On Saturday, August 9th, Festival Theatre will open the fourth and final production of its summer rotating repertory, “The 39 Steps,” joining the hilarious musical comedy “A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum,” the serene “Almost, Maine,” and the wild Conservatory production of Aristophanes’ “Frogs.”
“The 39 Steps” is adapted by Patrick Barlow from the 1915 novel by John Buchan. The story was made into a film by Alfred Hitchcock in 1935. Mix a Hitchcock masterpiece with a juicy spy novel, add a dash of Monty Python and you have "The 39 Steps," a fast-paced whodunit, perfect for anyone who loves the magic of theatre. This highly acclaimed play, which was awarded two Tony Awards and the Drama Desk Award, is packed with nonstop laughs, on-going surprises, amazing comic expression, some good old-fashioned romance, and over 150 zany characters played by a ridiculously talented cast of four.
The play centers on Richard Hannay, a man with a boring life who is about to embark on an extraordinary adventure after meeting a woman with a thick accent who says she's a spy. After she is murdered, a mysterious organization called "The 39 Steps" is hot on the man's trail in a nationwide manhunt that climaxes in a death-defying finale. A riotous blend of virtuoso performances and wildly inventive stagecraft, "The 39 Steps," amounts to an unforgettable evening of pure pleasure!
The four-actor ensemble of familiar Festival faces, Jaclyn Johnson, Seth Kaltwasser, Andrew Bradford Benson, and Stephen Pearce, deftly meet the challenge of playing multitudes of characters in this fast-action comedy. Chicago-based actor/director Carl Lindberg returns to direct this dedicated cast. Lindberg’s past Festival Theatre credits include directing “Is He Dead” in 2010 and “Inspecting Carol” in 2011, along with performing in “A Christmas Carol” and “The Mystery of Irma Vep” those same years.
Tickets for “The 39 Steps” are $26 for adults and $13.50 for youth ages five to eighteen. This show runs in rotating rep through September 7th, and is Flex Pass eligible for those who have or purchase a 2014 Flex Pass. Reservations for this production can be made online HERE, by calling the box office at 715-483-3387, or emailing boxoffice@festivaltheatre.org.