Skip to main content

Review of The 39 Steps at the Criterion Theatre, London

The 39 Steps by John Buchan is to many a remarkably familiar tale. Even if you haven't read the relatively slight book, you will almost certainly have seen one of the numerous versions of the tale Whether your Richard Hannay was Robert Donat's 1935 version or Rupert Penry-Jones' version in 2008 or somewhere in between, a play perhaps needed to do something different.

Patrick Barlow's version at the Criterion sure does something different and nine years after its debut at the theatre is still packing them in, my Tuesday viewing left little room for many more patrons. It is however soon to end though as the Laurence Olivier and double Tony Award winner is to finish in September.

The play by Barlow is adapted from an original concept by Simon Corble and Nobby Dimon which was first performed in Richmond, North Yorkshire in 1995. That concept is for a no holds barred physical comedy version of the spy story with the clever idea of just four actors playing all of the parts, in excess of one hundred apparently.

Hannay is played by Daniel Llewelyn-Williams with suitable panache and classic noir style. Only having the single role throughout unlike the rest of the cast allows him to fully embody the role. He is quite brilliant and dons his moustache with pride and playing the role with the perfect balance of seriousness and clowning.

Kelly Hotten is a constant delight in her three roles. My favourite without question the incredibly Scottish Margaret, a gentle little  sweet little performance and even in such a high comedy, with quite a sad little edge.

Completing the four actors are Mike Goodenough and Gary Sefton who between them play the bulk of the characters. On occassions like Goodenough having conversations with himself, coat over one shoulder are simple moments of tremendous skill. Also at one point Goodenough and Sefton swap roles with one another in one scene to remarkably clever effect. Sefton also has got quite a line with playing the ladies, with a little panto (but not too much) and more than a hint of bosom lifting in the Les Dawson tradition. When he is donning a dress, he unquestionably steals many of the scenes.

The design by Peter McKintosh is stripped cleverly to the bare essentials, with minimal props on stage. A spinning door cleverly portraying many rooms and a window frame happily providing a window wherever one is needed. Chairs fly in perfectly timed and toy trains happily portray travel. It is quite a magnificent thing to behold.

I also loved the moments where we slip out of performance when something has slightly gone wrong or delayed. I can only assume that these are deliberate incidents, they certainly feel like it, but either way they give many of the magic moments.

So nine years in London means you are doing something right, but  the end looming for the show. So you need to get quick stepping to the Criterion as soon as possible to lap up this constantly clever, fast paced and at times painfully hilarious little gem of a show.

««««


Performance reviewed: Tuesday 23rd June, 2015 at the Criterion Theatre, London.

The 39 Steps runs at the Criterion until Saturday 5th September, 2015.

For further details about the show visit the website at http://www.love39steps.com/

Popular posts from this blog

Review of Jesus Christ Superstar (N.M.T.C.) at Royal & Derngate (Derngate), Northampton

The now-legendary Jesus Christ Superstar , written by Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice, initially struggled to find backing in 1970, so its first airing was as a concept album rather than the now mainly recognised stage show. Now, 55 years later, the legendary Northampton Musical Theatre Company, at least in Northampton, brings the show to the Royal & Derngate once again, after last performing it in 2010. The story, I suspect, needs little introduction, so I leave you to ensure you know the story before heading to the theatre to see the show. And what a show it is: this is the N.M.T.C., almost at the top of their game, assembling the cream of their group and a vast cast supporting the main players. As lead, newcomer Linden Iliffe takes on the weighty role of Jesus of Nazareth, and he is terrific in the challenging part, depicting the innocent power imbued in him and his desperation and disappointment as his life unravels amid bitter betrayal and disownment. He has a powerful voice,...

Review of The Bodyguard at Milton Keynes Theatre

The 1992 film The Bodyguard , starring Kevin Costner and marking the acting debut of singing megastar Whitney Houston, was a standard romantic thriller, greatly enhanced by Houston's presence and a cascade of big musical numbers. Surprisingly, it took twenty years to make the transition to the stage. Premiering in London in December 2012, just ten months after Houston's death, the show has since become a massive global success. Now it arrives at Milton Keynes Theatre again as part of its fourth UK tour in just thirteen years. The Bodyguard sees former Secret Service agent turned bodyguard, Frank Farmer, hired to protect an Academy Award-nominated actress and music superstar, Rachel Marron, from a stalker. Between Farmer's duties and Marron's career, something inevitably builds between the two amid music and dancing aplenty. Taking the leads on this tour are Sidonie Smith as Rachel and Adam Garcia as Frank. Smith has appeared in The Bodyguard before, as a walk-in in a p...

Review of Hacktivists by Ben Ockrent performed by R&D Youth Theatre at Royal & Derngate (Underground), Northampton

The National Theatres Connections series of plays had been one of my highlights of my trips to R&D during 2014. Their short and snappy single act style kept them all interesting and never overstaying their welcome. So I was more than ready for my first encounter with one of this years Connections plays ahead of the main week of performances at R&D later in the year. Hacktivists is written by Ben Ockrent, whose slightly wacky but socially relevant play Breeders I had seen at St James Theatre last year. Hacktivists is less surreal, but does have a fair selection of what some people would call odd. Myself of the other hand would very much be home with them. So we are presented with thirteen nerdy "friends" who meet to hack, very much in what is termed the white hat variety. This being for good, as we join them they appear to have done very little more than hacked and created some LED light device. Crashing in to spoil the party however comes Beth (Emma-Ann Cranston)...