San Francisco Playhouse’s “The 39 Steps” Is a Riotous, Rip-Roaring Riff on the Hitchcock Thriller
by Darlene Jurow
Alfred Hitchcock’s iconic “The 39 Steps” is ripe for satire, and San Francisco Playhouse’s (450 Post Street) stage version of this 1935 film, performing through Saturday, April 20, offers high energy, vaudevillian flair, impeccable comic timing, and overall, is a zany gem of a show!
“The 39 Steps” has a superb cast of four actors playing some 100 characters as it follows the high-speed adventures of protagonist Richard Hannay (superbly portrayed by Phil Wong), who is kept busy chasing villains through the U.K.., cracking an international spy ring and, naturally, finally, getting the girl!
Phil Wong plays Richard Hannay, who is being falsely accused on murder, and having to go on the run to clear his name. Hannay, after having a mysterious woman, Annabella Schmidt (Maggie Mason), murdered in his apartment, heads off to the Scottish countryside in search of a certain house, stays over at a farmhouse where he encounters a woman who helps him (also Maggie Mason), encounters a shady professor named Jordan (Renee Rogoff), is disbelieved by the town sheriff after he's nearly killed (also Renee Rogoff), encounters another woman, Pamela (again, Maggie Mason), who ends up handcuffed to him, and more hilarity ensues as the two head back to London to figure out how to finally clear Hannay's name and foil the spies' plot. The fourth member of the cast, Greg Ayers, is also an extremely talented humorist, and takes on the roles of dozens of characters.
All of this is done with a whole lot of extremely quick changes of wigs, hats, and costumes right in front of the audience, and the true delight of the show comes in the ingenuity of all the humor that ensues.
One of the more memorable sequences comes in the first scene, where all four actors recreate a train sequence with just the use of a few trunks for seats. Renee Rogoff and Greg Ayers play traveling sales people who share a train compartment with Hannay, and police officers on the hunt for Hannay. Through movement and mime, and with amazing lighting and sound effects, the actors do an outstanding job of conjuring the image of a rumbling train, with Hannay's escape out a window and onto the side of a bridge, which he scales before dropping into the water to swim away.
The fast pace with quick-change transformation and madcap humor make this show outstanding as it is a true ensemble treasure – a superb cast that spins comic gold out of this Hitchcock spy caper. Not to be overlooked is the inventive stagecraft that make this riotous spoof so delightful.
In another scene the doors, window and a car suddenly appear out of nowhere. And bagpipes! Need I say more? The laughs keep coming at breakneck speed incorporating references to other Hitchcock films, including the simulated train and car rides, and even a hilarious pantyhose removal!
“The 39 Steps” is a crowd-pleaser to be sure, and San Francisco Playhouse’s stage production is not to be missed. For tickets or more information please visit www.sfplayhouse.org or phone the box office at (415) 677-9596.
* * * * *
Photo caption: Passengers (l to r: Greg Ayers, Maggie Mason, Phil Wong, and Renee Rogoff) are surprised as the car ride comes to a screeching halt in "The 39 Steps," presented by San Francisco Playhouse, currently performing through April 20. (Photo Credit: Jessica Palopoli)