STORY STUDY - MEDIUM: PLAY - “The 39 Steps”

There is no questioning that Alfred Hitchcock is a key influence in cinema and film history. But it doesn’t stop there: his influence can be seen in general pop culture. Look in the right place and you’ll see scenes that were specifically parodying the Psycho shower scene or the general plot to (both of which have been previously discussed.)

That influence stretches all the way to the world of theatre.

(Photos are from the 2006 production in the West End and the 2008 production on Broadway)

The 39 Steps (or John Buchan’s The 39 Steps as it is shown on the poster) is about Richard Hannay, an ordinary man who is watching a stage show in London. At his seat, he is joined by a woman named Annabella Schmidt, who pleads him to allow her to go home with him. It is revealed she is a secret agent being hunted by assassins working the terrorist group, “The 39 Steps.” She tells Hannay that these assassins have information regarding air defense, and if they get out of England, it would mean doom for the country. She also informs him her next step is to go meet a man in Scotland. That same night, he finds her dead, but not before being told that he must go to Scotland in his place. While traveling to Scotland, he is being hunted by the police, accused for murdering Schmidt, who was left at his apartment.

Oh, by the way, this is a comedy. At least… now it is.

Written (or rewritten) by Patrick Barlow, The 39 Steps is based on the novel of the same name by John Buchan and is based on the Hitchcock film of the same name. The original concept of the play was by Nobby Dimon and Simon Corble.

The original concept involved having this entire play and its multitude of characters being played by only four actors. The Patrick Barlow version still retains that 4 actor only performance. How much the Barlow version differed from the Dimon and Corble version is unclear.

The play doesn’t miss a beat to take advantage of the fact that only actors are playing parts. The character of Hannay and the three female characters that are featured throughout the plat are played by individual actors. The other characters are played by actors who are credited as Clown 1 and Clown 2. In one hilarious scene, there is a paperboy and a porter, both being specifically portrayed by one of the Clowns. Lines by the paperboy are immediately followed after with lines by the porter. To showcase these different characters, the clown wears different hats. This gag goes to the point where Hannay breaks the fourth walls, goes full on Monty Python on says “Oh just get on with it!”

And of course being that kind of comedy, the play makes references to other famous Hitchcock titles, whether they be some kind of pun or an actual staging of a scene (depending on the direction of the play).

A dialogue exchange, for example, is scripted as:

Pilot 1: There he is. Over there!

Pilot 2: Which direction’s that then?

Pilot 1: North-by-North West!

If you’re lucky to have The 39 Steps being performed near you, go check it out. Will you enjoy it without being a Hitchcock fan? Possibly. It is a comedy after all, and the quick changing and performances by the clowns are hilarious.

I have not seen the original 1935 film, so I can’t exactly recommend it, but I can acknowledge its existence.