Trains, Planes & Automobiles! 'The 39 Steps' Thriller-Comedy Opens Jan.15

Roundabout Theatre Company is pleased to present the New York premiere of Alfred Hitchcock's The 39 Steps, to officially open on Tuesday, January 15, 2008 at the American Airlines Theatre (227 West 42nd St).  This will be a limited engagement through March 23.

The 39 Steps adapted by Patrick Barlow.  The Olivier Award winning production is directed by Maria Aitken, based on an original concept by Simon Corble and Nobby Dimon and on the book by John Buchan.

The company is led by Arnie Burton (Clown), Charles Edwards (Richard Hannay), Jennifer Ferrin (Pamela/Margaret) and Cliff Saunders (Clown).  The company also includes Claire Brownell, Cameron Fulmar and Mark Shanahan. 

The design team includes Peter McKintosh (Sets & Costumes), Kevin Adams (Lights), Mic Pool (Sound). 

"Mix an Alfred Hitchcock masterpiece with a juicy spy novel, add a dash of vintage Monty Python and you have The 39 Steps, a hilarious whodunit, part espionage thriller and part slapstick comedy, adapted for the stage from the famous film and novel. Shots ring out across a crowded theatre and Richard Hannay is lured into a world of intrigue by a mysterious woman claiming to be a spy. When she winds up dead in his flat, he flees London with the police hot on his trail," explain press notes.

A runaway hit in London and the winner of the 2007 Olivier Award for Best New Comedy. Following its September 2006 transfer from the Tricycle Theatre, The 39 Steps has been playing in London's West End to sell-out houses at the Criterion where it continues to delight and thrill audiences.  The first production of The 39 Steps was directed by Fiona Buffini and produced on stage by North Country Theatre in April 1996 at the Georgian Theatre, Richmond, North Yorkshire.  Prior to the Broadway premiere, the production received its American debut at the Huntington Theatre Company in Boston, MA from September 14, 2007-October 14, 2007.   

Tickets are available by phone at (212) 719-1300, online at www.roundabouttheatre.org or at the American Airlines Theatre (227 West 42nd St). Ticket prices range from $51.25 - $96.25.

The 39 Steps will play Tuesday through Saturday evenings at 8:00PM with a Wednesday, Saturday and Sunday matinee at 2:00PM.