'39 Steps' Delivers 100s of Laughs

Alfred Hitchcock's The 39 Steps

Adapted by Patrick Barlow; based on an original concept by Simon Corble and Nobby Dimon; based on the book by John Buchan; directed by Maria Aitken; scenic and costume design by Peter McKintosh; lighting design by Kevin Adams; sound design by Mic Pool

Cast in alphabetical order:
Clown, Arnie Burton
Richard Hannay, Charles Edwards
Annabella Schmidt/Pamela/Margaret, Jennifer Ferrin
Clown, Cliff Saunders

Performances: Now through October 14, The Huntington mainstage, Boston University Theatre, 264 Huntington Avenue, Boston, Mass.
Box Office: 617-266-0800 or www.huntingtontheatre.org

Check your worries at the door and be prepared to laugh out loud if you plan on seeing Alfred Hitchcock's The 39 Steps at the Huntington Theatre Company now through October 14. This riotously funny send-up of the classic 1935 suspense thriller that put the famed British director on the road to Hollywood is getting its American premiere in Boston prior to a December 28 opening on Broadway. Judging by the gleeful audience reaction on press night, The 39 Steps could be in for a successful New York run.

Starring the debonair British actor Charles Edwards who originated the role of reluctant hero Richard Hannay in the London West End production, The 39 Steps also features Jennifer Ferrin playing the three main women involved in Hannay's adventurous journey and two men, Arnie Burton and Cliff Saunders, enacting all of the play's remaining 100+ roles. Watching this nimble cast execute split-second character changes, raucous vaudeville-style slapstick, and perfectly timed sight gags, one could easily suggest an alternative title for this comedy: Breathless.

All of the iconic elements from Hitchcock's original movie are present – the sultry, deep-voiced femme fatale who is mysteriously murdered in Hannay's apartment; the narrow escapes and nail-biting chase sequences atop a Flying Dutchman train and across the Scottish moors; the stunning crash of a bi-plane that also manages to suggest a scene from a later Hitchcock thriller, North by Northwest; the irritatingly self-righteous blonde who becomes handcuffed to Hannay in his hotel room; and the climactic execution of the villainous spy ring leader Professor Jordan in his loge box at London's Palladium theatre. How these sprawling movie moments are successfully translated to the stage by director Maria Aitken is what makes The 39 Steps so clever and surprisingly funny. The madcap antics of the cast combined with side-splittingly inventive uses of sets, props, costumes, lighting and sound effects elevate what might have been a pleasant but simple movie spoof to a dizzying theatrical celebration.

Cast members are pitch perfect in their twisted interpretations of Hitchcock's 1930s cinema realism. Edwards is the consummate Everyman who inadvertently becomes the savior of England when he manages to thwart the evil spy ring that threatens the country's military security. His Hannay is dry, slightly befuddled, and prone to a bit of manly exasperation when challenged by the headstrong women who cross his path. He is also master of the subtle double-take when deliberately telegraphing danger in the exaggerated vaudeville style.

As the ill-fated Marlene Dietrich-like Annabella Schmidt, the haughty blonde trouble maker cum love interest Pamela, and the earthy Scottish farmer's wife Margaret, Jennifer Ferrin is delightfully mercurial. She juggles her comic and romantic moments with ease and adds an understated lusty spark to her various personae.

It's the dynamic duo of Burton and Saunders who keep this free-wheeling comic farce moving at its breakneck pace, however. They transform before our very eyes playing men, women, Brits, Scots, Germans, country folk, train officials, policemen, villains, serving men, hotel proprietors, and the amazing Mr. Memory and his set-up man. They throw off one-liners like firecrackers and break the fourth wall with scene changes that themselves become part of the show's carefully orchestrated anarchy. They do yeoman's work in creating a parade of outlandish characters that are completely distinct from one another.

The action of Alfred Hitchcock's The 39 Steps is fast and furious. Be prepared to pay close attention. There are delightful winks to many of the director's other memorable movies, and, in true Hitchcock fashion, there is even a cameo appearance by the great man himself.

The 39 Steps, which won a 2007 Olivier Award for Best New Comedy, is scheduled for a limited run at the American Airlines Theatre January 10 through March 16, 2008. Previews begin December 28. Producers are the Roundabout Theatre Company in association with Bob Boyett, Harriet Leve/Ron Nicynski, Stephanie P. McClelland, Fiery Angel Ltd. and the Huntington Theatre Company.

PHOTOS BY T. CHARLES ERICKSON – Charles Edwards as Richard Hannay and Cliff Saunders; Jennifer Ferrin as Pamela and Charles Edwards; Arnie Burton, Jennifer Ferrin and Charles Edwards

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