Wow… it has been a while since I have done one of these. Looking back on my history it would appear that the last one that I saw was Brightside Theater’s Moonlight and Magnolias, which was done back in early September of… 2013?!?!? Oh my gosh…
So what has kept me from reviewing all the other shows that I have undoubtedly seen since then? A multitude of reasons really:
1) I’m busy… but then again when am I not?
2) I haven’t seen anything on the community theater circuit that went “you have to write about this”… which I suppose isn’t fair since reviews are suppose to be honest opinions of a show.
3) This was beginning to feel like work than fun… but all things that were hobbies eventually become that, no?
Ah well…
Whatever the reason, I am here and I am writing now… and mainly because this show MUST BE SEEN. Don’t believe me? You don’t have to, go and see the show once, and you’ll find yourself wanting to see more because you are sure you…
Ok… wait… slow down here… let’s get through the formalities first and then beyond the break get to the nitty gritty… and there is a lot of nitty gritty here.
Acting: LOVE
Directing: LOVE
Set Design: LOVE
Overall: LOVE
Ok… ready? Here we go…
If you are not familiar with the original film of “The 39 Steps”…
“A man in London tries to help a counterespionage agent. But when the agent is killed and the man stands accused, he must go on the run to both save himself and also stop a spy ring which is trying to steal top secret information.”
So now imagine all the speaking role characters from that film being portrayed by four actors. And ONLY four. From Samuel French:
Mix a Hitchcock masterpiece with a juicy spy novel, add a dash of Monty Python and you have The 39 Steps, a fast-paced whodunit for anyone who loves the magic of theatre! This 2-time Tony® and Drama Desk Award-winning treat is packed with nonstop laughs, over 150 zany characters (played by a ridiculously talented cast of 4), an on-stage plane crash, handcuffs, missing fingers and some good old-fashioned romance!
In The 39 Steps, a man with a boring life meets a woman with a thick accent who says she’s a spy. When he takes her home, she is murdered. Soon, a mysterious organization called “The 39 Steps” is hot on the man’s trail in a nationwide manhunt that climaxes in a death-defying finale!
Not much different… and yet for someone who has seen the original film… they are differing points in a multitude of things. But to go through that would be dull and boring… so let’s get to the nitty gritty.