Matt Webb, Cody Jolly, Jacob David Smith, and Liz Fenning in The 39 Steps
My exposure to Alfred Hitchcock's work has been fairly minimal, and aside from seeing a few clips, my total time spent with his films is close to zero. But several years ago, I did attend a stage version of Hitchcock's movie The 39 Steps, a play adapted by Patrick Barlow from John Bucan’s novel. And this past Friday, I caught in another in director James Beaudry's Timber Lake Playhouse’s production, which was largely a fun romp in the woods.
The plot gets going quickly, as Richard Hannay (Jacob Smith) is attending a vaudeville show when a heavily accented spy (Elizabeth Fenning) chooses to sit next to him. This spy invites herself back to his place, and he wakes up the next morning to find a knife in her back. For reasons that still aren’t entirely clear to me, she trusts him with a secret and a mission: to deliver a message to a professor in Scotland. For reasons that are even less clear, he runs her errand instead of reporting her murder. I’m definitely over-thinking what is meant to be a silly plot, as all of this is played for laughs, and everyone is in on the bit (and there are so many bits). The 39 Steps is a play that knows it’s a play, with only four actors portraying (an alleged) 120 roles.
Smith fills the sole role of our protagonist, with Fenning playing his various love interests, and two clowns (Cody Jolly and Matt Webb) as the remaining 116(ish) characters. As was true with the venue's recent production of Grease, Timber Lake’s ensemble is more than up to task, with not a single weak link among them. Smith gets the relatively thankless job of playing straight man in a slapstick but still manages to get laughs out of dry material. Fenning does some great accent work and brings the appropriate energy to a stereotypically hysterical woman of a bygone era.
Meanwhile, Jolly and Webb play the lion’s share of characters, with each actor playing women, spies, officers, hotel managers, and too many more figures to list here. What’s even more impressive is that all of these characters have distinct voices and accents. Many of these voices and accents fall into Monty Python territory, where humor supersedes accuracy, and it’s impressive that the actors are able to keep their roles straight while also managing costume and set changes. The fact that all four performers were still finding new levels of hilarity and mania at the end of two hours is impressive.
I won’t lie: Things were hard to follow at points, which is partially by design. The plots of these sorts of thrillers are usually a little obtuse, which serves as a punchline here. But when you combine dense plotting with thick accents, things can get a bit murky.
Thankfully, I was never adrift for long, due in large part to Beaudry’s nimble direction. He does a great job of keeping The 39 Steps' many plates spinning, with the pacing never getting too slow (though, honestly, it could have been a little faster). There were also a lot of inspired touches and references throughout the evening, with a favorite of mine being a chase scene featuring a prop plane. Dylan Carter’s lighting design is stunning, with its wonderful mixture of modern and classic lighting techniques. Practical lights, prop lights, and stage lights are all used to full effect.
Spencer Gjerde's scenic design is impressive, the towering two-story set rotating to fill multiple purposes throughout the show. The set's main face is an elaborate backstage effect, with exposed lumber and miscellaneous props, chairs, and costumes scattered about. (Had I not known I was there to see The 39 Steps, I would have assumed I was seeing Noises Off.) Claire Sabaj's costumes get the job done, with authentic period clothing and enough wigs to make your head spin. Annabell Sapp’s props are similarly effective, with a highlight being that aforementioned prop plane.
What’s so odd is that individually, each of the production elements are immaculate. Beaudry's direction is sharp, the performances are high-energy and funny, the sets and lights are all gorgeous … and yet I found myself having less fun than I expected to, without really knowing why. The sum seemed to be less than its parts. I suspect it’s because these types of shows live and die by the energy supplied by their audiences, and Friday’s night crowd, while supportive, were not overly enthusiastic. I know from firsthand experience that sometimes you’ll go out on stage and bring the house down while the following night you’ll perform to a crowd of nearly mute crickets. And while Friday’s crowd was laughing, it certainly didn’t match the energy being delivered from the stage. But the standing ovation at the end of the night was well-earned by its performers.
Timber Lake Playhouse’s most recent production is an enchanting bit of theatre with theatricality to spare. Featuring powerhouse performances and captivating tech, you’ll have a blast, regardless of your familiarity with the material.
The 39 Steps runs at the Timber Lake Playhouse (8215 Black Oak Road, Mt. Carroll IL) through June 25, and more information and tickets are available by calling (815)244-2035 and visiting TimberLakePlayhouse.org.
