The Theatre
The Criterion Theatre is situated slap bang in the middle of London's West End in Piccadilly Circus. As you arrive in Piccadilly Circus or exit from the tube station, look for famous Eros statue and the theatre is right behind, next door to the sports superstore Lillywhites. ... Read review
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Advantages: A light hearted and throughly entertaining comedy, reasonable ticket prices (for West End) Disadvantages: None
The Theatre
The Criterion Theatre is situated slap bang in the middle of London's West End in Piccadilly Circus. As you arrive in Piccadilly Circus or exit from the tube station, look for famous Eros statue and the theatre is right behind, next door to the sports superstore Lillywhites.
The Criterion opened in March 1874 and was originally intended as a concert hall but plans were changed during the construction. The ... ...underground. Extensively refurbished at the beginning of the 1990s, the theatre retains many charming features including the tiled stairway and stained glass panels in some of the ceilings. The auditorium itself features the stalls, dress circle, upper circle and boxes. The stalls are unfortunately not staggered so if you're vertically challenged the view can be restricted, plus columns are used to support the upper levels further limiting the view ... more
The Theatre
The Criterion Theatre is situated slap bang in the middle of London's West End in Piccadilly Circus. As you arrive in Piccadilly Circus or exit from the tube station, look for famous Eros statue and the theatre is right behind, next door to the sports superstore Lillywhites.
The Criterion opened in March 1874 and was originally intended as a concert hall but plans were changed during the construction. The entire theatre, except the tiny box office area, is actually underground. Extensively refurbished at the beginning of the 1990s, the theatre retains many charming features including the tiled stairway and stained glass panels in some of the ceilings. The auditorium itself features the stalls, dress circle, upper circle and boxes. The stalls are unfortunately not staggered so if you're vertically challenged the view can be restricted, plus columns are used to support the upper levels further limiting the view in a few seats. But, for the downsides, it has the huge plus of being an authentic Victorian theatre with charm and atmosphere found accordingly.
For almost a decade, ending in 2005, The Reduced Shakespeare Company performed at the Criterion. Since then the theatre has been home to several productions, with the 39 Steps opening in September 2006.
The Play
The 39 Steps is based on an adventure novel called The Thirty-Nine Steps by John Buchan, first published in 1915 and set in the tense time before war broke out where spies and espionage abounded. Three film versions followed, of which the most famous is the original Alfred Hitchcock movie released in 1935. Hitchcock's film differs substantially from Buchan's novel, in particular the plot has been updated to fit the pre-Second World War climate and a new love interest is introduced.
The new stage version of the 39 Steps is a comic adaptation and follows the plot of the Hitchcock movie rather than that the novel. As follows in brief:
The debonair Richard Hannay decides to attend a showing of Mr Memory's amazing skill at a London theatre one night. Whilst he tries to make small chat with a mysterious lady, shots are fired and a mass panic breaks out. The lady, Annabella Smith, is frightened and manages to talk Hannay into letting her stay at his flat where she reveals she is really a spy. Initially sceptical of Annabella's story that an organisation called the 39 Steps is planning to smuggle British military secrets out of the country, Hannay is only convinced when he spots two men lurking ominously outside his flat. And when Annabella is murdered, stabbed in the back with a bread knife, Hannay must take her place and travel to Scotland to try and expose the 39 Steps before it's too late...
What follows is the classic tale of an innocent man on the run who must expose the bad guys while simultaneously giving the cops the slip.
The play was originally performed at the Tricycle Theatre, before moving to the Criterion where it has continued to earn rave reviews. Notably, it won best new comedy at the 2007 Laurence Olivier Awards.
The Set
Creating the set for the 39 Steps must have been a daunting proposition. Many plays, written with the limitations of the stage in mind, are formulated around one set, the living room being a popular choice. Even the larger scale productions, such as musicals, usually only feature a few set changes. In contract the 39 Steps, written as a novel where no restriction other than that of the author's imagination apply, features a myriad of settings as Hannay chases his way to and around Scotland - a train, several different houses, the moors, a police station, a hotel etc. The challenge must have been how to include all the famous scenes from the movie without hindering the fast paced action with cumbersome set changes.
