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Fast, furious and fantastic fun
Charlotte Peters as
Pamela and Richard Ede as Richard Hannay, Picture: Dan
Tsantilis The 39 Steps Set ahead of the Second World War, the story
unfolds as bachelor Hannay accidentally falls into a spy plot to send
vital military information to Germany after inviting an attractive woman
back to his flat. When she is stabbed to death during the night, he uses
her final words to blow open the spy ring while being chased by police
as a suspected murderer. Adventure, romance, mystery and plenty of comedy,
this play has it all. Set in London and Scotland, the bare set is
cleverly transformed despite scant props. While Richard Ede is a
dashing, strong lead as Hannay, I must say he gets off lightly as it is
his colleagues who have to transform themselves into the complexity of
numerous roles. His girl Friday, Charlotte Peters - playing nearly all
of the female roles - transforms herself impressively, especially as a
relative newcomer to the stage. But it is Tony Bell and Gary Mackay that have the
most challenging parts, swiftly dipping and diving between characters in
a heartbeat. It may sound raucous, but despite being much more
comic than the Hitchcock film, it also remains extremely faithful to
it. The 39 Steps is a super must-see play that will
leave you completely spellbound. To 22-06-13. Alison Brinkworth
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