The 39 Steps – Birmingham Rep

Writer John Buchan

Adaptor: Patrick Barlow

Director Maria Aitken

Reviewer: Helen Chapman

The Public Reviews Rating:

John Buchan’s renowned novel The 39 Steps has enjoyed enormous success on the West End stage, as adapted by Patrick Barlow. Winner of the Laurence Olivier Award in 2007 and two Tony Awards in 2008, The 39 Steps had a lot to live up to as it came to the Birmingham Rep.

And it didn’t disappoint. In fact it delivered on every level, with the audience being one of the most vocal I have come across in many a recent theatre trip – surely a good sign!

The 39 Steps is a humorous take on 1935 Britain, in which Richard Hannay is on the run from the police after a woman is found dead in his apartment. His escape leads him all over as he tries to uncover a secret conspiracy and discover what the elusive thirty nine steps are.

The audience was treated to a truly fantastic cast whose acting abilities brought the show alive. There were costume changes faster than you can imagine, German accents, Scottish accents, and a huge amount of energy throughout. A police chase on a high speed train is an impressive feat. The comedy was not so much in the dialogue but the way in which it was delivered, the timing of each line was perfect, as was the inclusion and timing of each individual prop. Dugald Bruce-Lockhart gave a fantastic performance as the main man Hannay, in my mind he was a bit of a spoof James Bond character, having his way with the ladies. Richard Braine and Dan Starkey made a brilliant duo and played a multitude of character, showing particular skill in switching between characters using costume and props. They made considerable impact into the quick pace of the show and kept the audience alive. Completing the cast was Katherine Kingsley who played the murdered German woman and Hannay’s runaway girl. As the rest, she gave a superb performance.

As much of the comic value can be attributed to the timing and delivery of the dialogue, the same can be said of the use of sound. Throughout the show, sound effects were used with impeccable timing to bring punchlines to life.

This was almost slapstick comedy with a difference, a somewhere between farce and intelligent wit. More sophisticated. More theatre. I thoroughly enjoyed it and would recommend it to all.