Tonys 2008: '39 Steps' in the right direction
Alfred Hitchcock's 1935 adaptation of the bestselling thriller "The 39 Steps" may not have won any Oscars but it could be in the running for this year's Tonys. The cheeky British import, which won the 2007 Oliver for best new comedy, goes from screen to stage with a cast of four playing all the parts. The critics roared with laughter (and approval) and, in a season filled with dour domestic dramas, this sly spy spoof could stand out come awards time.
As always, Linda Winer of Newsday deftly describes the plot. "The dozens of characters - Brits, Scots and nascent Nazis - are all played by just three tirelessly virtuosic actors. The fourth, Charles Edwards, portrays that tweedy Englishman named Richard Hannay, who goes to a music hall and gets seduced by an exotic spy who, before she is murdered, warns him that a 'top secret secret' is about to be stolen from England." She thought, "Edwards, the only holdover from the original London production, carries the Robert Donat role as if Hannay were a debonair hawk simultaneously looking for predators and for prey."
And Elysa Gardner of USA Today thought the the rest of the cast equally good. "Jennifer Ferrin does triple duty, playing a hilariously over-the-top Annabella as well as a more demure Scottish matron and a dazzling but rather dim blonde who falls instantly for Richard but nonetheless feels compelled to report him to the authorities. Ferrin has it easy compared with Arnie Burton and Cliff Saunders, who share dozens of supporting parts, sometimes shifting from character to character in the blink of an eye or the switching of hats. A sinister German, a crusty Scot, an eccentric couple, a pair of underwear salesmen — Burton and Saunders are convincing, or at least amusing, in all guises."
Joe Dziemianowicz of the New York Daily News says that, "If you know the movie (and you don't have to to enjoy this romp), the plot stays close to Hitchcock's version of John Buchan's 1915 novel. The difference is the stage adaptation by Patrick Barlow plays everything for laughs, including one stabbing and several shootings." His only complaint? "If 'The 39 Steps' makes a misstep, it's having an intermission. Once this fast-paced fun ride leaves the station, you don't want to get off."
A bemused Ben Brantley of the New York Times called the show, "an absurdly enjoyable, gleefully theatrical riff." He also advises that, "you don’t need to have seen the movie to appreciate the accomplishment of the show. Director Maria Aitken and company are using their cinematic template to celebrate the art of instant illusion-making that is theater. Much of the show’s pleasure comes from being in on the magician’s tricks even as, on some primitive level, you accept them."
For David Rooney of Variety, "the dated conventions of '30s filmmaking, the outmoded acting styles, preposterous accents and the loopy dialogue played straight all combine with a tongue-in-cheek performance mode that blends mime, slapstick and Monty Python-esque drollery in a brand of film sendup that's more commonly the domain of television, from 'The Carol Burnett Show' to 'French & Saunders.' The kicker is that it's all performed by a multitasking cast of four with only a handful of props and minimal set pieces."
Finally, Clive Barnes of the New York Post found the show to be, "a marvelous spoof of the movie, translating Hitchcock's thrills, spills and visuals into elementary stage effects - even the famous train chase over the top of The Flying Scotsman express, and the dangling hero's scene on Edinburgh's Forth Bridge. The play's creators have affectionately pushed Hitchcock's brilliance - watch for various homages to such movies as 'The Birds' and 'The Lady Vanishes' - into some riotous realm of satire, without losing its essentially Hitchcockian flavor."
