Review: The 39 Steps
The 39 Steps is a fast-paced, witty retelling of a classic piece of fiction.
I entered the Queen’s Theatre Hornchurch knowing very little about the production or The 39 Steps as a whole. I had not come across the original novel by John Buchan nor had I ever watched the wildly popular Alfred Hitchcock film. As such, I had no idea what to expect when the lights went down in the theatre. Fortunately, The 39 Steps ended up being a tour de force of expertly crafted British comedy.
With a fast-paced plot and multiple jokes per minute, The 39 Steps never has a dull moment. The play managed to brilliantly fuse together an intense spy thriller with a tidal wave of pure hilarity that had the entire audience in stitches. So often, when watching a comedy, the characters’ convictions can waver and become incoherent, lost amongst the humour. Yet, this was never the case with The 39 Steps, I really found myself rooting for Richard Hannay (Tom Byrne) and never once doubted the pressure that he was under. I also really enjoyed how the plot would often introduce classic elements that are expected of a spy thriller, before turning these elements on their head, to add further humour to the production. In many ways, The 39 Steps clearly pays tribute to the spy thrillers that came before it, acting as a love letter to Buchan’s original novel while also reinventing this classic into something that is spectacular in and of itself.
The already brilliant story was enhanced even further by its impressive staging. The production expertly navigated around the limitations of translating a story like The 39 Steps to the stage. Instead of avoiding these limitations the production confronted them head on and used them to amp up the comical spectacle. The use of shadow-puppetry to convey an epic chase scene, that was deliberately slapdash in appearance, was not only hilarious but also inspired. I also found myself laughing out loud as the actors transformed into props at a minutes notice, further emphasising these limitations with a sense of hilarious absurdity.
Turning into props was not the only talent the wonderful cast displayed. With only four cast members present on the stage each night, every member of the cast was able to shine in their own right. Tom Byrne played Richard Hannay, bringing a real sense of charm to the role. Due to the natural charisma Byrne placed in the character, you felt yourself rooting for Richard Hannay at every turn, even in his more questionable moments. I also appreciated how, despite being the protagonist, Hannay was never just the straight man. This allowed Byrne to lean into the comical aspects of his character, where he delivered perfectly timed one-liners and brilliantly performed moments of physical comedy. Safeena Ladha played the leading lady, or two or three. From Femme Fatale to Farmer’s Wife to Love Interest, Ladha was able to emerge herself in each role in an instant, delivering three distinct characters who were all equally as intriguing as the last. Each of Ladha’s characters were entirely convincing and unique, with Ladha drawing on different comical notions to make each of her characters as funny as the last. Finally, Eugene McCoy and Maddie Rice essentially played everyone else. This clearly required a lot of precision and stamina, as these character transformations often occurred in a matter of seconds. Both actors really leaned into the comedy of these transformations, sharing the humour in their sudden change of appearance. With each of McCoy’s and Rice’s roles being uniquely different, there was a true showcase of talent, as both actors performed all of their parts from different angles to convince you that, despite having the same face, each character was an entirely different person. With every actor nailing the show’s slapstick comedy and delivering gags with expert precision, It is clear that this production of The 39 Steps particularly excelled because of its extremely talented cast.
Rating: 4.5 Stars 🌟
The 39 Steps will be playing at Queen’s Theatre Hornchurch until the 30th of March
Comments
Post a Comment