Throughout the year Artistic Director of Eastbourne Theatres, Chris Jordan, and his team work tirelessly to bring the Eastbourne audience the very best touring shows that are available. When it comes to the pantomime, and to their summer production, they create the entire show themselves and they always prove that the saying is true, if you want a job done well, do it yourself!
The 39 Steps is based on the classic John Buchan novel of 1915 and the superb 1935 Alfred Hitchcock movie, which starred matinee idol Robert Donat as the hero of the tale, Richard Hannay. The one slight difference is that the multitude of characters that feature in the spy thriller are played, in this incredibly funny piece, by just four actors… and a cat.
After returning from Canada to his London flat, Richard Hannay (Oliver Mellor) becomes embroiled in an international spy ring related to the mysterious “39 Steps.” He meets secret agent Annabella Schmidt (Anna Clarke), who is soon killed in his apartment. He must hide from the police, who are hunting him for murder, while he tries to stop the head of the spy ring from sending secrets out of the country. Hannay is assisted by Mrs Higgins, a Scottish crofter’s wife (again, Anna Clarke), and by Pamela (also played by Anna Clarke), an unwilling accomplice who discovers the truth.
I mention the four named characters above for one reason only, and that is simply because every other character in the play (male or female) is brought to life by either Man 1 (Jon Monie) or Man 2 (Philip Stewart). With impeccable timing, the transformation from one character to another may simply be illustrated by the change of a hat but, having said that, there are other occasions where lightning speed is needed for a complete costume change.
As well as the skill of the four cast members, the strength of this production is the wonderfully inventive staging. With lighting design by Douglas Morgan, sound design by Clement Rawlings and set and costume design by Julie Godfrey, the audience is, quite literally, taken on a journey from London to Scotland (by train), to a Scottish police station (by car) and across the Scottish Highlands (on foot) pursued by the police, with a cameo appearance in this scene (as so often happens in his movies) by “Alfred Hitchcock”.
Trying to explain why this fantastic show is so funny would be as difficult as it would be unfair to future audiences. The humour is based solely on the unfolding tale, and you won’t find any spoilers here. What you will find is a wholehearted recommendation that, before Saturday 17th August, you take yourself, and your friends, to see this riotously funny show because, even when you have had the very worst day, The 39 Steps is guaranteed to have you smiling, no, not smiling – laughing out loud!
***** Five Stars