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//The 39 Steps// //The 39 Steps// is a fast paced comedy that provides a comedic twist to the classic spy film by Alfred Hitchcock. The effects of lighting and props were utilized to their greatest extent during the production, while the small cast, exaggerated motions, and dramatic music combined to give the play increased comedic value. //The 39 Steps// draws from stereotypical horror movies as it takes the audience member on a roller coaster ride with the protagonist Richard Hannay as he tries to discover the secrets of the very espionage organization he is running from.

The play opens with a pre-recorded film of Richard Hannay as he describes the desolate state of his life. However, at a point in the dialogue, the actor portraying Hannay begins speaking with the film, signaling the start of the action. One defining characteristic of the play is introduced as two ushers push the scaffold holding the projection screen off the stage. Such quick scene changes are dispersed throughout the production. While in most theater productions, stagehands wear discrete black clothing and try to surreptitiously move around the props and sets on stage, the two ushers in //The 39 Steps// were not clandestine. Conversely, they were a vital aspect of the show. The fact that they were so obviously moving around props on stage added to the comedy of the overall performance. At one point in particular in the play, Hannay was following the wife of Professor Jordan through the household, and the two ushers stood on either side of the door and pushed it around the stage as Professor Jordan’s wife traveled deeper into the house. The wife would proclaim, “He is just through this door” and lead Hannay through before the ushers wheeled the same door to another spot on the stage, and the process began again. The comedic value of the scene was multiplied by the presence of the two ushers and the usage of the set props.

Lighting was another component that played a large role in the production. The lighting helped to establish the overall atmosphere of the scenes. Spotlights were used at several points throughout the production to increase both suspense and humor. The usage of spotlights often accompanied cheesy, dramatic, “horror” music, in which the stage would be drenched in darkness as spotlights illuminated the actors as they moved dramatically to the music, playing on the horror film aspect of the show. The lights were used in close conjunction with the music of the production. When Hannay was inside Professor Jordan’s home, the wife left for a moment to go “check on the party,” and as she exited through the door stage right, yellow lights and party music began playing. However, the moment the door shut, the lights and music were turned off. A comedic moment ensued in which Hannay stood at the door, opening and closing it several times just to have the lights and music turn on and off with the shutting of the door. The dramatic lighting and music again contributed to the comedic success of the production.

A most notable aspect of the play was the size of the cast. There were only four cast members total, not including the two ushers performing scene changes. As there were many more than four characters, each character, excluding Richard Hannay, had to double as another character in the play. The actress who played Annabella Schmidt in the beginning also doubled as Pamela and Margaret – the other love interests of Hannay in the play. Most impressive, however, were the two actors who played Clown 1 and Clown 2. The two clowns had the crowd in stitches and roaring with laughter in every scene. The two clowns played the remainder of the characters – the villains, the men, the women, and the children. Sometimes, the two clown actors had to be several characters within one scene, which required excellent utilization of props to be successful. The train scene, as well as the scene in the hotel near the end of the play called for the two actors to be multiple characters in a single scene. In the train scene, the one of the two clowns was a man in the railroad car selling women’s underwear and doubled as a boy selling newspapers at the train station, while the other clown was the second man in the railroad car selling women’s underwear and doubled as the railroad conductor. In the hotel scene near the end, the two clowns doubled as the couple that owned the establishment and the two spy detectives. The small size of the cast called for the actors to draw more heavily on their acting abilities, and it made the play more humorous to the audience.

The utilization of props in //The 39 Steps// was brilliant. While some aspect of the props and set design has already been mentioned, a menagerie of other examples was evident and vital to the overall success of the drama. In the train scene with Hannay and the two clowns, the acting was only half of the reason that the doubling of characters was so evident. The characters used hats to indicate the changing of characters. Had the usage of hats not been utilized, the rapid switch between roles would have been incredibly confusing to the audience member. Another example in which props were employed to increase comedy occurred as Hannay was on the run from the two pilots shooting at him. As the two pilots yelled that their plane was going to crash, the actor playing Hannay ran on stage with a hat that had an airplane attached by a wire. With movements of his head and body, the actor was able to convey in a humorous manner the crashing of the airplane behind him. Without the proper usage of props, the production would not have been as thoroughly enjoyable.

The acting of the play was impressive as well. As three of the four actors had to portray multiple characters, it was vital that the actors cast were versatile and flexible with voice and body movements. Each character presented had a different voice and way of carrying themselves, and the actors had to be able to make the transition between the various characters quickly. Many times, the movements and actions of the actors were very exaggerated, which added to the performance and drew on stereotypes of horror films. One of the more humorous scenes occurred when Hannay stumbled upon a political meeting, and the two clown characters portrayed old men. One of the clown’s movements and facial expressions were so convincing that the entire audience could not stop laughing. The clown played up the feeble, rickety qualities that most old men possess, as he wobbled and swayed uncontrollably with his cane before finally taking a seat. His face, too, was priceless, as the actor’s mouth kept puckering in a manner that is typical of the very elderly, and his eyes were very nearly closed. The acting talents of the actors all helped to sell their images as the characters they were attempting to portray.

Costumes and makeup of the play were not extremely noteworthy. The costumes portrayed the desired characters fairly well, but the costumes were not the main focus of the production. The usage of other props such as hats and jackets were what distinguished each character the most. It was the culmination of the acting, props, and a bit of the costumes that truly defined the multitude of roles played by the four actors. Near the end, however, one instance in particular was incredibly humorous. A spy from the 39 Steps organization spoke to Hannay, and through the beginnings of his speech, the actor donned a small goatee on his chin. However, by the end, as the actor was praising the Nazi regime, he removed his goatee and moved it to his upper lip, where it resembled the infamous mustache of Adolf Hitler. Nevertheless, for the majority of the play, the costumes and makeup did not act as a vital aspect of the performance.

All in all, //The 39 Steps// was an extremely humorous play that was enjoyable to watch. The one improvement that could have been made was the duration of time that some actions in the scenes required. In the case where Mr. Memory was dying, the process in which he would “die” then come back to life to sputter out more of the secret of the 39 Steps dragged on for longer than was necessary. Other than that minutia, the production was an incredible success. It was the combination of all the different aspects of theater that made it so. Props, lighting, and acting talents were probably the most vital features of this particular production. The play was done very well, and it would be recommended to anyone who enjoys a fast paced comedic performance.