Pages

Saturday, May 5, 2012

REVIEW: HIJINKS AND MAYHEM MOUNT “THE 39 STEPS” @ GEORGE STREET PLAYHOUSE

The laughs and whoops of recognition fly fast and furiously at the George Street Playhouse where The 39 Steps is wreaking dramatic mayhem. The Hitchcockian hijinks will have you rolling in the aisles (and Hitchcock rolling in his grave) through May 20, so get on over to the New Brunswick theater to join in the fun.

A mash-up of those classic whodunit films by Alfred Hitchcock, The 39 Steps is parody at its finest. Add to that the conventions of farce—a plethora of costume changes (a hat and skirt), four actors playing a myriad of roles (with a change of clothes and accent), quick scene changes (just a few props rearranged and repurposed)—and you end up with comic pandemonium of epic proportions.

Based on a well-know Hitchcock film that was itself based on a 1914 novel by John Buchan, The 39 Steps follows the vicissitudes of life on the lam of one very bored ("tired of life") Richard Hannay. Forced to run to prove his innocence in the murder of the beautiful and mysterious Annabella Schmidt in his Portland Mansions apartment, Hannay must find a man with a missing finger joint, romance a beautiful blonde and unravel a mystery of existential proportions. Will he prevent the secrets from being passed to the Nazis? Will he save (and get) the girl? And what are the 39 steps? Sit tight and all will be made clear by curtain fall.

imageMark Shanahan's directorial muscle is fully flexed as four energetic and talented actors cavort around Yoshi Tanokura's spare but evocative set. With comedic timing calibrated to the nanosecond, the quartet seem to be having the time of their lives. The only actor to portray one character is Howard McGillin as Richard Hannay; his equilibrium as he breathlessly encounters all kinds of people and situations is admirable (as is his and the other actors' British accents thanks to the direction of Dialect Coach Chantal Jean-Pierre). Kudos to his use of physical comedy as he jumps from a moving train, hangs from a bridge and imagedashes across speeding railway cars. In the roles of Annabella Schmidt, the blonde bombshell Pamela and Scottish housewife Margaret, Stacie Morgan Lewis is superb. Substituting the "w" sound for "v," her German accent as the former elicits gales of laughter from the audience, as does the broad Scottish brogue of the latter. She's especially hilarious when riding on a swaying train and when blown by a stiff wind.

imageRounding out the cast, Mark Price and Michael Thomas Holmes play multiple roles, from Mr. Memory (a performer at the London Palladium) to paper boy to cop to nasty professor to innkeeper and his wife—merely by donning a hat/wig/skirt and changing accent in the wink of an eye! The dizzying pace keeps both men on their theatrical toes; they never miss a comedic beat.

The bedlam is aided and abetted by David Murin's costumes, Rob Greene and J. Jared Janas's wig and hair design, Rui Rita's lighting and J. Allen Suddeth's fight direction (necessary to be certain that no actors are injured in the performance of this play). And the performance is greatly enhanced by Ryan Rumery's sound design complete with moo's, train sounds, wind—if it's needed, it's there!

The plots of Alfred Hitchcock's films engender suspense and white-knuckle terror, which have been over-dramatized by adaptor Patrick Barlow with a spirit of affection and great fun. Movie mavens will enjoy spotting the references to Hitch's classics, which adds to the enjoyment of the ludicrous story line. That the direction and acting are exceptional is further evidence of the first-class productions mounted year after year by George Street Theatre, the jewel of New Brunswick. So just what are The 39 Steps? Well, I'll never tell. You'll just have to hot foot it over to 9 Livingston Avenue in New Brunswick to find out. But get there before May 20, or the merriment will be gone and order will be restored.

The 39 Steps will be performed at the George Street Playhouse through May 20. For information and tickets, call the box office at 732.246.7717 or visit online at www.GSPonline.org.

All photos are by T. Charles Erickson.