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Laura Alexander THEA 2100 Richmond Performance Critique 1 //39 Steps// Adapted from the Alfred Hitchcock film of the same title, //The 39 Steps// depicts the misfortunes and adventures of Mr. Hannay as he attempts to elude the London police and save the country by preventing the theft of compromising British military secrets. In the University of Georgia’s production of the play, six cast members act in dozens of roles, an impressive feat in itself, as well as serve as the stage hands throughout the performance. As a result, the performances of the actors proved all the more spectacular, for often the transitions between characters took place mid-scene. Additionally, the creative staging of the play added an extra dimension to the general atmosphere of the action. Although the set often recycled or lacked props; the costumes, lighting, sounds, and interactions of the players allowed for an acceptable illusion and in turn they fleshed out the stage by manipulating the audience’s imagination, demanding for it to fill in the blanks. Due to the effectiveness of these elements and the performances of the actors themselves, the University of Georgia’s production of //The 39 Steps// entertained as well as intrigued the audience, myself included.

Credited only as “Clown 1” and “Clown 2,” Ryan Lamotte and Adam Fiddler in actuality took responsibility for the majority of the roles in the play, and did so miraculously well. One scene in particular stood out, in which the two clowns switched characters mid-scene one after another, sometimes for only a line at a time. Primarily acting as two wise-cracking salesmen in the train scene, Lamotte and Fiddler also played the roles of the conductor and a newspaper sales-boy. In order to change characters, one clown simply changed his hat and way of speaking as the other did the same and dropped to his knees in order to further demonstrate the youth of his character as the young and obnoxious sales-boy. However, the brilliance of this acting method relies on the actor’s ability to adapt quickly and refrain from getting attached to any specific character at the risk of multiple characters bleeding into one another on stage. While some of the characters seemed similar, the actor’s attempts at keeping their uniqueness intact remains noteworthy, whether their distinguishing characteristic resided in the voice, costume, attitude, movement, or a combination of the four.

In another notable scene in which the actors basically had conversations with themselves, both clowns played the roles of the villainous secret agents and the husband and wife owners of an inn. One clown enters the inn as the spy while the other, jaded and gloomy, acts as one of the the inn’s keepers. As the scene continues, the two switch roles - the inn keeper becomes the spy and the spy becomes the inn keeper’s wife through another simple hat change and creative staging in which the spy changes first by removing his trench coat and turning into the wife, expelling his other character from the inn and putting the trench coat onto the husband, turning him into the other spy. While slightly awkward and confusing, this scene exemplifies the aptitude of the cast and direction in their portrayal and transitions of the roles. Additionally, this scene emphasizes the importance of costumes in the identity of the characters, and perhaps serves as a medium through which the actor interprets the role.

Though simple and sometimes sloppy (albeit purposefully), the costumes worn by the performers in //The 39 Steps// often served as a distinguishing factor between otherwise similar characters. As stated before, costume changes often consisted of an uncomplicated switch between hats. Despite its simplicity, this seemingly minute alteration achieved its purpose and frequently contributed to the humor within the play as the actors scrambled to change character in front of the audience. However, only the clowns found it necessary to do this on stage, for the ushers and the leading lady always switched costume backstage because their various characters never appeared in the same scene. Interestingly, the female lead’s parts- played by Tressa Preston – only consisted of three roles. Though considering the depth of these three characters compared to those played by the clowns, it does seem reasonable that she focus on each woman and their defining characteristics, including their costumes. For example, the sultry spy character of Annabella Schmidt wore an elegant evening gown and spoke with a German accent, while Pamela and Margaret’s costumes consisted of more conservative and business-like garb with their demeanors serving as the main difference between the two.

