The 39 Steps has gone through many evolutions, beginning as a novel by John Buchan in 1915, then adapted into an Alfred Hitchcock movie in 1935, further adapted into a performance piece by Simon Corble and Nobby Dimon in 1996, and eventually resulting in a script for theatre in 2006 written by Patrick Barlow. The show first opened on the West End (London) in 2006 where it received the Olivier Award for Best Comedy and then on Broadway (New York) in 2008 where it received 6 Tony nominations and won 2. The 39 Steps ran for 9 years on the West End and 3 years on Broadway, one of the longest running plays in either place.
About 6 years ago I was lucky enough to see the West End production of The 39 Steps. By intermission I had already put the show on the top of my wish list of plays to someday direct. Everything about this show intrigues me as a director: the pacing, the dialects, the choreography, the characters, the stagecraft, the time period, the ENERGY! This show is a true farce, a specific type of comedy which makes use of highly exaggerated and humorous situations aimed at entertaining the audience. While character development is not a strong focus in a farce, the challenge comes in the form of difficult physical humor, strongly defined character traits, perfect timing, and, in this case, perfecting a variety of dialects. As a director this challenge has been as difficult as it has been rewarding. And it has taken more than the usual amount of collaboration between the artistic team, actors, and crew.
This is a tremendously ambitious show to mount, even with professional actors. It was a risk to choose and it has turned out to be a dream come true. I almost always develop an admiration and affection for my cast, but this particular cast has been one of my favorites. They are as diverse in their experience on stage as the characters they play. From veteran performers to rookie actors (cast in the lead?!?) they have worked together as a group in every single rehearsal to develop an interesting and textured ensemble. And not only have they been asked to master new dialects and memorize pages of dialog and blocking they are also the crew for both costumes and sets backstage. This is a true ensemble show and I couldn’t have asked for a more professional, inspiring and FUN cast. Phoenix, Luke D, Luke F, Brandy, Brittany, Tykah, Khayla, Justin, Bree, Calvin, Bryan and Ashley – thank you so much for your collaboration, humor, willingness, and generosity!
This is also a tremendously difficult show to mount technically. As you will see, all the pieces (sets, costumes, lighting, sound, music, blocking) have to be choreographed together seamlessly. I could not have even dreamed to stage this show without the support of the ‘dream team’: Naomi Haus-Roth – genius of all set/prop design (your creativity astounds me); Cheri Snook – lighting and sound design whiz; Brenda Rydstrom – queen of costuming; Simon Daum – keyboard wizard; Ivy Synnestvedt – producer extraordinaire (one of my favorite organized-artists, a rare breed); Tim Mogford – the most entertaining and gifted dialect coach; and Sonja Kistner – my multi-talented assistant director and stage manager. I cannot thank you enough for your problem-solving skills, your TALENT, and your collaboration.
My one wish for the audience: I hope you laugh. We all need levity and humor in a sometimes overwhelming and serious world. There is dignity in theatre that makes people simply feel joy and we hope to accomplish that here tonight. And as spoken by the most intelligent, insightful, and illustrious Clowns of The 39 Steps: “Thankoo! Thankoo! Thankoo!”
~Jessica Bostock, Director
