The 39 Steps – Playhouse Theatre, Liverpool

Based on the novel by John Buchan

Adaptor/Director: Maria Aitken

Reviewer: Helen Patrick

39 Steps-Liverpool Hannay and Annabella The Liverpool Playhouse over the past few years has decided to not run a traditional Christmas production due to their sister theatre the Everyman showing their yearly Rock’n’Roll Panto. Instead they have opted to show a more adult orientated production, last year being the classic farce Boeing Boeing. This year they have opted to end their 2009 season with the regional staging of Fiery Angel’s production of The 39 Steps.

The 39 Steps has been reproduced in no less than three very different films all of which use John Buchan’s title but fail to replicate the novel in it’s true form. Richard Hannay the shows protagonist is an innocent man, who stumbles across a dangerous spy ring. After this discovery he ends up on the run to the highlands of Scotland before returning to the British capital to foil the villain’s plans.

When I was asked to review this production, I have to admit it was with some trepidation, I have never been a fan of Spy Novels/Films, so I had to rely on the information that this wasn’t your typical Spy drama, but in fact an award winning comedy, that has had success in London, Broadway and around the world.

Aitken has crafted a slick, energetic and tremendously comical and spiffing production, using a cast of just four actors (Dugald Bruce-Lockhart, Katherine Kingsley, Dan Starkey and Richard Braine) to convey a huge range of characters with nothing but a quick change of voice and clever costume changes that range from a flick of a hat to the putting on of a wig (especially on the railway platform when 3 characters were created by just the one actor and one hat!) The creative set by Peter McKintosh ensures that the fun just keeps on moving, enabling Aitken’s simple but effective storytelling to pass in a whirlwind of laughter, suspense and joviality.

Dugald Bruce-Lockhart as typically suave Englishman Richard Hannay is smooth and sophisticated oozing charm and charisma with every step, wink and line spoken. Katherine Kingsley is the epitome of the sexual seductress as she uses every assest and advantage of her femme fatale.

Credit must also be given for the designs of the period costuming and versatile props that help actors become various items such as a bush. It appeared several times through the show that the Actors lost/stumbled over their lines it is unknown due to the nature of the show whether this was intentional or not, but either way it was greeted with much amusement from the incredibly warm and receptive full house. 39 Steps-Liverpool Train Chase

The 39 Steps is a superb adaptation and a masterclass in how it should be done, the production standards are extremely high and the directing and acting talent first rate. The 39 Steps is a splendid and stupefying comical tour de force and one that is going to take a lot of work to beat!

All there is left to say is make sure you get yourself a ticket for this and you will have to be quick as a fox as it is selling extremely well.