The 39 Steps in its original form is a novel written by John Buchan in 1915. Although it is one of the first great thrillers, Barlow struggled to find inspiration from the book alone. Instead, he turned to Hitchcock’s 1935 adaptation which made the story into a classic spy film, and from which we have all the memorable parts: the German femme fatale, the lonely Scottish girl, the beautiful blonde heroine…
What I thought was particularly striking about Barlow’s adaptation was that it was performed by a cast of just four actors. The constant switching of roles required by Eugene McCoy and Maddie Rice (whose parts are referred to as ‘Clown 1’ and ‘Clown 2’) really brings out the comedic aspects of this show. They also interacted really well with the audience and reminded us all to not take the show too seriously!
I was also really impressed by the actors’ use of props. These were all reasonably basic (doors on wheels, wooden squares as windows, an unfolding bed…) but they added to the comedy whilst also ensuring a fast pace because there was no need for long-lasting black outs because the props could easily be moved on and off stage. My favourite prop was the lamppost that was used at the start, which the two ‘Clowns’ kept bringing on and off stage!
Overall, I’d really recommend going to see The 39 Steps if you get a chance. Whilst its not a musical, it is definitely easier to watch than lots of plays because it is so light-hearted and doesn’t take itself seriously, which is really refreshing in a time when theatre seems to be getting more and more serious. And, of course, you’ve got to watch the show if you want to know what the 39 steps are!
Rating: ★★★★☆
The 39 Steps is playing at the Sheffield Lyceum until May 4th, & touring the U.K. until August 3rd
