Review: THE 39 STEPS at Main Street Theater

Although the play is often compared to “a spy story blended with Monty Python,” I found Main Street Theater’s production of THE 39 STEPS to be a mix of Mel Brooks’ film HIGH ANXIETY and the theatrical juggernaut THE PLAY THAT GOES WRONG. The source material here is a 1915 spy novel by John Buchan and the 1935 film adaptation from Alfred Hitchcock, both of which treat the narrative as a deadly serious thriller. But the play? It’s more comedy skit than a James Bond adventure spy tale. The show owes the most to “ ole Hitch,” often spoofing his other works as well. Get ready to laugh rather than scream. Four actors play over one hundred and thirty parts on a pretty bare stage that demands they continuously invent props to convey Scottish highland countryside and grand houses. We know this is a vaudeville production from the start, and the cast revels in the buffoonery. THE 39 STEPS is perfect summer theater fare for fans of silly spies and inventive theatrical staging. 

In the London of 1935, Canadian Richard Hannay goes to see a theater show, and by chance becomes embroiled in an international spy ring revolving around the mysterious "39 Steps." He meets the femme fatale agent Annabella Smith, who ends up on the business end of a dagger in his apartment before the sun comes up. Hannay must run from the police, who are hunting him for Annabella’s murder, while he tries to stop a mysterious mastermind from sending secrets out of the country. Along the way, he encounters an army of mismatched characters who equally help and hinder his quest to save the day! 

The magic of the spy novel and film version of this work is that you put an ordinary, unremarkable man in the center of a huge, whirling plot, and you have something compelling and fanciful. But here in the farcical 2005 script by Patrick Barlow, any seriousness is thrown out the window and hidden by slamming doors, silly costumes, and actors who eat the scenery every chance they get. It’s a broad physical comedy first and foremost, and director Kara Greenberg leans into this aspect the most. She keeps it all a gag, and her technical crew is in on the joke as well. Don’t expect a single beat to be played for dramatic effect; everyone is here to play. 

Kevin Crouch is the only actor in the show who gets to be one person, and he portrays the rather strangely confident Canadian Richard Hannay with all the wink-wink nudge-nudge he can muster. Crouch is up to the task of physical comedy, and he offers a spry and willing hero throughout the play’s eternal chase. Meg Rodgers plays all the romantic-interest women who show up - good, bad, and inconsequential. She slaps on a wig and becomes whoever she needs to be to propel the story. Meg mines the most real emotion in her work, and she seems to be the grounding force who tries to up the stakes. But thwarting anyone’s seriousness in any way are Chris Szeto-Joe and Wesley Whitson. Chris seems to be making these detective spoofs his living, as audiences have seen him in silly Sherlock shows and other parodies many times before. He is old hat at this and displays his “veteran pro” status easily. Wesley Whitson creates many memorable characters, but mines the most comedy from any of the matronly figures he morphs into despite his masculine 1930s good looks and moustache. It’s hilarious! He seems to know how to create a comedic character in less than three seconds, and he elevates the energy of any sequence he is in. This cast is spot-on when it comes to comedy!  

Likewise, technically, we are also in great hands. Ryan McGettigan continues his streak of deliciously delightful sets and gives THE 39 STEPS an abandoned Victorian theater charm. He has maxed out on minimalism, and it’s gorgeous. Rodney Walsworth contributes incredibly funny props, such as an impossibly scaled map that had me laughing as hard as any line delivered by the cast. Paige Wilson’s costumes are silly stuff, and the wigs seem to make me giggle, too. Everyone is really going for broke here with the comedic streak. This ship of fools is set to hearty laughs. 

The only daunting aspect of THE 39 STEPS is the length. For such a silly, fluffy show, it clocks in at surprisingly weighty two hours, including a fifteen-minute intermission. Patrick Barlow has written fabulously paced farce sequences for Act One, but in the final stretch, the narrative loses steam. You see where Buchan and Hitchcock keep pulling tension tighter the longer they go in a novel or film, the play has nowhere to really land. The stakes are just not all that high, and we don’t truly care about the romance or the subterfuge, which both seem to get drawn out. And with Kara Greenberg’s commitment to comedy, none of the pauses for real-world elements work. The wigs start to get in the way, and we realize the actors are still knee deep in the Monty Python of it all. Suddenly, we start to realize the genius of Meg Rodgers, who plays both sides nimbly, and this last act is where she shines. But the trio of gentlemen around her are still comedic virtuosos, and they manage to keep some of the balls in the air. In the end, this feels like a quibble, because the comedy is so strong. 

If you love a good laugh, then THE 39 STEPS is tailor-made for you. Particularly if you find British farce merged with spies and intrigue to be a lure. It’s great fun, and Main Street Theater surely has another comedic hit on its hands following a season of truly enjoyable fare. The design is top-notch, the farce is ratcheting up, the cast is comedically gifted, and everyone has come to play and make fun of spy novels and Hitchcock films. The length sometimes gets in the way, but what would you expect with a full thirty-nine steps to climb? 

THE 39 STEPS will show at Main Street Theater in the Rice Village through August 10th. You should arrive a little early to navigate parking in the area. Street parking is free, but often completely full, but there are “pay to park” areas offered. Just know that they take some effort to navigate, and those in a hurry may well be frustrated. Dining options around the show for before or after are plentiful. THE 39 STEPS runs roughly two hours with a fifteen-minute intermission.