British at its best, this adaptation of Hitchcock classic The 39 Steps is a must-watch for anyone with a sense of humour
10:00, 02 February 2016
Imagine a spy thriller with the dastardly villains of a classic Bond film and the quirky adventures of Sherlock Holmes.
Quite interesting...
But now combine that with the timeless and sarcasm-sodden British humour of Monty Python and the rip-roaring slapstick of Tommy Cooper – and ‘By Jove!’ you’re onto a winner.
The West End’s long-running show, The 39 Steps, has left it’s home at the Criterion Theatre and is touring the UK to mark the Olivier Award-Winning Comedy’s 10th anniversary. Based on Alfred Hitchcock’s 1935 movie and John Buchan’s 1914 spy thriller and adapted for the stage by Patrick Barlow, it is currently playing at The Orchard Theatre.
The play follows (the ever-so dashing, dahling) hero Richard Hannay with a stiff upper lip, British gung-ho and pencil moustache in a dangerous tale of cat-and-mouse from London to the Scottish Highlands.
This hilarious production will have you in stitches, as four actors play over 130 characters, in 100 minutes.
But a minimal set and minimal people requires maximum ingenuity and imagination, and the way the characters work to portray rooms, wind, and a chases over train carriages – involving northing more than a few suitcases – is remarkably funny on its own.
Bring in a surreal hunt through the Highlands with puppetry, and the actors downright refusing to be confined by their props, and the whole thing pays a polite nod to the Theatre of the Absurd.
But that doesn’t jar. The ad-hock feel of the performance puts the audience at ease, and if things went a little wrong on opening night (was that phone ringing meant to be delayed, or was that all part of breaking through that fourth wall?) it was impossible to tell. The audience were primed with a belly full of laughs.
British at its best, this adaptation of The 39 Steps is a must-watch for anyone to pertains to have a sense of humour.
To read our interview with one of the show's stars, Olivia Greene, click here
It is running until Saturday, February 6. For tickets or information visit orchardtheatre.co.uk or call 01322 220000.
