The 39 Steps

This is not your normal serious play with realistic characters in a realistic setting but more where the audience has to use its imagination with regard to both the characters and the set – what there was of it. As the director stated, he used many of the traditions of vaudeville and satire. For the most part, this has worked really well.

The “plot” follows Hannay from London , through Scotland and back in his search for the 39 steps  and, on his journey,  he meets many diverse characters of whom a couple are  even good guys. Jonathon Devitt has one of only two named roles as Hannay, the quiet centre of the intrigue. His performance gave the solid core the play needed to succeed. Dom Tennison, Reagan Warner, Daren King, Sarah Britton and Marselan Wignall were the clowns who appeared in a multitude of roles, sometimes up to three in a couple of minutes. They did this so well that the audience recognized each different character no matter when they appeared in the play. Pamela, the love interest  that  develops, was played by Claire Argente.

Director John Boyce has given the audience a light-hearted performance which maintained the pace and interplay for the duration. His team has to be praised for the props, the lighting and costumes , all of which made for a pleasant evening for the audience which actually became involved with their imagination in top gear. Unfortunately at times it was difficult to hear all the dialogue clearly in the quieter, more intimate scenes.

The 39 Steps is worth a trip to Arts Theatre.

William Davies