Review: Swapping Hats and Inducing Hilarity with CDG's THE 39 STEPS

With the weather at last acting its season and the time for an abundance of quality theater has finally arrived for a glorious new start, many theaters are once again opening their doors and welcoming audiences to share in the joy of exciting new repertoires that have never, in the time I have been on Cape, failed to lure them in by the masses. With that being said, no successful summer season could ever be had without taking a trip over to the Chatham Drama Guild, where a wonderfully executed show - one that is bound to slay audiences with its fast-paced, in-your-face and simple sense of humor that, let's be honest, is truly the best kind - has just begun its run. And the number of puns made in that single sentence only offers a glimpse of the comedy to be found in The 39 Steps, an Alfred Hitchcock spoof involving espionage, exciting cross-country chases and budding romances that come about in the midst of comical mayhem...and also as a direct result of someone always trying to kill the main character.

Complete with elusive characters (in guise and not necessarily mentality) and a plot that is almost effortlessly funny and demands to be laughed at, CDG has brought this hilarious spoof to its stage, and with it comes the expectation that audiences will find it as funny and have as much good to say about it as this critic right here does.

Loosely based on the 1915 novel written by John Buchan, later made into the 1935 movie directed by Alfred Hitchcock and gradually turned into a staged comical farce in 2005 by Patrick Barlow, The 39 Steps is something quite wonderful to see when presented by a gifted director and a very talented cast of four that could bring about such a myriad of wacky characters. Director Scott Hamilton, as he states in his curtain speech, was certain that he wanted to lead this show towards its absolute comedic potential, and now writing in hindsight, it is clear that he manages to do just that give quite an optimistic start to what will be a rather epic new season at the Chatham Drama Guild.

The 39 Steps tells the story of Richard Hannay: a man of thirty-seven with curly black hair, a great figure, a pencil mustache and basically described as quite the looker. After meeting Ms. Annabella Schmidt during a rather pointless night out at the theater, he discovers that she is a German spy who is adamant in protecting the American people against the elusive "39 Steps" - a secret whose true meaning is not revealed until the very end. When Annabella is suddenly murdered in Hannay's flat, causing all fingers to be pointed at him in association with her death, he is forced to become a fugitive on the run and embarks on what can only be described as an hilariously treacherous journey towards gaining his freedom. In his quest to find a mysterious professor who can help him clear his name, he encounters a variety of different characters along the way: from train passengers to innkeepers to beautiful women and bumbling individuals put in charge of his capture, there is never a dull moment in this show that shows the best of Alfred Hitchcock mixed in with just a little comedy no one would ever associate with the director, but oh...does it fit in so very well.

Regardless of what kind of theatrical performance you might prefer, The 39 Steps is something I'm pretty certain everyone is bound to love; it is also rather unique in the sense that it is ideal for a community theater group to perform. Buchan's ability to take something associated with Hitchcock and almost effortlessly zone in on moments in this plot (moments that would have otherwise not been too funny) and add to them an unexpected but oddly perfect spark of humor is nothing short of amazing - brilliant, even. What Buchan has done is create something that, at its core, is meant to be suspenseful in its nature but is instead able to retain that suspense while adding an element that makes this show wacky, or even absurd. For example, why should Hannay be alarmed when a woman he barely knows is murdered and dies right in front of him; it seems like a rather "oh-crap" moment until the audience watches him struggle to maneuver himself from under her body that is sprawled across his lap. Why pretend to understand what those goofy innkeepers are saying when it is that much funnier to watch our hero battle his confusion and try to figure out what the next step in his escape route should be by simple figuring out where he will be sleeping for the night.

When I mentioned that this play is so ideal for a community theater, there is so much to say about that quality alone. Every little mishap that may occur on stage is seen as funny, and as the show is so lighthearted and comical, no one really knows what might be a flub and what is actually meant to enhance the humor to be had. There is just so much allowance to be had in this production, but Hamilton and his stellar cast really keep tight control over what they bring to their audiences: they are not careless in bringing out what is essentially quite a funny plot, and they are certainly aware of how much of this story depends on how they represent such a myriad of characters in so brilliant a fashion as they have managed to do here. Many of these characters are oblivious to the crisis Hannay and his fellow female companions become involved in, but sure enough there is conflict to be had in the lives of those who are basically thrown into something they want absolutely no part of. It's sort of like a comical form of existentialism, if that's possible; saturate such a plot with simple humor, a nice little set and a cast of actors who know what they're doing, and you have a fantastic production of The 39 Steps at the Chatham Drama Guild.

And what would a fantastic show be without its actors and all those involved in making it just so! Although everyone's talent clearly shone through, I must first give credit to both Paul Schuyler and Steph DeFerie are responsible for bringing a remarkable number of characters to the stage (I'm still not sure of the exact amount!). One moment they are playing suspicious men beneath a lamppost, the next bumbling passengers selling women's underwear on a train, then transition into the authorities responsible for capturing the runaway fugitive, then Scottish innkeepers, then the professor and his wife...the list keeps going. As these characters are perpetually on stage together, the roles require not only the ability to play each character with his or her own differing accent and personality, but also a sort of chemistry that allows each to bounce off of and compliment the other in what essentially becomes a staged comedy act. Without this relationship between the two clowns, the show cannot work as it is meant to, and fortunately the director saw how great these two actors work both on their own, but more importantly together to create something really great on that stage.

Jesse Romano as Richard Hannay does a wonderful job as a man who is meant to be shaken by the recent absurd turn of events, but instead manages to preserve his calm, collected (and handsome) self in the midst of all that is happening; it really is great how versatile Romano is with his character. He is another clearly talented actor who knows the character he is playing well (fortunately he only has the one to focus his energy on), and watching him try to figure out what the heck is going on while actually coming to enjoy a lot of the romantic and adventurous facets of his new fugitive life is quite entertaining to watch. His female counterpart, no matter what character she might be playing at a given time, is played by Jade Schuyler. Whether she is donned as Annabella Schmidt, Margaret or Pamela, her accents are spot on, and the way that she is, again, given her counterpart in the form of Hannay, she brings about clearly distinguishable characters that, regardless of how different they are, all seem to be attracted to and paired up with Hannay in some way. It is wonderful to see her play each of her characters and somehow watch her fall into the arms of Hannay in so many different ways; her talents truly complete this very talented cast.

Credit must also be given to stage manager Mike Guzowski, Pam Banas as costumer and set designer, Don Howell on sound, Scott Hamilton as both director and his contributions towards set design/construction and lights, and Rachel Banas as part of the set design crew.

The 39 Steps began performances at the Chatham Drama Guild (located at 134 Crowell Road in Chatham) on April 29th, and will continue thru May 22nd. Performances are Fridays and Saturdays at 8:00 p.m., with Sunday 2:00 p.m. matinees. Tickets are $20 and can be purchased by calling the box office at (508).945.0510. More information on the show and future productions may be found by visiting www.chatdramaguild.org. There is a cash bar available, and it is very true that the second act is a lot better after a good drink. Enjoy what I can only call a wonderful, wonderful show!

Photo Credit: Don Howell

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