Seeking entertainment at a West End variety show, the handsome adventurer Richard Hannay instead encounters the mysterious Annabella Schmidt--who`s not just beautiful, but also rather handy with a gun. Read more …
At Hannay`s flat, Annabella reveals that she is trying to prevent a state secret being smuggled out of Britain by a mysterious spy organization...and that two of their men are on her trail. Hannay awakes the next day to find Annabella dead--and himself framed for her murder! His only chance to clear his name? To expose the organization that killed her.
But Annabella has left him just three clues to pursue: the gang`s leader is missing the tip of his little finger; they`re connected to a place named Alt-na-Shellach in the Scottish Highlands; and they`re called...The Thirty-nine Steps.
Inspired by John Buchan`s gripping spy novel and Alfred Hitchcock`s iconic 1935 film, Patrick Barlow`s hilarious, spectacular adaptation brings the greatest adventure story of the 20th century triumphantly to the stage, complete with such legendary scenes as the chase on the Flying Scotsman, the escape on the Forth Bridge, the biplane crash, the election meeting, the night in the McGarrigle Hotel--and the death-defying finale at the London Palladium!
Richard Baron has ensured this version cracks along at breakneck speed. This was a thoroughly enjoyable evening.
Nobody’s claiming it’ll change your life, but it’s silly and slick enough to give you an entertaining night out.
Makes for a jolly, lightweight evening of theatre, remarkable mainly for the sheer ingenuity of its staging.
Great fun though it is, the production seems a little restrained. Compare it with Aitken's tremendous show and one can't help wishing that Baron's offering was just that bit brighter, faster and bolder.
It's a witty, high-energy show that suits the breezy holiday spirit of Pitlochry down to the ground.
Pitlochry Festival Theatre, Pitlochry from Friday June 1, 2012, until Saturday October 13, 2012. Plays in repertoire. Check website for specific times.. More info: www.pitlochry.org.uk
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