What do you get when you combine four talented actors, every Alfred Hitchcock film, a touch of Monty Python and shadow puppets? Patrick Barlow’s The 39 Steps, performed for the first time by a local theater company at Falcon Theater. A hit on both Broadway and the West End, The 39 Steps takes the audience to 1935 London, on a train trip to Edinburgh, and all points in between. In a personal interview (conducted by director and Alecia Lewkowich on June 24, 2011) Barlow explained how the adaptation came about:
“Two writers had written a version of John Buchan’s book. I was approached by a producer to be in it. To play Hannay in it. I looked at that script and I thought it was okay but it wasn’t good enough, so I said I would rather adapt this. Then I went and look at the film and I thought how brilliant the film was and how brilliant to actually adapt the film to the stage rather than the book. And I got the go ahead and he got the rights.”
Adapted from the 1935 Alfred Hitchcock film, which was based on on John Buchanan’s novel, The 39 Steps takes iconic scenes– the train chase, the Palladium– and recreates them with the power of four talented actors.
Director Alecia Lewkowich has assembled a talented cast, many of whom are familiar to Falcon patrons: Falcon veteran actor and director Dan Doerger (The Rocky Horror Show, Debbie Does Dallas, Hair, Down The Road) takes the role of Hannay, the unwitting victim of circumstance who find himself wrapped up in a world of intrigue and deception. Elizabeth Molloy, a familiar face at the Covedale Center for the Performing Arts and others, makes her Falcon debut taking on all 3 female roles for this show. Sharing all the other roles in the play are Mike Hall and Donnie McGovern who between them play 40 other roles.
The 39 Steps runs Fridays and Saturdays, February 10-25, 2012 at 8 p.m. at the Monmouth Theater in Newport, Kentucky. Tickets ($17, $15 for students) may be purchased by calling 513.479.6783 or by visiting http://www.falcontheater.net. Check in on the Yelp app on your smart phone for a special offer.
Falcon Theater is proud to have Yelp as their season sponsor, and featured sponsor for The 39 Steps.
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