Chris Svetzo-Joe has experience playing a character at a younger and then older age. He’s played more than one character in the same play before, with all the attendant costume changes.
But playing nine characters as called for in 39 Steps about to open at Main Street Theater called on chameleon abilities at a whole other level, he says.
Listed as one of the Clowns in the playbill, “My roles include things like Salesman, Milk Man Mr. McGarigol, among others,” says Sveto-Joe who is making his first appearance in 39 Steps. “But I have acted in British farces before such as Taking Steps, Noises Off and Leading Ladies.”
“Having to embody other characters who all have distinct voices and costumes and in some cases, distinct physical appearances in the script. Finding those characters, finding those moments where I have to differentiate them, that was a unique challenge. It is written in the script, but actually doing it and finding those performances is a very different story.”
Set in the 1930s, the story of 39 Steps is about an everyday kind of guy who gets swept up in a deadly mystery involving spying, a plane crash and an escalating number of characters trotting on and off the stage. This two time Tony Award winner was adapted by Patrick Barlow from the novel by John Buchan from the movie directed by Alfred Hitchcock.
None of this is taken all too seriously despite the homage to the master director in his 1935 film The 39 Steps.
“I think it’s a lot of fun. I think the way it satirizes the very popular spy thriller genre just tickles people. It delivers a lot of those same conventions but at the same time, it’s not afraid to laugh at itself,” he says.
“It involves a lot of costume changes; there’s a lot of set changes. Our director has worked incredibly hard to make those transitions as smooth as possible,” he says adding that “There’s a lot of choreography we have to incorporate into our performances” — not only to avoid running into each other but to remember where they’ve placed their props.
Other cast members include Kevin Crouch, Meg Rodgers and Wesley Whitson. Crouch is the only actor who has the same role throughout. Kara Greenberg is making her Main Street Theater directing debut.
When he graduated high school, Svetzo-Joe went to a university in the northeast with plans to get a biology degree with a focus in animal sciences. After a year he came back home, deciding to take a gap year. During that time, he discovered voice over and voice acting and began taking voice acting lessons.
“The biggest piece of advice I got from that was learn how to create characters.” He remembered enjoying theater in high school. He went to Southwestern University in Georgetown outside of Austin as a theater major then came back to Houston and has been acting ever since.
Even having see it before, audiences are still drawn to 39 Steps. Asked why he thought that is, Svetzo-Joe says:
“There is something to be said about knowing how a story ends but still being immersed enough to go on that journey with the actors with the story tellers. It leans into its spy thriller tropes. If you’re familiar enough with the genre you could probably guess where everything is going. But it’s definitely the chaos, the humor, the spectacle of getting there.”
“I think people should come expecting to have a good time. There’s the Hitchcock movie version and the novel version. This one takes inspiration in the loosest sense. It very much just wants to make you laugh — just a moment to laugh, a moment to take respite from the world.”
Performances are scheduled for July 12 through August 10 at 7:30 p.m. Thursdays through Saturdays and 3 p.m. Sundays at Main Street Theater – Rice Village, 2540 Times Boulevard. For more information, call 713-524-6706 ior visit mainstreettheater.com. $45-$64.