AM+Performance+Critique+for+39+Steps

Alex Moosariparambil Professor Richmond 3 October 2011

Performance Critique of //39 Steps//

As promised by the University of Georgia’s Fine Art department, its production of Alfred Hitchcock’s //39// Steps is “ a fast-paced whodunit… [that] mixes a Hitchcock masterpiece, a juicy spy novel, and adds a dash of Monty Python.” This production provides a unique and comical experience for the audience, and I must say, I was pleasantly surprised by how entertained I was. Directed by George Contini, //39 Steps// is able to take advantage of great acting, simple setting, elaborate costuming, and sophisticated lighting and sound to ensure the audience is hooked from beginning to end.

The play opened with old timey cartoons being projected onto two screens. These images helped to foreshadow the impending comedy and acted as a hook to grab the audience’s attention. The cartoons transitioned into a silhouette of Alfred Hitchcock; afterwards slides played with the credits. The comedic energy was continued as each slide promised to be the last. Finally, another aged video, narrated by the protagonist Richard Hannay, introduced the play. The elements of comedy as well as the continuance of the old timey feel helped to set the stage for the play.

As a new comer to theater and its complicated intricacies, I spent a large amount of my time focusing on the acting. One of the first things I noted was the use of only six individuals to play a variety of roles. Leading this group were Edward McCreary and Tressa Preston. While McCreary played the main protagonist Richard Hannay, Preston played leading ladies Annabella Schmidt, Pamela, and Margaret. In addition to McCreary and Preston, Ryan LaMotte and Adam Fiddler served the roles of Clowns 1 and 2, while Taylor Brooks and Spencer Tootle played the Usher and Usherette. While I enjoyed McCreary’s performance, I was most impressed by the acting of Preston, LaMotte, and Fiddler. These three performers were able to capture the essence of a multitude of roles and maintain the audience’s attention with each.

I was particularly impressed with Preston’s depiction of Annabella Schmidt, Pamela, and Margaret. Preston was able to create a nuance for each of her parts and took full advantage of it. While playing the role of Annabella Schmidt, she was able to embody the overly dramatic German spy. Her use of accent as well dramatic movement helped to distinguish her character. The culmination of her character is seen by her dramatic death. As she bursts into Hannay’s bedroom with a knife in her back, she does well to mock the dramatic death scenes often present in this type of thriller. Almost contrasted to Annabella Schmidt is Pamela’s character. Again, Preston is able to capture Pamela’s ambience by coming off as the prim and proper English woman. The parody nature of this play is seen again, when Pamela begins to fall in love with Hannay after her attempted escape. This serves to poke fun at dramatic love seen in movies from this time period.

The two clowns also helped to permeate comedy throughout the play. LaMotte and Fiddler were able to play an astonishing amount of roles and ensure that each was distinctively memorable. Acting in various roles including passengers, police officers, wives, and Mr. Memory, the two used various accents and minor costume changes to transition flawlessly from passenger to paperboy and from male to female. They helped to engage the audience and help to contrast the stark character personified by Richard Hannay. It is also worth mentioning that the Usher and Usherette, in addition to helping with stage transitions, served as comedic relief, a prime example being when they acted as the sheep blocking the way.

In continuing my discussion of this production, it is important to mention how the setting and costuming both created and helped to improve the play. The theater itself provided a close acting space and allowed for the audience to be involved as seen by the Usher and Usherette’s breaking of the fourth wall. Psyril Apacible, who was in charge of the scene design, used the idea of an old, abandoned stage as his inspiration for the setting. The stage was covered with some tables and chairs, a window and door, travelling trunks, and a movable piece that could act as a train or a plane. Almost bare, it was really up to the actors’ and audience’s imagination as to where the characters were. This also helped to ease the various transitions that occurred. The costuming also played an important role in this production. Because there were so many characters to be played by so few actors, it was important for each costume to be distinct. Costume designer, Amanda Edergton, succeeded by using small details to set each character apart. Examples include the use of a hat to switch between passenger and paperboy by the clowns, the vivid turban and slippers of Mr. Memory, and the elegant outfits of Schmidt and Pamela. Overall the costumes helped to promote the status of the wealthy in the 1930s and the comedy of the clowns and Mr. Memory.

The lighting and sound also helped to add to this performance. One of the primary examples of both was seen when the actors said the title of the performance: 39 Steps. Whenever this occurred, the lights would flicker to the spotlights and back. In addition, specific chords were played. This simple gesture helps to parodies the trend of using the title in dialogue often seen in this type of dramatic thriller. Additionally, lighting and sound help to bring different scenes to life. For example, while Hannay is on the train, the audience can note the running lights along the train. This in addition to the fog and train sounds help to create a more realistic setting. Dramatic chords, crescendos, and decrescendos also helped to show romance and build suspense.

I found the Fine Arts Department’s production of //39 Steps// really enjoyable. I admit that I was skeptical when I first learned about the mandatory performances we had to go to, but the great acting, exciting use of lighting and music, and comedy, ensured that I will be glad to head back to Cellar Theatre.