For some shows, criticism is just beside the point. The 39 Steps, now playing at Main Street Theater, is one of those shows.
The whodunit, adapted by Patrick Barlow in 2006 from Alfred Hitchcock’s 1935 black-and-white thriller of the same name (itself adapted from Scottish author John Buchan’s 1915 novel) is a delightful parody, a two-act goof that, above all else, exists to make you laugh – and it will.
The setting is London, August 1935, and 37-year-old Canadian Richard Hannay is back in “the old country,” and he’s not having the best of times. In fact, he’s in the midst of a “no one would miss me” spiral when he decides to distract himself with something “mindless and trivial” and “utterly pointless” – i.e., a night at the theater. While taking in an act from Mr. Memory, who boasts that he learns 50 new facts a day, a woman joins him only to abruptly shoot off a revolver out of nowhere and ask to go home with Hannay. He obliges. Back at his “fashionable West End flat,” the woman, Annabella Schmidt, tells Hannay two men in the theater were trying to kill her.
“Beautiful mysterious woman pursued by gunmen? Sounds like a spy story,” Hannay says.
Annabella says that’s exactly what it is, that there are government secrets on the line, and in short order is proven right. By morning, Annabella is dead – a knife in her back – and Hannay must not only clear his name, but get an answer to the question Annabella left him with: What are The 39 Steps?
If you evoke The 39 Steps today, it’s probably Barlow’s adaptation that comes to mind, and it’s quite a feat that Barlow has managed to overshadow the Master of Suspense. And it’s not undeserved. Barlow’s script maintains the twisty-turny nature of the spy genre while leaning into the funny and irreverent at every one of those twists and turns. In terms of production, The 39 Steps is playground theater. It’s a sandbox with plenty of room for imagination and inventiveness from creatives and cast.
The sandbox at Main Street is a stage that serves as a mostly blank, wooden canvas. It morphs into multiple locations with little – a few chairs, some trunks, one door, an occasional title card, and other miscellaneous props, courtesy of Rodney Walsworth. The actors play against Ryan McGettigan’s set, partially framed with pieces from a cracked, broken stage arch and some drapes, with one elevated theater box stage right. It’s got a peek-behind-the-curtain feel, with brick and rigging ropes visible, which perfectly matches the played-with-a-wink energy of the production.
That energy starts at the top, when the four-person cast comes out, bows, and sets the first scene before scurrying off. And if it sounds like you can’t possibly pull off a compelling mystery with only four characters, especially one that travels from London to Scotland, you’d be right. Luckily, these four – and, in particular, two of them – have more than a hundred roles between them and it’s a treat to watch them move quickly between so many characters. This interplay in Barlow’s script can lend itself to a frenetic rhythm, but director Kara Greenberg keeps the production tightly leashed, her team moving speedily but with well-orchestrated precision and control.
Kevin Crouch is game for anything as Richard Hannay. He anchors the production as the only actor who never switches character and runs himself ragged around the stage with a playful gleam in his eye. As the show’s lone actress, Meg Rodgers masterfully flirts with female archetypes of the era. She’s the femme fatale as Annabella Schmidt; the ingenue as the shy, but curious and helpful Margaret; and the independent, screwball comedy heroine as Pamela. She’s also dressed to the nines by costume designer Paige Willson, who provides a huge assist to the production with carefully chosen pieces – furs for Annabella, coats for the cops, tartan when we go into the Highlands, etc.
The two scene-stealing attractions in the production are undeniably Wesley Whitson and Chris Szeto-Joe as Clown 1 and Clown 2. They are the two that shoulder the vast majority of the roles, skipping between costumes and dialects to populate this world. Between them, they portray a milkman, a porter, a paperboy, salesmen who specialize in undergarments, henchmen, various members of law enforcement (policemen, inspectors, constables, sheriffs), hoteliers, and more. Often, they are something of a double act, and the chemistry (and timing) between them is a joy to watch.
It’s also a pleasure to see how different items will be used (like the strategically hung industrial bowl pendant lights that cross the stage, or the ladder that lays quietly until it’s needed in the second act) and how the actors will accomplish some of the more action-y set pieces. There is a chase outside of and atop a moving train, as well as a North by Northwest-style plane attack. David Gipson’s lighting choices and Shawn W. St. John’s sound designs are crucial to these moments, and they do a lot of heavy lifting throughout the production. But at the risk of spoilers and stepping on the jokes, I’ll leave it at that.
Though gags abound in the show, Barlow’s second act dips. Rest assured, though, that Whitson and Szeto-Joe as characters at a political assembly and an unexpected roadblock will get you through. The laughs won’t stop, and you’ll leave the theater with a smile on your face. Because though The 39 Steps may be “mindless and trivial” and “utterly pointless,” it’s in the best possible way and all the more worthwhile for it. Who couldn’t use a smile on their face right about now?
Performances will continue at 7:30 p.m. Thursdays through Saturdays and 3 p.m. Sundays through August 10 at Main Street Theater – Rice Village, 2540 Times Boulevard. For more information, call 713-524-6706 or visit mainstreettheater.com. $45-$64.