THE 39 STEPS
Photo: Mark Senior
The world of theatre has for some time been somewhat preoccupied with staged versions of famous films, box office hits that they hope will transfer to the stage with equal success. Some do.
The cinema has worked in a similar way but there the idea is the remake and hence we have three film versions of John Buchan’s novel. In my view the only one worthy of any attention being Alfred Hitchcock’s 1930’s version starring Robert Donat.
But with a much loved film or play, re-imagined, there is always a sense of sacrilege… enter Patrick Barlow, he of the National Theatre Of Brent, one of the funniest writers and performers of the last 50 years. Barlow has reworked the whole and respectfully taken the Micky out of it. It’s all about language, manners and social convention and in his cleverly executed version it becomes both comedy and tribute.
Of course for a story that opens in London and heads to the Scottish highlands before returning to the capital, the staging logistics are immensely challenging. Designer Peter McKintosh’s stripped back furniture and prop based concept works brilliantly, depending of course on the dexterity of the cast and crew, huge amounts of physical skill and of course excellent direction. The original director Maria Aitken has been loyally served by tour director Nicola Samer who has no doubt brought something of her own to this new touring revival.
Photo: Mark Senior
Finally but far from least we have to look at the players, a cast of three taking on every role except the role of Richard Hannay which is played with delightful period charm and at times a sense of gullible innocence by Tom Byrne. Tom Byrne looks every inch the part in unruffled tweeds throughout, despite having fallen into rivers and crossed heather and gorse covered hills.
Safeena Ladha plays Pamela, Annabella and Margaret, the three sophisticated female characters that Hannay encounters along the way and she does so with style and skill, her impenetrable German accent is hilarious at the start and towards the end her coy lover equally amusing, the scene where she removes her stockings is both sexy and silly.
Photo: Mark Senior
All the other roles are taken on by Maddie Rice and Eugene McCoy and my, how hard they have to work, theatre impresario, memory man, travelling sales men, police, newspaper vendors, station hands, spies, crofters, hoteliers… I may have missed a few but in an evening where they are seldom off stage that I hope you will excuse. Maddie Rice is marvellous in particular as the arch criminal mastermind at the heart of the intrigue, but equally as the manager of the highland hotel.
Eugene McCoy is simply mesmeric in all his roles, the man’s face is as mobile as an Aardman animated character and his body as flexible, were he made of plasticine I would not be surprised, his every appearance brought roars of laughter but none louder than when he loped onto the stage in the political meeting towards the end of the show. These two gender swapping clowns, as they are billed, bring the show to life.
It was also wonderful to see the off-stage crew acknowledged at the final curtain call as there is no doubt that their skills went a long way towards pulling things off.
This revival is as good as both the first and second times that I saw it and I would happily sit and enjoy it again and again, in much the same way that I can return to Hitchcock and Donat.
Andrew Kay
16 July
Theatre Royal Brighton
Rating:
