The 39 Steps

The 39 Steps is a clever parody by Patrick Barlow of John Buchan’s 1915 novel and Alfred Hitchcock’s 1935 film of the book. He crafted it for just four actors, but there is such a multitude of different characters, some fleeting and others more pervasive, that the action is still manic with Teresa Encke’s cast of fourteen, who still do two, three or more parts each. Teresa has turned the daftness control turned up to maximum and squeezed every ounce of comedy out of the piece.

It is 1935, war is fast approaching, and it’s a time when spying and the theft of state secrets are very much to the fore. The costumes (Liz MacKellar) suit the period pretty well and the set, such as it is, consists of just a black box with numerous ever so clever moveable props that the cast push around as required. Set designers Paul Foster and Toby Finch, and painter John MacCormack deserve high praise for the ingenious, beautifully made devices they have come up with, especially the car which doubled as a plane – so well painted! The stage crew managed the scene changes very swiftly, keeping the show moving along at a good pace, as it needs to. Lighting and sound (Michael Rolfe, and Jon Hollingsworth and John MacCormack) were spot on too.

James Batchelor is very much the British hero of the time: tweed suit, pencil moustache and cut-glass accent, exaggerated just enough but never too much. He kept the character well throughout the numerous ludicrous scrapes he gets into, and I particularly admired the way he managed to wriggle out from underneath Annabella’s dead body. Jo Walker too was excellent as Annabella, somehow managing not to corpse while Hannay writhed under her, and she was every inch the German spy/femme fatale.

As Hannay escaped on the train (another masterpiece of set) the business of the passengers in the compartment standing up and getting in each other’s way was well conceived and carried out. We were also treated to a lovely performance by Rowenna Gordon as the paper boy, porter and policeman. She later delighted us as Pamela, the beautiful woman who is lured into Hannay’s adventure. Another cut-glass accent and convincingly dubious about the tale he tells.

The rest of the cast provided sterling support – some standouts I must mention are Richard Meeson as the traitorous professor (very Dr No), Jackie Foster and Jacqui Hand as the two delightfully dotty ladies at the McCorquodale husting, and Robert Haines as the hugely eccentric Sheriff.

What a delightful evening that was – I’m sure the cast must have been exhausted, but they can be assured that we the audience had a great time and enjoyed every minute!

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