In this case, the clown’s method of acting and Preston’s differs in that the clowns rely on numerous accents, costumes, and body movement while Preston enjoys more time to immerse herself in each character. Because the clowns’ characters all exhibit merely superficial qualities and Preston’s require greater interpretation and identification, it remains difficult to ascertain which actor(s) attempted the more challenging task. Preston’s performance as Margaret served as her best role, for she seemed more comfortable as the difficult companion to Mr. Hannay than either the seductive Annabelle or the inn keeper’s beautiful and lonely wife Pamela. During the scenes when Hannay and Margaret ran from the police handcuffed to each other, the two actors possessed a greater chemistry than when Preston played her other characters, as well as in those when the two antagonistic yet flirtatious personas found themselves in semi-kissing scenes. As Margaret, these latter scenes felt less awkward as an audience member and Preston performed more naturally than in similar scenes as the other characters. In my opinion, despite the admirable variety of Preston’s presentation, the performance of the clowns stood out to a greater extent than the others because of the sheer amount of characters they proved capable of channeling. Edward Mccreary, on the other hand, who played the protagonist Richard Hannay, only performed a single role. Reminiscent of the character of Wesley from //The Princess Bride//, the task of playing Mr. Hannay seems the easiest of the leading cast at first glance. However, one must consider the greater extent to which Mccreary found it necessary to research his character and identify with him, and to create a persona separate from himself. Admittedly, it stands to reason that at least one cast member must only take responsibility for a single role, for obviously the main character must manage constant availability. After all, the majority of scenes lack purpose without the involvement of the protagonist. While Mccreary successfully maintained his role as Mr. Hannay throughout the play, the resemblance of his interpretation of the character to those in other works prevents a sense of complete satisfaction with his performance. His voice, chortle, and exaggerated body movements such as those in moments of suspense like in the first scene when he repeatedly approached the telephone as it rang, all lack originality. However, his performance in the scene following the airplane chase remains commendable, for though beads of sweat appeared visibly on his face, he continued to deliver his lines calmly and breathed normally after an impressively acrobatic sequence of events. Still, I continue to contend that the clowns conquered the greatest feat in their acting.

In addition to the praiseworthy performances of the cast, the staging contributed greatly to the overall success of the play. Lighting and sound, often coupled together, aided immensely in creating the appropriate atmosphere in each scene. In particular, the train scene’s lighting proved especially helpful as it mimicked the light streamed through the roof of the train as it passed under imaginary rail side lights and coincided with the equally adequate sound effects of the train racing along its tracks. In another scene, green lighting shined on Pamela’s husband’s figure through the window as thrasher-movie music played in order to make him seem as eerie as possible. Simultaneously, this also served as a device of humor in its randomness, which consequently fits with the general proceedings of the play. Another example includes the scene at the Professor’s mansion as Mr. Hannay awaits the Professor and continuously opens and shuts the door to the room. At the opening of the door, jazz music played and yellow lighting shone through the doorway, complementing each other nicely, and disappeared once the door closed. Once again a point of humor, this partnership between lighting and sound worked fantastically in transforming a simple action or expression into a performance.

Although only slightly, even scene changes added to the entertainment value of the performance as the stage hands, who doubled as the ushers and a few other minor characters, gave a quick look or gesture towards the audience, who responded positively to the sudden interaction and breaking of the forth wall. Consisting of mainly just a free-rolling door, a window, some trunks, two ladders, and scaffolding, the set of the stage possessed limited resources that the production compensated for with creative reworking of each prop’s function. For example, the trunks in addition to their normal purpose served as train benches, a bed, and even a bar. The actors rolled the door in order to move from room to room in buildings and to simulate stairs, as well as to create invisible walls within the scene’s rooms along with the windows. In one scene, Preston’s character moves the window mid-scene in order to differentiate between the front and back of the building to Mr. Hannay, after which they proceed to list off one Hitchcock film after another for comedic effect as well as a tribute to the director. Though limited in its resources, the production resourcefully and successfully manipulated the staging of //The 39 Steps// in order to invoke an image within the minds of the audience members of a solid set.

Incredibly complex despite its lack of both resources and cast members, the University of Georgia’s production of //The 39 Steps// utilized every prop and actor available to a substantial degree. Valuably entertaining and enriching, the show achieved in earning the audience’s satisfaction with its execution that consisted of a conglomeration of many different factors. Actors alone would not serve this play justice, but together with proper staging, lighting, and sound, the production accomplished a great deal, and absolutely merited a standing ovation from an appreciative audience.