Saying goodbye to The 39 Steps

I can't believe it's time to say goodbye to The 39 Steps on Broadway.

This plucky little British comedy had a great two-year run, far longer than anyone would have predicted when it began previews on Jan. 4, 2008.

And it's a play that will always occupy a special place in my theatergoing experience because it was the show that launched my blog.

The first Gratuitous Violins post was a review of The 39 Steps at Boston's Huntington Theatre Company, where it had a pre-New York engagement.

After Boston, The 39 Steps came to Broadway's American Airlines Theatre under the auspices of the nonprofit Roundabout Theatre Company. The play transferred to the Cort and later the Helen Hayes, its final home, for an open-ended commercial run.

Well, that run ends today after 771 performances, making it the longest-running play on Broadway in seven years.

I had a chance to see The 39 Steps on Broadway last summer, my first time taking it in since Boston. Arnie Burton, one of two actors who plays multiple roles, was still in the cast.

And it was still immensely entertaining - a witty and inventive retelling of Alfred Hitchcock's 1935 movie about a man caught up in an international spy ring. It's hard to believe you could do so much with four actors, a few props and lots of imagination.

There's been talk of moving the show off-Broadway, like the producers of Avenue Q did after the musical closed at the Golden Theatre. But there's no official word yet. Still, The 39 Steps will live on somewhere - if not in New York than on tour and in regional productions.

The odds catch up with The 39 Steps

Broadway shows come and go but this one is a little more personal for me than most. The 39 Steps is responsible for my becoming a theatre blogger and it was the subject of my very first Gratuitous Violins post.

So when I heard that the play is closing Jan. 10, I was disappointed. I saw the British import at Boston's Huntington Theatre Company in September 2007, during its pre-Broadway run. And I loved it just as much when I saw it on Broadway in July 2009 at the Helen Hayes Theatre.

But nothing lasts forever on Broadway, except possibly The Phantom of the Opera. And I knew that the nonprofit Second Stage Theatre announced in July 2008 that it was acquiring the Helen Hayes as a venue for contemporary American drama.

Plus, this little play, which began previews in January 2008, beat the odds. It changed theatres twice, transferring from a nonprofit to a commercial run to become the longest-running Broadway play in seven years. That's not bad for a production with no recognizable actors, based on a movie few theatergoers have seen.

In July, I got my ticket at the Times Square TKTS booth and apparently a lot of other people went the discount route, too. The 39 Steps was playing to 60.7 percent capacity last week at the 597-seat Helen Hayes, Broadway's smallest house, with an average ticket price of $64.34.

But I have to give the producers credit for trying different ways to get people into the theatre, including hosting talkbacks, an Alfred Hitchcock lookalike contest, a scavenger hunt based on The Amazing Race and posting clues on Twitter about tickets hidden at various spots in midtown Manhattan.

I've written before about how the play, with its four-person cast and a few props, uses wit and inventiveness to retell the story of the 1935 Alfred Hitchcock movie about a man caught up in a spy ring. I've seen far more elaborate shows that didn't thrill me and or make me laugh nearly as much.

For a brief period over the summer, as this New York Times article notes, The 39 Steps was the only play on Broadway. Arnie Burton, who's been with the production since Boston, called it "an homage to the theatre. It's a valentine to that kind of creativity and imagination, of doing so much with so little."

There's still time to see The 39 Steps on Broadway. Discounted tickets are available through Playbill.com.

The national tour has already been at the La Jolla Playhouse and moves to the Seattle Repertory Theatre from Sept. 25 to Oct. 24. Although the tour "officially" kicks off in November at the Shubert Theatre in New Haven. Here's the schedule.

In his review from La Jolla, Los Angeles Times critic Charles McNulty said that the play "sets out to prove that anything movies can do, theater can do less expensively and more hilariously." I definitely agree.

The 39 Steps

Gratuitous Violins rating: ***1/2 out of ****

It's been nearly two years since I saw and raved about The 39 Steps at Boston's Huntington Theatre Company, during it's pre-Broadway warm-up.