I do not want to say too much more on this subject, as the way in which the 39 Steps rises to challenge is one of the great joys of seeing this play. Needless to say the approach is clever, adds humour, works brilliantly and they even manage to stage the first ever theatrical bi-plane crash!
The Actors
In a similar vein how do you take movie with a huge cast of actors and transfer it to the stage with far more limited resources? If you're the producer of the 39 Steps the answer is that you get your monies worth and have four actors performing 150 different roles!
Now this isn't quite as complicated as it sounds. Charles Edwards plays the hero Richard Hannay throughout and is on set at all times. The three female roles of Annabella, Pamela and Margaret are taken by Rachel Pickup. Then every other role including that of policemen, conspirators, hoteliers, passers-by and even foliage are performed by Rupert Degas and Simon Gregor.
Charles Edwards - Edwards not only has impressive theatrical credentials - Hayfever, Much Ado About Nothing and The Importance of Being Earnest to name a few - but has also appeared in well known films such as Batman Begins, Mansfield Park and An Ideal Husband. Dashingly handsome (a fact that is nicely utilised for laughs), Charles Edward plays a suitably heroic Hannay with a good measure of impertinence and upper class foppery thrown in with excellent comic results.
Rachel Pickup - A relatively new addition to the cast, Rachel Pickup joined the show in January 2007 (taking over from Catherine McCormack). The Pickup family already have a connection with The 39 Steps as Rachel's father, Ronald, starred in the 1978 film version as Bayliss. Pickup's theatre credits include numerous Shakespearian roles, most recently Helena in A Midsummer Night's Dream, and she has appeared in many well known TV shows such as Holby City, Doctors and Rosemary & Thyme. Pickup does a good job with the parts of Annabella, Pamela and Margaret but does not really stand out, however this probably has more to do with her roles being the springboard for Hannay's jokes than any lack of ability of the actresses part.
Rupert Degas - A multifaceted actor, Rupert Degas' credits include TV shows (Eastenders, Holby City, A Touch of Frost), films (Exorcist: The Beginning, Shoot The Messanger), theatre work (Stones In His Pockets, Becket) as well as radio and voice work (Bob The Builder, Mr Bean).
Simon Gregor - Gregor is an established theatrical actor whose appearances include The Late Henry Moss, The Hypochondriac, The Tempest and The Lion King in which he starred as Timon. He has also taken on roles in numerous TV programmes including The Bill, The Amazing Mrs Pritchard and Men Behaving Badly as well as films such as The Statement and Escape From Sobibor.
Rupert Degas and Simon Gregor are officially termed "Clowns" in the 39 Steps and between them take on every remaining role. They do so with effortless style and perfect comic timing becoming central to the comedy as they play several different roles in just one scene. Special mention has to go to Gregor's female characters which were just brilliant.
The Writer & Director
Patrick Barlow - An actor and a writer, Patrick Barlow formed the National Theatre of Brent in 1980 with which he is still very much involved. His credits, both in acting and writing are too numerous to mention here, include theatrical, television, film and radio work.
Adapting a classic thriller into a comedy suitable for the stage can only have been a challenging task. Barlow skilfully manages to extract humour from every situation and character. He gently pokes fun at the vintage thriller genre and utilises the clowns for every laugh possible.
Maria Aitkin - A talented actress as well as director, Aitkin has worked on projects in both the UK and America, including in the classic Noel Coward comedies The Vortex and Blithe Spirit.
The 39 Steps on stage could all too easily have become overly complicated and chaotic. Thanks to superb direction, the play avoids this fate remaining fast-paced but easy to follow throughout. The physical comedy is superb, with accents of the silent movies and pantomime adding the hilarity.
Conclusion
Having never read The Thirty-Nine Steps, nor seen the Hitchcock movie, I went to see this play not knowing what to expect and enjoyed a thoroughly entertaining couple of hours. A Hitchcock fan would no doubt find even greater amusement as they would be privy to the "in" jokes which largely went over my head! Highly recommended.
