THE 39 STEPS Opens at San Jose Stage Co

Mix a Hitchcock masterpiece with a dash of Monty Python and you have San Jose Stage Company's production of The 39 Steps, a high-speed, hilarious spoof of the silver-screen classic in what the New York Times says is "Theatre at its finest! ... Absurdly enjoyable!" This delicious Tony® and Drama Desk award-winner is packed with more than 100 zany characters, planes, trains, handcuffs, missing fingers and good old-fashioned romance to its death-defying finale. Featuring an incredibly talented cast of four, directed by San Jose Stage Company's Resident Director, Kenneth Kelleher, this riotous, madcap farce is the perfect holiday treat for the entire family.

"Comedies like The 39 Steps showcase the complexity of the actors' craft. The theatricality demands inventiveness, precision and dexterity and only works with an exceptionally talented company like we've assembled here," said Kenneth Kelleher, the show's director. "The individual virtuoso performances, combined with the timing and teamwork for this show is absolutely critical and it's what is so brilliant about these actors," added Kelleher. "The audiences are truly in for a hilariously good time."

Cassidy Brown plays the handsomely suave hero, Richard Hannay, who learns about a plot of international espionage from a mysteriously beautiful, female spy. But when she's killed in his flat, he suddenly finds himself caught up in a race from London to Scotland in hopes of stopping military secrets from being smuggled out of the country. As he searches for the secret of "The 39 Steps," he is relentlessly pursued by the police who believe he is the murderer. Three of the female roles will be played by Allison F. Rich (The Addams Family, Venus in Fur), and Keith Pinto (Clown 1) and Edward Hightower (Clown 2), most recently seen in The Addams Family,will play a multitude of characters in this fast-paced whodunnit that the New York Post says is"Riotous ... marvelous, and the Los Angeles Theatre Examiner exclaims is "Fabulous fun!"

The 39 Steps is based on John Buchan's novel published in 1915, the first of five books featuring protagonist Richard Hannay, a former mining engineer in South Africa. One of the earliest novels in the thriller genre, The 39 Steps has been continuously in print since its original publication. Alfred Hitchcock, an admirer of Buchan's fiction since his teenage years, altered Buchan's plot in his 1935 film adaptation using the spy thriller device to examine Hannay's relationships with women and marriage in general.

This movie launched Hitchcock into spectacular notoriety in the United Kingdom and United States. His movie continues to be popular to this day (In 1999, it was named the 4th greatest British film ever in a poll by the British Film Institute.).

The first version of the play was written by Simon Corble and Nobby Dimon and premiered in 1995 at the Georgian Theatre in Richmond, North Yorkshire, before embarking on a tour of village halls across northern England. It was later adapted by Patrick Barlow, a comic performer and writer known for reworking many-character pieces into two-actor shows. It was presented at West Yorkshire Playhouse in 2005, and in London's West End in 2006, closing in 2015 as the longest running show in the West End. The play premiered in the United States at the Boston University Theatre by the Huntington Theatre Company in 2007.

Billed as Alfred Hitchcock's The 39 Steps, it opened on Broadway in 2008 and closed in 2010 after 771 performances - "the longest running show on Broadway in seven years," according to Playbill. The show continues to enjoy fame across the United States and internationally, having premiered around the world in 40 countries including Australia, Germany, Greece, Hong Kong, Israel, Mexico, Spain and South Korea.

Single tickets are ($30-$65) and 4-play season tickets are ($108 - $196), offering savings of up to 30% over single tickets, free exchanges, and many more benefits. Call the box office at 408.283.7142 or order online www.thestage.org. Discounts are available for students, seniors, and groups.