Pace setter: It’s a whirlwind ride through The 39 Steps
An innocent man is mistakenly accused of a crime and must clear his name. But how? Enter four actors, 130 characters and 100 fun-filled minutes with the touring production of classic crime thriller The 39 Steps.
Mix Alfred Hitchcock’s classic spy thriller with a dash of Monty Python-style chaos and you get The 39 Steps, a turbo-charged, Olivier and Tony Award-winning comedy smash. After thrilling more than three million fans across 39 countries, from London’s West End to Broadway, the classic tale has been reimagined and is coming to Australia.
Directed by acclaimed theatre-maker Damien Ryan and starring four of Australia’s popular talents – Lisa McCune (Blue Heelers, Sea Patrol, The King and I), Ian Stenlake (Sea Patrol, Stingers) and The Umbilical Brothers (David Collins and Shane Dundas) – The 39 Steps is ready to make its way across Australia, opening at the Sydney Opera House on August 8, then Newcastle and Melbourne before arriving at QPAC’s Playhouse in Brisbane from October 7.
Join the suave but unsuspecting Richard Hannay (Stenlake) as he finds himself framed for murder and tangled in a web of spies, secrets and seductive strangers. To clear his name, he must outrun the law, outwit international agents and survive a string of increasingly absurd adventures.
In just 100 minutes of non-stop action, four fearless actors play 130 roles in a dazzling display of quick changes, inventive stagecraft and high-energy comedy.
Originally a 1915 novel by John Buchan, The Thirty-Nine Steps is a spy thriller inspired by a real-life event and the author’s experiences. The story and the title came about during Buchan’s convalescence from a duodenal ulcer in a nursing home in Broadstairs, England. The story is based on the experiences of Buchan’s friend, Lord Ironside, a senior army officer who became involved in a conspiracy to steal British military secrets.
Alfred Hitchcock made a famous black-and-white film adaptation of the novel in 1935. The book, written during World War One, reflects the anxieties and tensions of the time. The 1935 film, which deviates substantially from the book, stars Robert Donat as Hannay and Madeleine Carroll as a woman he meets on the train. It is regarded by many critics as the best film version. This was one of several Hitchcock films based upon the premise of an “innocent man on the run”, such as films Saboteur and North By Northwest.
“We have always loved the stage adaptation of The 39 Steps and feel like the time is right for Australia to have a new production of this inventive, laugh-out-loud tour de force for four actors. We are very excited to have assembled such an amazing cast to bring this show to life,” commented producers Neil Gooding and Alex Woodward.
“The 39 Steps is funny, suspenseful, celebrates everything theatre can do, is a beautiful piece for actors and lovers of storytelling and after so many years, it still just explodes in the imagination,” added director Damien Ryan. “It’s one of the world’s first and most exciting spy thrillers and I think it reaches us so powerfully because the spy is one of us.
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“It’s not about a titanium-built ex-soldier coolly dismantling a global threat. It’s about a listless, restless everyman who gets framed into an adventure that sees him have to escape his humble London apartment and go on an iconic journey, both through the big bad world and within himself, finding love and courage and above all standing up against the surveillance state, political intrigue and a national betrayal.
“It’s a sharp and dangerous noir mystery, it’s a joyous comedy and it’s a deep romance. And it all happens simply because he went to the theatre one night!”
The 39 Steps plays the QPAC Playhouse, October 7-19, from $55, qpac.com.au