When Scots author John Buchan came out with his suspense thriller, The 39 Steps, in 1915, the story conveyed a sense of paralyzing fear (it was after all, during World War One) among its readers, as they followed the progress of Richard Hannay, an innocent man caught in the wrong place at the wrong time, and chased across the length and breadth of Scotland.
Hannay is a man who knows too much, and needs wings on his feet to elude his enemies, besides enlisting the support of trivia whiz, “Mr. Memory”, to expose an international spy ring before it silences him permanently.
But fear of international assassins (seeming to lurk everywhere) is put aside when the Buchan story takes the stage next month as the latest offering by South Simcoe Theatre. Indeed, this rendering of the Buchan story takes dead aim at the funny bone.
South Simcoe Theatre Director Candy Pryce tells BarrieToday, “terror attacks are nowhere on the radar in connection to this show. The themes of the Buchan novel related to things -- and people not being what they seem -- are still present in the play, but they become quite subtle as the style of the play is broad comedy.”
Pryce concedes that Alfred Hitchcock’s classic 1935 film version of The 39 Steps, may be uppermost in the minds of some playgoers, and she and the cast used the film starring Robert Donat, as part of their research. Even so, “the play is meant to be in part a parody of the film, (and) Hitchcock as a cultural touchstone is very present. There are specific comic references in the script to the films which we play.
“Other fun ideas to refer to Hitchcock have also been tossed around at rehearsals and meetings, but none have yet made it into the show.”
And, because it’s harder to make people laugh than to gasp in horror, this production demands a skilled cast. Pryce is convinced this production has it.
“Stephen Bainborough as the lead is a very experienced, intuitive comic actor who holds the story together. J.L. Durnford switches accents and characterizations with ease, anchoring the play within the play as the actress playing the three main women that Stephen’s character encounters.
Buchan (who incidentally, won himself a title – Lord Tweedsmuir—and became governor-general of Canada when his literary days ended) could not have imagined his story including four clowns helping him tell his story on stage.
“Our four clowns, Trudee, Kevin, Laken and Patrick have become a tight comic unit creating the world outside the play – the theatre in which the play takes place and are continually improvising and adding new levels to this aspect of the show.”
Warning: be careful what you know and what you say about what you know. Pryce calls The 39 Steps, “the classic situation of knowing too much and it gets you killed. In fact, as Buchan’s story is considered the first spy thriller, this may the character that made the situation ‘classic’.”
Pryce’s production of The 39 Steps opens Thursday, Feb. 8, and runs until Sunday, Feb. 25. To learn more, click here.
