Typically, Orlando Theatre Review only reviews theatre in, well, Orlando. But when the Titusville Playhouse promised a show that combined Alfred Hitchcock with Monty Python, I knew I had to make the 30-mile drive to Titusville to see the show.
I had never been there before, but I knew it was the outdoor venue. I was worried it was going to be uber hot, plus my wife attracts mosquitoes like nobody’s business, so she thought she better skip it. I took my son instead and we were very pleased to discover that not only is the outdoor venue under a huge wall-less shelter, but there are several high-powered fans that kept the venue very cool and probably kept the mosquitoes away. (It also helped that the temperatures were in the mid-70s, so that made the venue as comfortable as any air conditioned theater.)
The 39 Steps is a parody play of the original Hitchcock film, which was adapted from the 1915 novel by John Buchan. It’s a four-actor show with three of the actors performing a multitude of roles, as many as 130 in New York and England.
Richard Hannay — a somewhat wealthy man leading a boring life — meets Annabella, a woman with a thick accent who claims to be a spy who has uncovered a plot to steal vital British military secrets. When Richard takes her to his flat, she is murdered. Richard is immediately blamed for her death and he goes on the run, learning that he is not only wanted by the police, but by a mysterious organization called “The 39 Steps.” He is chased throughout England, where everyone seems to either want him arrested or dead — arresdead? — until the death-defying finale.
The story contains plenty of wink-at-the-audience groaners and Easter eggs, including several references to other Hitchcockian movies, which gave Hitchcock fans a sizzled-delight of insider knowledge. Not to mention, the two actors playing Clown #1 and Clown #2 played several hilarious characters using a variety of accents, from English to Scottish to German.
There was plenty of action as we followed Richard on the stage, from inside his flat, to a theatre, to outside his flat, to a train, to the top of a train, to a farmhouse, to the villain’s house, the local jail, several streets and country roads, and back to the manor house where he is finally able to defeat the villain (Kevin Mcaughlin) and his wife (Maren Ping).
(Oh, hush I didn’t spoil it! The good guy always wins in the end!)
Because the story was originally written for four actors — two men and two women — they all have to play a multitude of roles, and everyone played them to perfecction. Gabriel Garcia was Richard Hannay, the hapless Englishman on the run for his life. Kayleigh Mollycheck is Annabella, Margaret, and Pamela, Richard’s three love interests throughout the story. Maren Ping was Clown #1 and Kevin McCaughlin was Clown #2.
While Garcia is certainly the main character and had a wonderful performance, I have to tip my hat to Mollycheck for playing three women. And then throw it out to Ping and McCaughlin for playing the remaining dozens of characters throughout the story, as well as hurling themselves around the stage with reckless abandon.
There were a few “missed cues” in the show, but that was actually part of the show. They weren’t errors by the actors and the crew, they were part of the performance and added to the comedy of the entire performance. For example, at one point, Richard answers a ringing phone, but it continues ringing.
The play relies on physical comedy, as well as the audience’s ability to keep up as the scenes change, days pass, and the Clowns switch between costumes, seemingly haphazardly. At one point Ping plays a male character while McClaughlin plays a female character, rolling up his pant legs, which still appear under his dress. At one point, the two play four different characters in one scene, swapping roles and genders with a quick-change using a hat and raincoat. It was all very smooth and added to the laughs.
And because it’s a simple stage, the characters had plenty of room and imagination to turn it into any setting they cared to tell us. A piece of rolling scaffolding — think an oversized, sturdy clothing rack on wheels — was anything the characters said it was. Richard’s apartment could be created with a simple armchair. But don’t let the simplicity fool you — it takes a lot of work and creativity to make it look that way and still keep things safe for the actors’ physicality. (Hat tip to the set construction crew!)
I do have to complain that I counted the actual steps on the set, and there were only 31. I feel like the designers missed a golden opportunity here to stick an 8-step fake staircase somehwere.
We enjoyed the show very much, and I found a lot of similarities between this one and The Play That Goes Wrong (which Mollycheck appeared in), although it’s not a fair comparison between the two. Unlike the Play That Goes Wrong, The 39 Steps leaned into their “errors” and played up making due with the shortcomings. There were also supposed budget issues that they also leaned into, along the lines of the Monty Python cast banging two halves of a coconut together for the sound of galloping horses.
The 39 Steps runs until April 20. Tickets start at $36, and seating is on cushioned seats in an outdoor venue.
Cast & Crew
- Richard Hannay: Gabriel Garcia
- Kayleigh Mollycock: Annabella/Pamela/Margaret
- Maren Ping: Clown #1
- Kevin S. McCaughlin: Clown #2
- Executive & Artistic Director: Steven J. Heron
- Associate Artistic Director: Niko Stamos
- Director: Niko Stamos
- Stage Manager: Emma Howard
- Costume & Wig Design: Jordyn Linkous
- Scenic Design: Eric Norton
- Lighting Design: Davis Vande Steeg
- Sound Design: Niko Stamos
- Technical Director: Eric Norton
- Carpenter/Welder: Domanick Rose
- Costume Assistant: Helouise Duna