I am not taking bets but I suspect most of the younger audience members of Queensland Theatre’s The 39 Steps might have little cultural reference.  And therein lies the rub.

John Buchan’s The 39 Steps is one famous spy novel.  Why, I have no idea and it has not aged well.  Published in 1916 it is very un-spy like—there is no fancy technology, flashy cars or confusing anything. It’s about as straightforward as a narrative can be.

Two decades later, Alfred Hitchcock filmed it—and if you think The Room is bad, see his movie. So it is no wonder Patrick Barlow revived it as a farce for contemporary audiences.

The dialog is so stilted and the acting so melodramatic and the story so bloody ordinary that Barlow did not change most of the dialogue. He saw the potential for farce—you know, so bad it is good?   The accent switches, sleights of costume, and snappy dialog must be manna from an actor’s heaven. These scenes and vignettes are great to watch and must be torturous to nail – a big kudos to the Queensland Theatre performers.

The four cast members are well known to Queensland theatre goers: Hugh Parker (Richard Hannay) is the uber British hero full of honour and boring as bat ***;  he is caught in a web of intrigue, damsels in distress, and Teutonic baddies.  Liz Buchanan plays the aforementioned damsels—a germanic gun toting woman who starts the action, a frustrated coster’s wife and other women who work with and against Hannay. 

Leon Cain and Bryan Probets have ancillary roles; they get the best lines and most physical comedy—wait for the kilt-ish miniskirt. Leon Cain channels Benny Hill and reminds us how far comedy has come in the past 40 years.

I strongly advise you to see Hitchcock’s movie beforehand.  It provides a frame to understand the play. Otherwise it could be read as a bloody awful play.  It is only after I watched the movie (the next day) that I appreciated the play’s nuances.

And get tickets early; it is rumoured to be almost sold out.

The 39 Steps is playing at QPAC’s Cremorne Theatre until 28 March 2018.

Readers also enjoyed this review of QSO From Jaws to Jurassic Park.