When you think of Alfred Hitchcock you immediately think the ‘master of suspense’! And the twists and turns of his classic spy thriller The 39 Steps did not disappoint
This adaptation of one of Hitchcock’s greatest films is now on at the Oxford Playhouse and you have until Saturday to catch this highly entertaining and hilarious play.
There were no fancy props or special effects just four brilliant actors playing the 139 roles in 100 minutes of fast-paced and thrilling action.
Richard Hannay, played by Tom Byrne, was joined by Safeena Ladha as Annabella Schmidt/Pamela/Margaret, Eugene McCoy as Clown 1, and Maddie Rice as Clown 2. These four were perfectly timed and so enjoyable to watch.
Set in 1935, this period saw the build-up of tension to the Second World War. We joined handsome hero Richard Hannay for his incredible adventure, complete with stiff-upper-lip, British gung-ho and pencil moustache as he encountered dastardly murders, double-crossing secret agents, and, of course, devastatingly beautiful women. We are not giving anything away about The 39 Steps.
But suffice to say there are lots of hilarious scenes – climbing out of windows, train rides (please watch as Richard catches the train to Edinburgh), escapes from very tricky situations, bad Scottish accents and a hymn book that saved the day.
Bob’s your uncle? Yes it was a line from the play and yes it got a huge laugh, along with much of this brilliant and hilarious show. Do watch for Maddie Rice in the final scenes – she was fantastic playing two characters at once, in conversation, half-dressed as each, there were no line fumbles for her! We were in awe!
The staging was very plain, the stage was almost empty, but the cast made clever use of props bringing everything to life and propelling us through the story.
Our final mention must go to the guy behind us – he could not stop laughing (proper belly laughing) he was enjoying every minute and it made us enjoy it even more!
This really was a great story combined with great humour, if you need some escapism this week or just fancy a funny entertaining evening, then The 39 Steps is for you.
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. The play runs from June 11th to June 15th.
