The 39 Steps at Trafalgar Theatre

After an eight-year absence from the West End, Patrick Barlow’s The 39 Steps is back and as brilliant as ever.

Based less on the beloved spy thriller novel by John Buchan and more on the beloved spy thriller film adaptation by Alfred Hitchcock, The 39 Steps follows hapless hero Richard Hannay as he tries to uncover an espionage plot while being chased by the law for a murder he did not commit.

But unlike Hitchcock’s version, this one is pure parody. It manages to retain a lot of the thrill and adventure but extorts every possible laugh out of it along the way. It’s a completely farcical romp that sees a cast of only four sharing an obscene number of roles. There are hilarious quick character changes, there’s brilliantly choreographed slapstick, there’s meta-comedy and as many Hitchcock puns as could be squeezed in.

While at the theatre in 1935, Hannay meets a spy and lets her come back to his flat where she tells him that she is investigating something called the 39 Steps and must get up to Scotland. In the morning he discovers she has been killed and, fearing he will be blamed for the murder, goes on the run, heading north to try to finish what the spy started and clear his name.

One could argue it’s a timely reminder of the fight against fascism, an important commentary on the fall of many to the lure of the far-right and how all the values that we hold dear as a country are in fact diametrically opposed to such ideology. But it’s probably not that deep. It’s just a really fun adventure comedy.

Barlow’s writing is spot on, using Hitchcock’s adaptation as a framework and then layering on fantastically funny dialogue. It’s a tight show with not a single unnecessary page in the whole script and totally gripping to the last drop.

Tom Byrne is wonderful as Hannay (think Hugh Laurie doing his posh voice), and Euguene McCoy and Maddie Rice make a good show of doing almost all the other roles, switching constantly between costumes and accents. It’s an all-round impressive cast who handle the material expertly.

For those that missed The 39 Steps during its long residency at The Criterion, now is the chance to tick it off the bucket list. Quick, before it is taken from us again.

Jim Compton-Hall
Photo: Mark Senior

The 39 Steps is at Trafalgar Theatre from 16^th August until 28^th September 2024. For further information or to book visit the theatre’s website here.