Show Times
Daily (except Sundays) at 7.45pm Matinees on Tuesdays at 3.00pm and Saturdays at 4.00pm
Advantages: Very funny, orginal, unusual, surprisingly different Disadvantages: Theatre is a little small and not much leg room!!
...surprise me with tickets to the theatre. He didn't say which show or play it was going to be so I reeled off every show I wanted to see that was playing in London to see if I could work out what we were going to see. But my boyfriend maintained it was to be a surprise so no matter how hard I guessed he was not telling me. However he did admit it was not Dirty Dancing as he thought I'd already seen it! Wrong! But that's now on the list for next time! ... ...in Soho before heading to the theatre for the 8pm show. On route to the Criterion Theatre I was told we were going to see "The 39 Steps", which I must admit drew a complete blank from me. My boyfriend went on to explain it was a comedy based on Alfred Hitchcock's classic spy thriller, The 39 Steps. Sounded interesting I thought. Not quite the big name musical I was expecting, but I'm open to new experiences so was quite happy to go and see it. =============== ...
Homer213 20.07.2009
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of The 39 Steps PLay
Advantages: The funniest play in the West End... Ever Disadvantages: You might miss some of it because you are crying
...We chose this play on the recommendation of a review which claimed it to be the funniest play in the West End at the moment, which I took with the usual pinch of salt, but decided to give it a try anyway. It really is. Maybe the funniest thing in the West End ever.
I won't give away too much of of the plot, not that it would really spoil the experience. The 39 Steps, by John Buchanan was most famously directed by Alfred Hitchcock in the 1935 film, ... ...based on the same film (rather than the book), is an altogether different experience. With just four actors minimal scenery, and simple visual props and many characters this is an absolute masterpiece of visual humour and comic timing. This is perhaps the ultimate spoof espionage thriller. The play starts with the 37 year old hero feeling bored and looking for something exciting to do. He goes to the theatre where he meets a mysterious young lady ...
AndrewPo 07.07.2008
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of The 39 Steps PLay
Advantages: Funny, Witty, Clever Disadvantages: You would have to like taht type of old fashioned English humour
...members of my family that the original book and film (directed by Alfred Hitchcock) was a Thriller, but the Show was definitely a comedy!
I had not read the book or seen the film, therefore I had no idea what the story line entailed and as a result I probably missed a lot of jokes and punch lines. However this did not make this show any less enjoyable. After my initial scepticism for the old fashioned English humour had passed (the first 15 minutes) ... ...a Monty Python sketch.
The show was a cast of four actors, playing no fewer than a hundred different parts between them! This was the brilliance of the show. The four actors should be congratulated for the show they put on, it was very impressive and the skill in which they changed from one character to another was breathe taking and extremely funny to boot.
I went to see the show with my parents. My father is notoriously hard to please, so the ...
fitch1983 14.10.2009
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: helpful Review of The 39 Steps PLay
...comical fashion but as all the reviews seemed positive I decided to give it a try. I did not know which version they would be playing book or film versions I Will not tell you here as it turns out not to matter to the end result.
I was impressed with the speed of the play moving from scene to scene in a clever and fast fashion. The cast, play a absolutely enormous number of roles and do so with such adeptness that you very easily believe in each ...
iany 23.01.2009
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: helpful Review of The 39 Steps PLay
Advantages: Funny and Compelling!! Disadvantages: The seats aren't particulary comfortable
...late January. My boyfriend got the tickets as part of a deal. Ģ20 for a ticket (stall) and a meal (Tiger Tiger). It was a bargin.!I had a really great time. The food was good and just around the corner from the theatre. Right next to it is Marco Pierre White's restaurant also (suprisingly good value set menu). The location of the theatre is great for the tube. Easy to get to and right in the heart of Zone One. The theatre is an old one. Probably ... ...less it has history and the right sort really for this kind of play. A warning: If you have really long legs- ask for an aisle seat or be at the very front. This is a theatre which was not designed for a very tall person! Back to the play; I don't wish to give it away but the comic timing is excellent, the storyline is spot on and you are guaranteed a great night of enjoyment watching 4 people scurry around a stage for 2 hours and wondering what ...
bunited 11.04.2007
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: somewhat helpful Review of The 39 Steps PLay
