39 Steps

Nothing is more enjoyable than taking a young teenager to their first Broadway or Off-Broadway show experience. This past weekend hosted the daughter, of the daughter, of a dear deceased friend. The granddaughter chose to see, from the list I sent her, “39 Steps”. One of the male actors has had a full-time job for the past decade, staring in the various productions of this play. The main male character plays one role. The singular woman in the cast plays 3 women. This leaves dozens of characters to be played by the other two males. An absolute delightful and riotous experience. It accurately mimics the 1935 film directed by Alfred Hitchcock. It is chocky-block full of innuendos and references to other Hitchcock productions- such as: ‘one of the women’ stands at the bottom of a ladder, just before ascending, turns to the audience and says, “Oh I hate to do this, I have – wait for it – VERTIGO. The production demands expert timing and copious energy from 4 cast members. No matter how often I see it, I delight in the work. There is always an intermission, one of the few times an intermission makes sense. If nothing else, the actors need a break from the pace and a tall drink of water.