I was so enthusiastic in an e-mail to Steve on Broadway that he encouraged me, as he'd done many times before, to start a blog. I'd always declined, thinking I didn't have anything to say, but this time I took the plunge. And my review became the first-ever Gratuitous Violins post.

So naturally, I've always had a soft spot for this plucky little British comedy. As the play moved from its limited Roundabout Theatre Company engagement to an open-ended run, I've followed its fortunes and always hoped that someday, I'd have a chance to revisit it on Broadway.

Well during my last trip I had a free Sunday afternoon and at about 20 minutes before curtain time, I walked up to the TKTS booth in Times Square to buy a half-price ticket. I'm so glad I did because The 39 Steps is just as funny and witty and inventive as I remembered it from Boston.

The story, adapted by Patrick Barlow, is an absolutely faithful and hilarious retelling of Alfred Hitchcock's 1935 black and white film about a man who finds himself caught up in an international spy ring. And it includes many clever shoutouts to the master of suspense.

Sean Mahon plays Richard Hannay, a suave, self-assured 1930s-type hero. And the lovely Jill Paice (from Curtains!) handles all the female roles, including a secret agent and a woman who gets involved with Hannay quite against her will.

Through some very quick changes, two other actors - Arnie Burton, who was in the show in Boston, and at my performance, Cameron Folmar, play all of the other characters - lots of them. And they are terrific. They play a big role in making The 39 Steps so much fun to watch.

One of the things I love about The 39 Steps is that it's so theatrical - with only four actors, minimal props and no fancy special effects, it relies a great deal on the imagination of the audience. I love how it does so much with so little. It's one of the most unique shows I've seen.

And not only does it re-create the Hitchcock movie, it re-creates the style and feel of the movie. It's like seeing a 1930s thriller on stage, only with a playful yet respectful nudge and a wink that you don't get from the original.

The show won two Tony awards, for Mic Pool's sound design and Kevin Adams' lighting. The first time, I was straining a bit to hear from the back of the orchestra. But in the 589-seat Helen Hayes Theatre, I could hear everything and I was really impressed with the range of sounds Pool has to create and how much they contributed to my enjoyment of the play.

In my earlier review, I questioned whether you'd get as much out of The 39 Steps if you hadn't seen the movie. But I think it does hold up well on its own. The couple sitting next to me hadn't seen the movie and they were laughing just as hard as I was.

There's always so much new to see on Broadway, not to mention off-Broadway, that I rarely get a chance to see a show I loved for the second time. I'm so glad I had that chance with The 39 Steps. And, if I ever have the opportunity, I'd even see it a third time.

The little show that could

I am so proud of The 39 Steps for surviving on Broadway in a tough economic climate. This 90-minute play keeps chugging along without a star cast or name recognition. (Although I imagine Alfred Hitchcock's name on the marquee helps.) It even snagged a couple of Tony awards last year, for the lighting design by Kevin Adams and sound design by Mic Pool.

The British import, which started out in January 2008 at the American Airlines Theatre as a Roundabout production, then moved to the Cort for a commercial run, took up residence yesterday at its third and smallest Broadway venue so far: the 578-seat Helen Hayes. I think it's a great sign of this play's resilience.

I know this isn't a unique development. It probably doesn't happen all that often now because of the cost involved, and most plays are limited runs anyway. But from browsing ibdb.com I've noticed that in the past, lots of well-known, long-running shows switched theatres, sometimes more than once.

I do feel a sense of ownership about The 39 Steps, since I saw the show in September 2007 at Boston's Huntington Theatre Company, during its pre-New York tryout. And it was the subject of my first-ever Gratuitous Violins post. Okay, maybe it doesn't have the star power or intellectual heft or impressive pedigree of some other recent transfers from the West End, but I can't think of one that I've enjoyed more.

