The 39 Steps Makes Its South Florida Debut at the Miracle Theatre

By: Apr. 22, 2011
Enter Your Email to Unlock This Article

Plus, get the best of BroadwayWorld delivered to your inbox, and unlimited access to our editorial content across the globe.




Existing user? Just click login.

Mix a Hitchcock masterpiece with a juicy spy novel, add a dash of merry mayhem and you have The 39 Steps, a fast-paced, hilarious whodunit for anyone who loves the magic of theatre! In this two-time Tony Award winner, a cast of four hilariously reenacts over 150 eccentric characters from Hitchcock's 1935 film thriller using just a few props, split-second quick changes, and plenty of theatrical ingenuity. 

In The 39 Steps, adapted by Patrick Barlow, an average man with a boring life meets a woman with a thick accent who says she's a spy. When he takes her home, she is murdered. Soon, a mysterious organization called "The 39 Steps" is hot on the man's trail in a nationwide manhunt that climaxes in a death- defying finale. A riotous blend of brilliant performances and wildly inventive stagecraft, The 39 Steps amounts to an unforgettable evening of nonstop laughs and Hitchcock's special brand of romance, intrigue and espionage. The longest running comedy on Broadway, The 39 Steps is perfect for audiences of all ages.

Actors' Playhouse is proud to team up with The Orlando Shakespeare Theater and Florida Repertory Theatre in Fort Myers to bring their co production of The 39 Steps to the Miracle Theatre. Directed by Orlando Shakes' Artistic Director Jim Helsinger, the Actors' Playhouse production of The 39 Steps will feature Michael Frederic (Theatre for a New City: Night Over Taos [directed by Estelle Parsons]; The Merchant of Venice, Hamlet, Irish, and Five Women Wearing the Same Dress in New York) as Hannay, Brad DePlanche (Orlando Shakes: A Tuna Christmas, The Comedy of Errors, A Midsummer Night?s Dream) as Clown 1, BranDon Roberts (Orlando Shakes: Kiss Me Kate, Oz, As You Like It) as Clown 2, and Deanna Gibson (Florida Rep: Boeing Boeing, Almost, Maine; Riverside Theatre: Doubt, Blithe Spirit) as Pamela/Annabella/Margaret.

The experienced production team for The 39 Steps consists of talents from all three theatres including Scenic Designer Ray Recht, Costume Designer Denise R. Warner, Lighting Designer Patrick Tennent, and Sound Design by Britt Sandusky, adapted for the Actors' Playhouse production by Alexander Herrin.

The 39 Steps begins previews on Wednesday and Thursday, May 11 and 12 at 8 p.m. The show will open Friday, May 13 at 8 p.m. and play through June 5, 2011. Evening performances will be held Wednesday through Saturday at 8 p.m., with afternoon matinees on Sunday at 2 p.m. A special weekday matinee is scheduled on Wednesday, May 18 at 2 p.m.

Preview night tickets on the first Wednesday and Thursday are $35. Tickets for weeknights and matinees are $40, and on Friday and Saturday evenings $48. The theatre offers a 10 percent senior discount rate the day of performance and $15 student rush tickets 15 minutes prior to curtain with identification. Discounts are based on availability and exclude Saturday and Sunday.

Group discounted rates are offered for 15 or more through our group sales department. Single tickets may be purchased through the box office at 305-444-9293 or online at www.actorsplayhouse.org.

This event is made possible with the support of Miami-Dade County with the support of the Miami-Dade County Department of Cultural Affairs, The Cultural Affairs Council, The Miami-Dade County Mayor and Board of County Commissioners, with Support of the City of Coral Gables, and by the following sponsors: Comcast and NBC 6.

About Actors' Playhouse at the Miracle Theatre
Actors' Playhouse is the nonprofit resident theatre company and managing agent of the historic Miracle Theatre on Miracle Mile in Coral Gables. Actors' Playhouse, which has brought home 66 regional Carbonell Awards for artistic excellence, is a Florida Presenting Cultural Organization and one of 22 major cultural institutions in Miami-Dade County. In addition to its Mainstage season, Actors' Playhouse offers a year-round season of Musical Theatre for Young Audiences, a National Children's Theatre Festival, a Theatre Conservatory and Summer Camp Program, as well as educational arts outreach programs for underserved youth, and has initiated a Young Talent Big Dreams contest for children in partnership with The Children's Trust.

Photos by Tony Firriolo, courtesy of Orlando Shakespeare Theater.


The 39 Steps


Brad DePlanche, BranDon Roberts, Deanna Gibson and Spencer Plachy


Brad DePlanche and BranDon Roberts


Deanna Gibson



Videos