The 39 Steps Review

The Cast of the 39 Steps

I have a very clear memory of seeing The 39 Steps during the play's original West End transfer at the Criterion Theatre. I remember being in complete awe of the cast and their ability to keep the energy and stakes so high throughout the 2-hour production. Unfortunately, the revival that has taken up residency at the Trafalgar Theatre doesn't come close.

The 39 Steps is a parody play based on the 1915 novel by John Buchan and the 1935 film by Alfred Hitchcock. The play is executed with a cast of only four actors, one actor plays the hero, Richard Hannay, another plays the three women with whom he is romantically involved and the other two actors (the clowns) play every other character. Between the clowns they cover a total of 139 characters, yep that's right 139, sometimes more than one at the same time. The clowns are historically played by two male actors but for this production, we see one of the roles taken on by a female. This was a welcome change and Maddie Rice does a fantastic job as Clown 2. However, whenever the clowns were called upon to play a man and a woman, there was always a gender switch up. This comic device garnered the reaction intended (you would think the audience had never seen a man in a dress before) but I do think this was over-egged - you have a female actor there, so why not use her?

The whole setup of the play is a pursuit, Richard Hannay is on the run so the stakes have never been higher, or so you would think. The entire production, directed by Nicola Samer lacked any kind of pace. This meant that a lot of the physical comedy fell flat and as an audience, we didn't get the sense of adrenaline that the play requires. The script itself isn't particularly funny, a lot of the play's humour comes from the fast-paced nature of the play and that just wasn't there. You should leave the theatre feeling as worn out as the actors but that just wasn't the case.

Strangely, even though for the most part the production felt slow, a lot of the recognisable moments seemed to be brushed over far too quickly - another pacing problem. The iconic train scene was almost forgettable and the hand brushing against the leg during the tights removal was over too quickly.

Peter McKintosh's set design is bare with an exposed brick wall, a fire bucket, a ladder, and a selection of loose simple props. It feels intentionally low-budget with the dodgy puppetry, strange shadowwork, mistimed sound effects, and gallons of dry ice. This works with shows like The Play That Goes Wrong because we know it's a play within a play and that's the point but this to me just felt like poor execution.

The cast however does a phenomenal job aside from the poor direction and brilliantly embodies every character we meet. Tom Byrne's portrayal of Hannay is the perfect 'straight man' who you can't help but root for and Safeena Ladha shows great versatility as the three very different love interests. As previously mentioned Maddie Rice is a comedy genius in the role of Clown 2 opposite the equally hilarious Eugene McCoy whose interpretation of Mr Memory brings the house down.

Look, it's not the revival I wanted it to be but I suppose it does exactly what it says on the tin. The 39 Steps is always going to be a crowd-pleaser and it's always going to bring the audiences in. It's nice to have it back for a bit but I don't need it to stick around too much longer.