Video: Get A First Look At THE 39 STEPS at San Francisco Playhouse

Get a first look at San Francisco Playhouse's The 39 Steps, a fast-paced farce that riffs on the Alfred Hitchcock thriller of the same name.

Following a mysterious murder, all-action hero Richard Hannay launches on a high-speed chase from a London music hall to Scotland's highlands, where he must dodge devious spies, woo beautiful bombshells, and attempt to reveal secrets of The 39 Steps, an international spy ring.

With inventive stagecraft and masterful performances, four nimble actors play more than 100 characters in this riotous spoof that is equal parts slapstick comedy and film noir thriller. San Francisco Playhouse Producing Director and Co-Founder Susi Damilano, who recently directed the Playhouse's hit production of the whodunit Clue, returns to the scene of the crime(s) to stage this rollicking comedy.

The 39 Steps will perform March 7 – April 20, 2024 (opening night: March 13, 2024) at San Francisco Playhouse, 450 Post Street. For tickets ($15-$125) and more information, the public may visit sfplayhouse.org or call the box office at 415-677-9596.

Founded by Bill English and Susi Damilano in 2003, San Francisco Playhouse has been described by The New York Times as “a company that stages some of the most consistently high-quality work around” and deemed “ever adventurous” by The Mercury News. Located in the heart of the Union Square Theater District, San Francisco Playhouse is the city's premier Off-Broadway company, an intimate alternative to the larger more traditional Union Square theater fare.

The Playhouse provides audiences the opportunity to experience professional theater with top-notch actors and world-class design in a setting where they are close to the action. The company has received multiple awards for overall productions, acting, and design, including the SF Weekly Best Theatre Award and the Bay Guardian's Best Off-Broadway Theatre Award, as well as three consecutive San Francisco Bay Area Theatre Critics Circle Awards for Best Entire Production in the Bay Area.

KQED/NPR recently described the company as “one of the few theaters in the Bay Area that has a mission that actually shows up on stage. Artistic Director Bill English's commitment to empathy as a guiding philosophical and aesthetic force is admirable and by living that mission, fascinating things happen onstage.” The Playhouse is committed to providing a creative home and inspiring environment where actors, directors, writers, designers, and theater lovers converge to create and experience dramatic works that celebrate the human spirit.

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