There's just something so entertaining about the way it lovingly re-creates the story of Alfred Hitchcock's 1935 thriller. It's fun and witty and clever and unlike anything else I've seen on stage. Who knew you could do so much with four actors, a few props and lots of imagination? And while there's only one member of the original cast left, I'm hoping it's just as entertaining.

At the play's Web site, you can watch clips, check out some Hitchcock spoofs and even download a study guide for parents and teachers, because "The 39 Steps is not just funny. It's highly educational!"

Times three

Ok, I've been a little neglectful of my blogging over the weekend. But even when I'm not writing about the theater, I am reading and thinking about it. And I did read some great theater stories in the New York Times that I want to mention.

A profile of Laura Benanti. I'm the first to admit that I can be more than a little bit starstruck. I was really looking forward to Patti LuPone in last summer's Encores production of Gypsy, and I knew she wouldn't disappoint. But I didn't know what to expect from Laura Benanti as Louise. The way Benanti transformed herself from a gawky, insecure adolescent into a stunning, confident stripper has really stayed with me. I'm looking forward to seeing her in the role again on Sunday.

Until I read Celia McGee's profile, I didn't know anything about Ms. Benanti. It was interesting to read that to portray Louise, she taps into the loneliness she felt as a child growing up in New Jersey. And I didn't realize that she fractured her neck playing Cinderella in the 2002 production of Into the Woods. Obviously, it was an incredibly scary experience. She was partially paralyzed at times and had to undergo an operation that could have damaged her voice. But fortunately, Benanti is doing fine now. “I can walk, and I can sing, and I am healthy for the first time in a long time,” she told McGee.

Broadway shows for kids. Robin Pogrebin writes about taking her 11-year-old son and 9-year-old daughter to see musicals beyond the usual Disney fare, ones that weren't especially written for children their age but which they might like. I was happy to read that her son enjoyed Curtains: "I loved the mystery of it." And I'm especially excited about seeing In the Heights, which he called "almost flawless."

But there's one pretty child-friendly play I'd like to recommend: The 39 Steps, the British import now in an open-ended run at the Cort Theatre. Yes, it does help immensely if you've seen the 1935 Alfred Hitchcock movie beforehand. But it's so funny, with so much inspired, physical humor, that I think anyone from a preteen on up would enjoy it. And it's good to let the kids know that they can enjoy an action-adventure story without anything getting blown up.

And if I could just recommend one non-Disney musical, it would probably be Hairspray. I haven't seen it on Broadway, only on tour. I'm a big fan of its catchy pop score and I love the story. It's about teenagers and fitting in and standing up for what you believe in. Plus, it's a truly integrated musical. As the decades go by, the civil-rights movement is a period that we're dangerously close to forgetting. Hairspray tells that story in such an engaging, fun way that never sounds preachy.

South Pacific and Gypsy: Both of these are on my weekend schedule, so it was interesting to read Charles Isherwood's take on what he calls the two "theatrical bookends of the 1950s." Isherwood believes that they have quite a bit to say about the distance American musical theatre traveled in that 10-year span.

I'd never thought of the two shows that way - contrasting South Pacific and its more optimistic message with Gypsy as a harbinger of darker themes to come in American society. Isherwood concludes that while he loves Momma Rose, American audiences today may be more in the mood for what South Pacific dishes up.

In the pipeline for 2009

I'm looking forward to the first time I see a show on tour that I first saw on Broadway. It'll be fun to compare the two versions. I'm not sure when it'll happen or which one it'll be, but at least there's a starting date for the tour of my first Broadway musical, Curtains.

Thanks to a link on the Broadway World message boards, which I check regularly throughout the day, I found the site for the Avid Touring Group. It lists the North American tour as beginning in September 2009. No word yet as to where it'll kick off, but I'm hoping it'll be Boston's Colonial Theatre, where the backstage murder mystery takes place.

Other touring productions on Avid's fall 2009 roster are two current Broadway comedies: The 39 Steps and Is He Dead? It'll be interesting to see how they do, because they're not musicals and they're not plays that are terribly well known.

