THEATRE – The 39 Steps – Playhouse – 4.5K

[Image by Shane Reid]

A beautiful young woman is killed in Richard Hannay’s flat and the police think he did it. But he didn’t and just before she died she has told him vital information that may save Britain. Can he stay ahead of the police and the villains what dunnit?

This farcical reworking of John Buchan’s timeless and inspirational thriller is a beauty of comic writing and timing. Jon Halpin rips into Patrick Barlow’s play with a zest, ably supported by all his four member cast and a dedicated set and costume design team that meets every challenge as the plot rollicks along from locale to locale.

Nathan Page is a delight as the straight laced, indefatigable hero Richard Hannay. Anna Steen ensures his various female partners in stopping crime are suitably dissy yet strong willed, while Tim Overton steals the show playing his assortment of other female characters. Charles Meyer is suitably villainous and nasty especially when as the professor.

The focus on extracting as much humour and as many laughs from the material and genre needs to be commended; it reminded me somewhat of the success of the creators of the film Flying High for their concentration on all those terrible Airport movies of the 1970s. No fumble, bumble or double meaning is overlooked for its possibilities, yet in rolling them out they in no way confuse or deflect from keeping the narrative alive and whole.

This is comic theatre at its best, though seating forward is recommended as sometimes vocal projection is marginal for moments set in the middle or back stage areas.

Kryztoff Rating  4.5K