The tagline – “4 actors, 139 characters, 100 hilarious minutes” – couldn’t have represented this show any better. The Hitchcock classic, The 39 Steps, has returned on tour to showcase Patrick Barlows hilariously ridiculous adaptation.
The writing by Barlow hits the comedic nail on the head with the farcical funny moments having the audience laughing from curtain to curtain. The story is driven well and is importantly easy to follow within all the chaos. The technical “mishaps” and slapstick style comedy works very well within the context of the performance. The only potential issue that could arise is – how far can you go with the script? As the script has to follow the original story of Hitchcock’s writing and with the variety of different styles of theatre used – shadow screens; miming, melodrama, modern “gone wrong” style amongst many more – there could be a limit to what you can do with the performance in itself.
Speaking of the performance in itself, Maria Aitken’s direction was excellent. The use of the variety of styles kept it very creative and fun for the audience. The blocking was very intricate and precise whilst looking and feeling so minimalistic and simple, showing its execution by both production and cast was spot on. Each element lended to the gags and to the comedy aspect of the show whilst also building the drama simultaneously.
The set and costume – designed by Peter McKintosh – the lighting – designed by Ian Scott – and the sound – designed by Mic Pool – were all once again very simple to an outside viewer but the timing and execution made everything very seamless. The set and costume looked very clean and they had to be quite bare in order to implement the jokes and funny moments into the scenes. Each element of the production once again were designed and created for the show perfectly.
Jacob Daniels showcased his talents fantastically as Richard Hannay. The only cast member to remain as the same singular character in a play like this could be either a benefit or a hindrance as you need to build a good emotional journey and character for the audience to feel invested in from start to finish and this was very well done by Daniels. The audience were thrown left and right by Daniels whether to love or hate Hannay and this allowed the audience to become invested in the character and his journey. Daniels comedic timing both physically and verbally was excellent.
Safeena Ladha – portraying the love interests, Pamela, Annabella and Margaret – was fantastic in all roles. Ladha’s overdramatic persona for each of the characters made them even more hilarious and inventive. From the exaggerated accents to the emphatic physicality, the performance gave the audience a boost any time one of the characters came on stage.
Eugene McCoy and Maddie Rice were the engines of the show. Both actors were the driving forces bouncing between what felt like 1000 characters between the two of them and each time the audience were just waiting to see what hilarity was going to come from this one. The use of a single prop or item of costume was an excellent choice to distinguish between the characters. This allowed for quick character changes and both actors used this as an instrument in their comedy. McCoy’s physical comedy was a highlight of the show. Each character having some form of quirk or attribute that brought the character to life. Rice was such a ball of energy and forced everyone on stage to match her whenever she entered. Her characters were very verbally noticeable. Each one had a distinct voice or accent and this created such funny moments between everyone on stage.
In conclusion, The 39 Steps is a hilarious, farcical show that has something for everyone who enjoys a great theatre show. The production team and cast took a job that seem ridiculous and made it look easy.
Get tickets @ https://www.atgtickets.com/shows/the-39-steps/theatre-royal-glasgow/
Theatre Scotland 
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