I saw The 39 Steps last fall, during its pre-Broadway tryout in Boston, and I loved it. But I'm not sure how well it'll do on tour. A large part of the humor comes from knowing the 1935 Alfred Hitchcock movie that it re-creates. On the other hand, the show is pretty inspired. It does a lot with four actors and a few props. There's a lot of physical, slapstick humor that I think would be pretty hilarious even if you've never seen the movie.

I haven't seen Is He Dead?, a long-lost play by Mark Twain about a struggling artist who fakes his death to drive up the price of its paintings. It's gotten good reviews, but I think a lot of those are based on the comedic talents of its star, Tony winner Norbert Leo Butz. Avid lists the show as being "in the pipeline."

One show that I'm hoping will come my way this fall needs no introduction. It's the musical Happy Days, based on the hit tv series. Happy Days begins its 1950s nostalgia-laden tour on Oct. 31 at Southern California's La Mirada Theatre. Shouldn't it be launching in Milwaukee?

The 39 Steps

I came late to Alfred Hitchcock. The shower scene in "Psycho" sent me running into the bedroom for cover when I was a little kid, and over the years I've only grown more squeamish. But as an adult, I've come to realize that there's scary Hitchcock and suspenseful Hitchcock. Now, after having seen "The 39 Steps" in a pre-Broadway engagement at Boston's Huntington Theatre, I can add another category: hilarious Hitchcock homage.

Four actors play all the roles in the award-winning 90-minute British play. It's a virtually scene-for-scene retelling of the classic 1935 film starring Robert Donat as a man who finds himself caught up in an international spy ring. And the way it's done is absolutely inspired. In fact, it reminds me of another favorite of mine, "Wicked," in the way it reimagines a familiar story. I couldn't believe what was accomplished with a few low-tech special effects, some props and lots and lots of quick costume changes. Imagine a suspense story told in the style of a screwball comedy in which the male and female leads aren't in on the joke.

Charles Edwards, who plays the protagonist, Richard Hannay, is the only holdover from the British cast, and he's superb. Edwards has to be very serious and deadpan, like he doesn't realize there's a comedy going on all around him, like he really has been caught up in the middle of an international spy ring and accused of a crime he didn't commit. He's very suave, dashing, self-assured, not a hair out of place even as he flees for his life across the Scottish Highlands. The perfect 1930s hero. Even a week later, thinking about his escape across the top of a train makes me laugh. And the man sure does a lot with a raised eyebrow!

Arnie Burton and Cliff Saunders play all the other male roles. Much of what they're called on to do is very slapsticky, physical humor. They're identified in the program as "clowns," and that's the perfect description. They reminded me of a two-man circus act or a couple of old-time vaudevillians. They wear lots of hats, literally and figuratively! Rounding out the cast, Jennifer Ferrin is great playing three very different parts, although her turn as a secret agent did remind me a little of Natasha from "Rocky and Bullwinkle." But in a good way!

"The 39 Steps" isn't perfect. While the first act moves very quickly, things slow down a bit in the second act, which has two longish scenes, in a hotel and at a political rally. And I don't know whether it's just that I'm getting old or the actors weren't projecting well enough, but I was straining a bit to hear everything from the back of the orchestra. Also, it's difficult to say whether I would have gotten as much out of it if I hadn't seen the movie first. A big part of the fun comes from knowing what's coming next and wondering how they're going to pull it off. And there are some delicious shoutouts to classic Hitchcock movies that you'd miss if you weren't a fan. The great man himself even makes a cameo appearance!

Still, the play stands on its own even if you haven't seen the movie or aren't at all familiar with Hitchcock. I don't think I've laughed so hard, so consistently from beginning to end, at the theater all year. Or at a movie, for that matter. Yeah, maybe at times "The 39 Steps" is a little too self-aware, in an "aren't we clever" kind of way. But you know what, it is clever, and funny and wickedly entertaining.