{"id":2115490,"date":"2025-10-25T21:03:12","date_gmt":"2025-10-25T21:03:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/?p=2115490"},"modified":"2025-10-25T21:03:12","modified_gmt":"2025-10-25T21:03:12","slug":"the-39-steps-brings-lively-hitchcock-comedy-adaptation-to-syracuse-stage-review","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/the-39-steps-brings-lively-hitchcock-comedy-adaptation-to-syracuse-stage-review\/","title":{"rendered":"\u2018The 39 Steps\u2019 brings lively Hitchcock comedy adaptation to Syracuse Stage (review)"},"content":{"rendered":"

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For its second production of the season, Syracuse Stage, in collaboration with Indiana Repertory Theatre, presents \u201cThe 39 Steps<\/a>,\u201d an adaptation for the stage by Patrick Barlow from Alfred Hitchcock\u2019s 1935 film of the same title.<\/p>\n

Benjamin Hanna directs this madcap farce which seems to balance between tongue-in-cheek intrigue and an out-of-control, middle school gym class. Kudos go to Mr. Hanna for his directorial labors and expertise which might have been akin to directing traffic in a Keystone Kop maelstrom.<\/p>\n

Not familiar with the Hitchcock film? No worries; don\u2019t have to be. Don\u2019t know anything about Hitchcock? Not a problem. Your eyes and ears will be so busy watching and listening to the goings-on, you won\u2019t have time or inclination to pick up on the several title references to his films that are seamlessly woven into the dialogue. But if you do, so much the better for a richer experience.<\/p>\n

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\"Michael<\/picture>
Michael Stewart Allen, J\u00fcrgen Hooper and Ema Zivkovic in the Syracuse Stage \/ Indiana Repertory Theatre co-production of “The 39 Steps.” Photo by Zach Rosing.Zach Rosing<\/span><\/span><\/figcaption><\/div>\n<\/figure>\n

Self confession: This English romp is not my cup of tea. When you are witness to sporadic shrieks of laughter in a comic setting that will usually garner at least, say, 75-85% audience participation, and you know you are not the only one not laughing, you are viewing what I call a \u201cniche\u201d comedy. And that\u2019s okay as long as you resist the inclination for self-analysis, wondering what\u2019s wrong with your own sense of humor. <\/p>\n

Unlike straight or serious drama, because of the variance in people\u2019s \u201cfunny bones,\u201d actors often say comedy is a more difficult form to express successfully. I believe that is true.<\/p>\n

If your own comic sensibility runs parallel to shows like \u201cNoises Off,\u201d \u201cOne Man, Two Guvnors,\u201d \u201cWhat the Butler Saw,\u201d or the many, masterful incarnations of this genre by The Monty Python Comedy Troupe, you will enjoy and revel in what this play has to offer. <\/p>\n

Its plot is relatively simple despite its myriad complications: Richard Hannay (Jurgen Hooper), a handsome, 37-year-old man-about-town is pursued by Scotland Yard for the murder of a femme fatale, Annabella Schmidt (Tyler Meredith) who was a foreign spy (what else?) found knifed to death in Hannay\u2019s apartment. <\/p>\n

Like Hannay, we know the truth; the dozens of other characters portrayed do not. Most of the characterizations are performed by Clown 1 (Ema Zivkovic) and Clown 2 (Michael Stewart Allen). And so, the masterful performances by these four actors ensue.<\/p>\n

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\"Tyler<\/picture>
Tyler Meredith, J\u00fcrgen Hooper, Michael Stewart Allen, and Ema Zivkovic in Syracuse Stage’s Production of “The 39 Steps.”Brenna Merritt<\/span><\/span><\/figcaption><\/div>\n<\/figure>\n

And that\u2019s where this adaptation shines brightly. It\u2019s in the verbal and kinetic skills of the actors. <\/p>\n

When four individuals can manage dozens of characterizations with demands for changes in vocal pitch and physical movement, along with rapid costume changes and outright transformation before our eyes, we are witnessing performance skills honed to a knife\u2019s edge. <\/p>\n

And when the actors look and sound like they\u2019re having a ball doing what they\u2019re doing, that\u2019s worth gold to the theater devotee, despite the direction of one\u2019s funny bone.<\/p>\n

Deceptively simple staging reveals strong technical work, from the wig design, to lighting effects, to the complications in wardrobe design. Creative choices included an airplane cleverly constructed from spare props and a ladder, along with an automobile replete with headlights, and a table lamp held high to mimic a street light.<\/p>\n

Show details<\/b><\/h3>\n

What:<\/b> \u201cThe 39 Steps,\u201d a play adapted from Alfred Hitchcock\u2019s 1935 film<\/p>\n

Where: <\/b>Syracuse Stage, 820 E. Genesee St., Syracuse<\/p>\n

When:<\/b> October 22 through November 9<\/p>\n

Length of performance:<\/b> 1 hour, 45 minutes, including a 15-minute intermission<\/p>\n

Family guide:<\/b> Nothing objectionable, but suited to mature high school students due to rapid pace and dialogue.<\/p>\n

Tickets and information:<\/b> 315-443-3275 and syracusestage.org<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

If you purchase a product or register for an account through a link on our site, we may receive compensation. By using this site, you consent to our User Agreement<\/a> and agree that your clicks, interactions, and personal information may be collected, recorded, and\/or stored by us and social media and other third-party partners in accordance with our Privacy Policy.<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

\u2018 The preceding article may include information circulated by third parties \u2019 <\/em><\/p>\n

\u2018 Some details of this article were extracted from the following source www.syracuse.com \u2019 <\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

For its second production of the season, Syracuse Stage, in collaboration with Indiana Repertory Theatre, presents \u201cThe 39 Steps,\u201d an adaptation for the stage by Patrick Barlow from Alfred Hitchcock\u2019s 1935 film of the same title. Benjamin Hanna directs this madcap farce which seems to balance between tongue-in-cheek intrigue and an out-of-control, middle school gym […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"jnews-multi-image_gallery":[],"jnews_single_post":[],"jnews_primary_category":[],"jnews_social_meta":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[25172],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2115490","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-entertainment"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2115490","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2115490"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2115490\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2115491,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2115490\/revisions\/2115491"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2115490"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2115490"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2115490"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}