THE 39 STEPS Reviews

My thoughts exactly...

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A rave from Variety. And David Rooney even calls out the obligatory Hitchcock cameo that very few catch!

"Stepping into Robert Donat's shoes as Richard Hannay, the unflappable, pipe-smoking hero with the pencil-thin mustache and flawless hair, Charles Edwards balances a brow perpetually knitted in earnest contemplation, a stiff upper lip and a determinedly set jaw with the slyest of double takes (he's the sole holdover from the London cast). In Edwards' perf, Hannay's anxiety in even the stickiest situations is always tempered by the character's vanity, poise, smug self-satisfaction and a hint of dimness.
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Backed by nifty lighting tricks from Kevin Adams, Peter McKintosh's resourcefully economical designs are at their cleverest in the hair-raising train chase, using only a series of traveling trunks and a smoke machine; in a parade of bagpipe players; when Richard is ushered ever deeper inside a large Scottish house via the same repeatedly repositioned doorway; and during his pursuit across the moors. That scene is staged as shadow theater on a backlit sheet, complete with the obligatory Hitchcock cameo, another from the Loch Ness monster and an homage to "North by Northwest."

Jokey nods to other Hitchcock films are peppered throughout, dropping such titles as "The Lady Vanishes," "The Man Who Knew Too Much," "Strangers on a Train" and "Rear Window" into the dialogue and tossing in visual references or Bernard Herrmann music cues that evoke "Psycho" (a shower curtain doubles as a waterfall), "Vertigo" and "The Birds." Hitch's hoariest editing trick -- the overlapping of a housekeeper's scream as she discovers Annabella's body with the whistle of the departing train -- earns a huge laugh."

http://www.variety.com/review/VE1117935796.html?categoryid=33&cs=1

I dont know if this counts....but Broadway.com's "Word of Mouth: with Matt, Kathleen & our favorite gal- Hillary gave it a good review....

http://www.broadway.com/gen/general.aspx?ci=559215

Updated On: 1/15/08 at 09:43 PM

Very positive from Theatermania

"Edwards, the only cast member to come over from London, nicely captures Hannay's vanity, but one suspects the primary reason for his presence is his strong physical and vocal resemblance to Robert Donat, who played Hannay in the film. Similarly, Ferrin -- a former Daytime Emmy nominee for her work on As The World Turns -- has been styled as an almost perfect reincarnation of Madeleine Carroll, who played Pamela. More importantly, she so deftly distinguishes all three of her characters, you might not realize they're being played by the same actress.

In many ways, however, the show belongs to the lanky Burton and the rounder Saunders, whose versatility -- and ability to changes clothes extremely quickly -- is often astounding. A set piece in which the pair play six different characters in about 30 seconds, while constantly changing hats, is both breathtaking and hilarious, and Burton has almost too much fun as the bad guy, Dr. Jordan.

The show's other shining stars are set and costume designer Peter McKintosh, lighting designer Kevin Adams, and sound designer Mic Pool, who find myriad clever ways to recreate the script's numerous locales and crowd scenes, often using only a few small pieces of furniture (and one brilliant scrim).

Ultimately, Hitchcock fans may be the only ones who really need to run to The 39 Steps, but anyone who ascends them will find the climb worth the effort."

http://www.theatermania.com/content/news.cfm/story/12441

A flat-out RAVE from Brantley:

"The performers largely avoid direct impersonation of the film’s cast members. The masterly Mr. Edwards, the one holdover from the London cast, isn’t reincarnating Robert Donat, the suave actor who created the part. Instead he’s channeling a whole tradition of gentlemanly but virile heroes. (I don’t think it’s just because Richard is Canadian that the screen figure Mr. Edwards most reminds me of is the cartoon Mountie Dudley Do-Right.)

Ms. Ferrin, who plays the several romantic interests in the story, does evoke the prototypical Hitchcock blonde in her portrayal of Pamela, a part originated by Madeleine Carroll. But mostly she’s doing vaudeville variations on classic love interests: exotic Mata Hari type, wistful country girl.

Playing everybody else, and that’s a lot of else, Mr. Saunders (who is a natural offbeat clown) and Mr. Burton are asked to stretch their comic muscles to the snapping point, as well as hefting much of the furniture that coalesces so unexpectedly into all sorts of landscapes. They never appear to sweat it. The exasperation they occasionally show is in the script. The actors themselves seem to be having a helluva good time.

As does the audience. For in addition to providing the relief of being committedly silly in a season of fine dramas about unhappy families, “The 39 Steps” stands out for its plying of minimal resources to maximal effect.

The creators of the bloated spectacles “The New Mel Brooks Musical Young Frankenstein” and “Disney’s The Little Mermaid” should take a hard look at “Alfred Hitchcock’s The 39 Steps,” which packs a lot less ego into its brand-name title. With its cast of four and a brick-wall-backed set, this show flies lightly into an ether of escapism, while its over-produced peers remain stuck leadenly on the ground."

http://theater2.nytimes.com/2008/01/16/theater/reviews/16steps.html

People don't see the Hitchcock cameo? I saw it.

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The London production at the Criterion theatre has just been extended yet again. Its now playing until Oct 2008 -that takes it to over the 2 year mark- not bad for a show that was booked there for a limited engagement of 3 months. Its biggest audience is American tourists.

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Saw it today and thought it was a lot of fun! I loved catching all the references to other Hitchcock films and parodies of noirish spy thriller cliches. Burton & Saunders are wonders to watch and look like they are having a great time! I loved the minimalistic approach, I thought it worked really well with the concept of the show.

For those wondering what the Hitchcock cameo was, when they have the little shadow puppets on the curtain crossing Loch Ness, a little Hitchcock silhouette pops up. Very funny!

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