour's Lost, Antony and Cleopatra, A Midsummer Night's Dream, Romeo and Juliet, The Illusion, The Tempest, Twelfth Night, Treasure Island and Timon of Athens. Toronto credits include Cousin Kevin in The Who’s Tommy, Zazu in the Canadian premiere of
The Lion King and Gregor in George
F. Walker’s Nothing Sacred, a role he later reprised for CBC Television.
Faridany’s credits include The Homecoming on Broadway and The Stronger Off-Broadway with
Marthe Keller. Regional: Agamemnon (Cassandra) at The Getty Villa in LA, opposite
Tyne Daly. She played the title role in her own adaptation of Schnitzler’s Fräulein Else (
Sundance Theatre Lab, Berkeley Rep.,
La Jolla Playhouse, Long Wharf, McCarter). Other roles include Rosalind (Old Globe), Titania (Huntington), Beatrice (Berkeley Rep.), Elvira/Don Alonso in Molière’s Don Juan (Shakespeare Theatre, D.C.), Anita/Wendy in
Simon Gray’s Japes (Bay Street), Gilda in Design for Living (McCarter), Kyra in Skylight (Chester Theater Co.),Violet in Waiting at the Water’s Edge (Magic Theatre), Ellie Dunn in Heartbreak House and Silvia in Marivaux’s The Game of Love and Chance and Changes of Heart (Berkeley Rep.). Film: Conceiving Ada. TV: “E.R.,” “Deadline,” “Law & Order,” “Law&Order: SVU.” Radio: Quartermaine’s Terms (BBC).
THE 39 STEPS is adapted by
Patrick Barlow and directed by
Maria Aitken. The production is based on an original concept by
Simon Corble and
Nobby Dimon and on the book by
John Buchan.
The production currently features
Arnie Burton (Man #2),
Jennifer Ferrin (Annabella Schmidt/Pamela/Margaret),
Sam Robards (
Richard Hannay).and
Cliff Saunders (Man #1). The company also includes
Rob Breckenridge,
Claire Brownell and
Cameron Folmar.
Mix
Alfred Hitchcock’s cinematic masterpiece with a juicy spy novel. Then, add the manic dash of vintage Monty Python and you have THE 39 STEPS – equal parts hilarious whodunit, espionage thriller and quick-change comedy, adapted for the stage from Hitchcock’s famous 1935 film and
John Buchan’s 1915 novel.
Seeking a frivolous night out at the theatre,
Richard Hannay is lured into a world of intrigue by a mysterious woman claiming to be a spy. When she winds up dead in his flat, he flees London with the police hot on his trail.
THE 39 STEPS opened to deliriously ecstatic reviews.
Ben Brantley, New York Times, called the production, “Absurdly enjoyable! This gleefully theatrical riff on Hitchcock’s film is fast and frothy, performed by a cast of four that seems like a cast of thousands. The actors themselves seem to be having a helluva good time. As does the audience.” Clive Barnes, New York Post, pronounced THE 39 STEPS "Inventively astonishing, riotous & marvelous."
Joe Dziemianowicz, Daily News, exclaimed, “Hitchcock probably never imagined his thriller had the makings of a hilarious comedy, but this show is a dizzy delight and an ingenious spoof, inventively directed by
Maria Aitken. A fast-paced fun ride!”
THE 39 STEPS features sets and costumes by
Peter McKintosh, lighting by
Kevin Adams and sound by
Mic Pool. Dialect coach is
Stephen Gabis. Original movement created by
Toby Sedgwick. Additional movement created by
Christopher Bayes. Production management is by
Aurora Productions. Production stage manager is
Nevin Hedley.
THE 39 STEPS has been a runaway hit in London’s West End, playing to sell-out houses at the Criterion where it continues to delight and thrill audiences. The first production of THE 39 STEPS was directed by Fiona Buffini and produced on stage by North Country Theatre in April 1996 at the Georgian Theatre, Richmond, North Yorkshire.
The production received its American debut at the
Huntington Theatre Company in Boston, MA. The Broadway premiere began previews on January 4, 2008 and officially opened on January 15 at Roundabout Theatre Company’s American Airlines Theatre.
THE 39 STEPS is produced by
Bob Boyett,
Harriet Newman Leve/
Ron Nicynski,
Stewart F. Lane/
Bonnie Comley,
Manocherian Golden Prods.,
Olympus Theatricals/
Douglas Denoff,
Pam Laudenslager/
Pat Addiss, Roundabout Theatre Company (
Todd Haimes, Artistic Director;
Harold Wolpert, Managing Director;
Julia Levy, Executive Director),
Huntington Theatre Company (
Nicholas Martin, Artistic Director;
Michael Maso, Managing Director) and Edward Snape for Fiery Angel Ltd.
Tickets are available from TeleCharge at 212-239-6200, online at
www.telecharge.com or at the Cort Theatre box office (138 West 48th Street, between Sixth and Seventh Avenues). 39 tickets at $39 are available at every performance. Performances are Tuesday at 7:00 PM, Wednesday through Saturday at 8:00 PM, with matinees Wednesday and Saturday at 2:00 PM, Sunday at 3:00 PM.
