Review: The 39 Steps Is Fast Funny And Full Of Twists

Possibly the first novel I was made to read in school was John Buchan’s The Thirty-Nine Steps. Surprisingly, for such an obligatory experience, I really quite enjoyed it. It was boys’ own stuff after all, spies and derring-do, a real page-turner. But what stayed with me is the immediacy of what is essentially a first-person thriller.

When Hitchcock got his hands on it, his 1935 film The 39 Steps birthed a trope lovingly used forever more by Hollywood – the stitched-up innocent man, in over his head and on the run. 

This play, adapted by Patrick Barlow and directed by Damien Ryan, is largely based on Hitchcock’s film version. Set in 1914, just prior to the outbreak of World War I, the plot concerns Richard Hannay (Ian Stenlake), recently returned from overseas, bored with his fashionable but empty life.

Hannay meets a foreign woman at a West End music hall who insists he take her back to his apartment. Turns out the woman, Annabella Schmidt (Lisa McCune) is a counter espionage agent who has uncovered a German plot to steal British military secrets.

She warns Hannay to flee London before dying with a map of Scotland in her hand and a knife in her back. Hannay escapes on the Edinburgh train with both the police and a German spy network, ‘The 39 Steps,’ on his tail. Much ado follows.

If you have seen the film (Apple, five bucks) – and I recommend you do because it adds immensely to the enjoyment of this production – you will know it’s ripe for send-up. All that melodrama, the ‘wow, I didn’t see that coming,’ plot twists, the romance(s), and the bonus political speech.

But this production, while leaning heavily into the farce, is as much homage to the theatricality of early Hollywood films. 

Opening with an establishing monologue and closing with a neat coda, the plot is bookended between music hall performances that work brilliantly as meta-theatre.

From the start, the fourth wall is palpably transparent as the fictional stage act interacts with the real theatre audience. The scene almost demands an old-style playhouse rather than the steeply raked plushness of the Opera House Drama Theatre. What follows is bloody good fun.

As the promo says, the production features 4 actors playing 130 characters. I didn’t count them, but there were a lot. With so many moving stage parts, physical interactions, and accents to remember, this requires some top-shelf acting. It’s here in spades.

Leading with a stiff upper lip graced with a ‘very attractive pencil moustache,’ Stenlake perfectly captures Hannay’s determination and decency.

McCune plays three strong women: Annabella, Margaret (much younger wife of a Scottish crofter) and Pamela (a feisty woman on the train), finding clear delineation between them and terrific chemistry with Stenlake.  

But as good as McCune and Stenlake are, the Umbilical Brothers, Davis Collins and Shane Dundas, are master criminals stealing the show like an Ocean’s Eleven heist. They play everyone else – with their trademark mimicry and physicality. 

The endlessly inventive direction and creative design are a real delight. Rarely have I seen all the creative elements working so well together. From the stage being revealed as if through the opening of an iris, to the shadow-play and projection that distorts scale and perspective, this is one sophisticated piece of theatre. 

Channelling the chiaroscuro of German expressionism and American Noir, James Browne has designed sets and costuming in greyscale that fit perfectly with the black and white source material. Although restricted to a monochromatic palette, his detailing manages to clearly differentiate characters.

High contrast lighting from Matthew Marshall complements this aesthetic perfectly. Marshall’s use of strobe effects during slow-mo action sequences and his shadow play is beautifully realised.

Equally, the score from Brady Watkins resonates without being bombastic, while her sound design stunningly evokes the folio work of film noir. Oh, and a cat.

Damien Ryan’s direction is creatively fleet-footed and, for the most part, keeps the play rollicking along like an out-of-control train. An awful lot of geographical and emotional territory is covered, and the pace is exhausting.

The interval is well-timed but perhaps unsurprisingly ensures that some of the momentum is lost, and it takes a little time to get going in the shorter second half. A few scenes felt a bit clunky too.

An extended scene involving handcuffs and a single bed was perhaps not executed as well as it might be. And some gags are pushed to their limit and then some. (Seat-swapping on the train comes to mind.) However, a week or so in performance should tighten things up. 

The 39 Steps is a terrific production. It’s a spy thriller romance as grand farce, delivered by some excellent actors. But do yourself a favour and seek out the film first. It will enhance your enjoyment of the performances and the creative wizardry on display.

The 39 Steps runs to 30 August at the Drama Theatre, Sydney Opera House ahead of a multi city tour. See full tour dates below. 

Tickets: https://www.the39steps.com.au/#book-tickets

Website: https://www.the39steps.com.au/

Socials: https://www.instagram.com/the39stepsplay/

Photo credits: Cameron Grant

Australian Tour Dates

Sydney 8 – 30 August, Drama Theatre, Sydney Opera House

Newcastle 2 – 6 September, Civic Theatre

Melbourne 10 September – 4 October, Comedy Theatre

Brisbane 7 – 19 October, Playhouse, QPAC