‘The 39 Steps’ // Tugun Theatre Company

‘The 39 Steps’ was chaotically hilarious.

‘The 39 Steps’, originally a novel by John Buchan, then a film by Alfred Hitchcock, was adapted for stage as a parody by Patrick Barlow. The witty play has played across the world, including down in Melbourne, but has finally made its way up to Queensland to perform on the stage at Tugun Theatre.

Directed by Rianna Hartney-Smith, this spoof brought comedy to a whole new level. Set in London, yet taking place across various countries in Europe, ‘The 39 Steps’ follows Richard Hannay (Jon Turley), a man with a boring life who suddenly finds himself accused of murdering secret agent Annabella (Samatha McClurg). As he traverses across Europe, he is hunted by the mysterious organisation, The 39 Steps. On his secret adventure, Hannay interacts with numerous people, including “clowns” (Jack Lovett, Neil Watson) and an intriguing young woman, Pamela (Samantha McClurg).

The casting for this show was absolutely brilliant. The comedic dynamic between Jack Lovett and Neil Watson had audiences in stitches throughout the night. The two actors played over fifty roles throughout the show, sometimes multiple characters at once, and never missed a beat! Every joke hit its mark, every action led to more laughter spreading through the crowd.

Samatha McClurg did such a wonderful job portraying the mysterious and charming secret agent Annabelle, as well as the innocent and reluctant sidekick Pamela, that one could argue they were two different people entirely, and not just because Annabelle had a German/Russian fusion accent while Pamela was clearly English!

As for Jon Turley, he played Richard Hannay perfectly – like when Alice falls down the rabbit hole, Hannay is thrown into a wildly different life than he is used to, faced with so many interesting characters, and yet remains the solid, smart and sensical one.

Shoutout to Bernie Campbell-Bell, the stunt double for Hannay. The fall was impressively done!

Direction by Rianna Hartney-Smith was so well done. It was evident that she created a safe and supportive place for comedy to come to life, which looked fantastic and so effortlessly delivered. The acting was so well done, especially with the miming skills, to the point where you truly believed one of them was playing a violin, or opening a door. The few big props that were present, such as a window or a street lamp, were very well utilised and blended well with the comedy.

Lighting and sound design by Luke Jones was very well done. It added to the comedy and atmosphere of where in Europe each scene was taking place, whether that be a theatre in London or a train station in Edinburgh!

Costumes by Trish Nissen was utterly incredible. With so many characters, mostly played by Lovett and Watson, with so many different personalities, each costume and headpiece was a perfect representation of the character, most notably the Professor (Jack Lovett), with his crazy white hair and big black goggles. Being a very physical character who jumped around the stage a lot, it was amazing how the chaotic look of his costume added to their wild personality and made him appear so unhinged!

The backstage crew were absolutely fantastic in their management of all the costumes and little props that were used! With there being so many small pieces, it’s a wonder they managed to keep track of them all! Of course, a special shout out to the stage crew who portrayed sheep briefly, Cecile Campbell and Georgina McDonald. Their “bahs” had everyone in fits!

An incredible show with incredible talent, this parody show is something you do not want to miss.

‘The 39 Steps’ is playing at Tugun Theatre Company until Saturday 30 November 2024. For more information, visit Tugun Theatre Company’s website.