Actors Theatre Playhouse's (ATP) latest production, The 39 Steps, opens on Thursday, July 13, with performances on Thursday, Friday, Saturday nights, July 13–29, starting at 7:30 p.m.
In this ATP production of Patrick Barlow's award-winning play, a cast of four actors, complete with costume changes and dialects, play more than 100 characters. According to the news release, an ordinary man is mistakenly forced to take to his feet and begin an extraordinarily dangerous and entertaining escapade.
The cast of Gregory Lesch, Nicole Caron, Eric Morgan, and Sadie Fischesser create a dizzying spectacle of characters and locations, all under the direction of Marilyn Tullgren.
Based on Alfred Hitchcock's cinematic 1935 masterpiece and John Buchan's best-selling spy novel, The 39 Steps follows a man falsely accused of being a spy on a wild chase across England and Scotland, packing espionage, train rides, bridge climbing, plane chases, murder and romance into a thrilling comedic adventure.
Along the way, he encounters dastardly murders, double-crossing secret agents, and, of course, devastatingly beautiful women. Mix a Hitchcock masterpiece with juicy spy novel, add a dash of old time Music Hall Vaudeville, toss in some circus tricks and theatrical mime and stage trickery, including a trot across the top of a fast moving train, “and you have the makings for an intriguing, thrilling, riotous, and unmissable night of comedy,” say organizers.
The play, a parody of the Hitchcock and Buchan works, has garnered several awards, including two Tony Awards, one for Best Lighting Design in a Play and one for Best Sound Design in a Play; and two Drama Desk Awards, one for Outstanding Lighting Design and one for Unique Theatrical Experience.
For tickets and more information, visit atplayhouse.org.