The smash hit Olivier and Tony Award-winning comedy The 39 Steps takes the Oxford Playhouse stage this summer.
This adaptation of Alfred Hitchcock’s classic spy thriller opens on Tuesday, June 11th, and runs until to Saturday, June 15th. It sees four actors playing 139 roles in 100 minutes of fast-paced and thrilling action.
The production is led by Tom Byrne who plays Richard Hannay, joined by Safeena Ladha as Annabella Schmidt/Pamela/Margaret, Eugene McCoy as Clown 1, and Maddie Rice as Clown 2. It will be the first time that a female-identifying actor has been cast as one of the show’s Clowns.
Follow the incredible adventures of our handsome hero Richard Hannay, complete with stiff-upper-lip, British gung-ho and pencil moustache as he encounters dastardly murders, double-crossing secret agents, and, of course, devastatingly beautiful women.
This touring production comes after nearly ten years on the West End and taking Broadway by storm. Having played in 39 different countries across the globe, it will now delight Oxford audiences with its quintessentially plucky spirit and dashing sense of fun.
Adapted for the stage by Patrick Barlow, this gripping comedy thriller is loosely based on the novel by Scottish writer and politician John Buchan, from an original concept by Simon Corble and Nobby Dimon.
Tickets for The 39 Steps at Oxford Playhouse start from £14 and are available from Box Office: 01865 305305 or book online at www.oxfordplayhouse.com
About the actors
Tom Byrne played Prince Andrew in The Crown series 4 and appeared in Bridgerton, A Discovery of Witches and Black Mirror. He can currently be seen in BBC 3’s Dreaming Whilst Black and the new film The Persian Version released this month. Theatre includes A Christmas Carol and Twelfth Night for the RSC.
Safeena Ladha’s recent theatre work includes She at London’s Tara Theatre and on tour, in which she played eight characters, Daisy Buchanan in The Great Gatsby: The Immersive Show, Cassandra, Andromache and Menelaus in Troilus and Cressida (Edinburgh Fringe Festival) and Coriolanus (Rose Theatre Bankside).
Eugene McCoy appeared in the world premiere of American Psycho at the Almeida Theatre, the world premiere of Groundhog Day at the Old Vic Theatre and Legally Blonde at Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre. Films include Wonka, Matilda and Paddington 2.
Maddie Rice took over from Phoebe Waller-Bridge in the stage show of Fleabag. Other recent theatre credits include All My Sons at Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre and Michael Grandage’s Henry V at the Noel Coward Theatre. Her TV credits include Fleabag, Stath Lets Flats, Ten Percent, The Other One, I Hate You and the all-female sketch show Flaps.
What are the 39 steps?
The 39 Steps is a thriller novel written by John Buchan published in 1915, made into a film by Alfred Hitchcock in 1935. It follows the story of Richard Hannay, who becomes embroiled in a conspiracy involving spies and political intrigue. I can’t tell you more for fear of spoiling the plot.
