THE 39 STEPS – at The Masquers, Point Richmond
You’ve found your seat. Now steady yourself for a wild ride with Masquers' Production of The 39 Steps. This famous tall tale is based on the 1915 novel by John Buchan and the noir cult classic 1935 Hitchcock film. It’s a popular and often adapted story which has proved its staying power: a mystery thriller base which is developed in the Hitchcock film, and then transformed with new and/or excised material for the stage.
The four-actor play was originally written and premiered in 1996 by Simon Corble and Nobby Dimon. The Masquers version is a later adaptation by Patrick Barlow. The play’s conceit is to game three actors into 130 or so different roles, sometimes playing multiple roles at the same time using hat swaps and other trick devices. Our hero and fourth actor, Richard Hannay, remains himself throughout, navigating the challenges of place, person and peccadillos of fate, and grounding us in the adventure.
Split-second timing, sound and light effects, and continual hammy spoofs glue us to the action.
Actor 1: This stylish Hannay, marvelously played by Gene Mocsy, falls into one unlikely scenario after another, on a winding path from falsely accused murderer to international spy ring exposer – and ultimate hero. Meanwhile, the three other actors, embodying a roulette wheel of characters, confront Hannay from London to Scotland and back again. (I confess I lost count of the number of their roles early on.) Actor 2: Lithe and intense Amy Springer shows us the women in Hannay’s life: Annabella, the spy whom Hannay is accused of murdering, Pamela, the girl on the train whom he first meets by attacking her with kisses, and Margaret, the Collier’s wife who helps him escape from the 39 Steps’ bevvy of murderous thugs. She morphs from a stabbed brunette body to a sleek blonde accuser to a hick peasant girl in a farm bonnet. Actor 3: Samuel Barksdale showcases a multitude of both male and female roles with a comic physical and facial wit that continually inspires laughter. And his double-takes throw us additional merriment. He both opens and closes the show with an important character, Mister Memory, and his shenanigans and eye revolutions expand this role with his stage antics. Covering another multitude of policemen, thugs, a ruthless power-hungry professor, and a smirking innkeeper, Actor 4: Damion Clark seems to appear in every other scene in new costume or aspect, and sometimes in two outfits at once, depending on which way he is facing us.
One of the funniest moments occurs when Hannay has to escape from the farmhouse as authorities approach. But are they the police or the spy ring that’s after him? He exits out a window which is snatched from the wall and stepped through on the floor. This reference to Hitchcock's Rear Window is used a few minutes later by his pursuers.
In another scene we suddenly morph into a silhouette showing an observer - the outline of Hitchcock - and planes pursuing Hannay, referencing Hitchcock’s North by Northwest. Other Hitchcock films are also woven into the plot such as The Farmer’s Wife, and many more. Guessing the reference to a scene is part of the payoff, of course.
Like icing on a delicious cake, the lighting design, sound effects, use of fog, costumes, projections and puppetry mesh together with the clowning to create a play that is a many-layered spoof. Exceptional mention must be made of John Maio who has directed a tight, pitch-perfect show with varied pacing that keeps us on the edge of our seats. The 39 Steps is a romp that skims ever so lightly over themes of fate, chance, romance, and ultimately human empathy. This production is a delight for all your senses, and is highly recommended to recharge your funny bone.
PRODUCTION | The 39 Steps |
PLAY BY | Patrick Barlow |
DIRECTED BY | John Maio |
PRODUCING COMPANY | The Masquers |
PRODUCTION DATES | November 15 to December 8 |
PERFORMANCE ADDRESS | 105 Park Place, Point Richmond, CA 94801-3922. |
WEBSITE | |
TELEPHONE | (510-232-3888 ) |
TICKETS |
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