THE 39 STEPS
based on Alfred Hitchcock’s movie
adapted for stage by Patrick Barlow
directed by Maria Aitken
4 ACTORS, 130 CHARACTERS IN 100 HILARIOUS MINUTES
NEW UK TOUR: THURS 7 JAN – SAT 2 JULY 2016
to mark the show’s 10th anniversary
@39stepsplay
Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VgBqiTf8lDY
The West End’s long-running show, THE 39 STEPS, will tour the UK and Ireland next year to mark the Olivier Award-Winning Comedy’s 10th anniversary. Based on Alfred Hitchcock’s 1935 movie and John Buchan’s 1914 spy thrillerThe Thirty Nine Steps and adapted for the stage by Patrick Barlow, THE 39 STEPS will visit 24 cities, including Dublin, from 7 January to 2 July.
THE 39 STEPS follows dashing hero Richard Hannay – complete with stiff upper lip, British gung-ho and pencil moustache – in a dangerous tale of cat-and-mouse from London to the Scottish Highlands. In this hilarious production four actors play over 130 characters in 100 minutes. The cast for this touring production are Richard Ede (the eponymous hero Hannay), Olivia Greene (the three women in Hannay’s life, Pamela, Annabella and Margaret) and the myriad of other roles are played with breath-taking speed and dexterity by Andrew Hodges and Rob Witcomb.
Richard Ede’s theatre credits include A Little History of the World (Watermill , Newbury); The Reduced Shakespeare Company’s The Bible – Abridged; George Bailey in It’s a Wonderful Life (Farnham Maltings); Benedick in Much Ado about Nothing; Petruchio in The Taming of the Shrew; Cassio in Othello; Tybalt in Romeo & Juliet; Bottom in A Midsummer Night’s Dream; Horatio in Hamlet, Fagin in Oliver Twist (all World Tours for TNT/ADG); Sir Roland in The Wife of Bath (Rude Mechanicals); Lovewell in Clandestine Marriage (Dr Johnson’s House); Beast in Beauty and the Beast (Colchester Mercury); Hook in Peter Pan (Dubai/Thailand Arena Tour); Baron De Coubertain in Horrible Histories (Olympic Flame UK Roadshow for BBC); Bagheera in Jungle Book (Oman); Stanley/The Mask in The Mask (UK Tour) and Sandy in Ben Elton’s Gasping (Cragrats Theatre). His TV work includes Modern Manners (BBC), a promotional film for a Korean Video Game, various commercials and voice-over work for Cartoon Network.
Olivia Greene’s theatre credits include Dorothy Brock in 42nd Street at Bird College; Eva in Kindertransport at Little Theatre, Leicester; Munchkin in The Wizard of Oz and orphan in Oliver at Haymarket Leicester.
Andrew Hodges originally trained at the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama in 2003. He has worked with a number of theatre companies and commercial producers including TNT Theatre, GB Theatre, The Oxford Shakespeare Company, The Reduced Shakespeare Company and Fiery Angel. His most recent work was with Antic Disposition’s acclaimed Henry V, playing the role of Fluellen, both in France and at The Temple Church, London. Andrew has appeared on screen in More4’s Iraq: The Bloody Circus; BBC’s Hands on History film; and in adverts for Tesco and IBM. Since last performing in The 39 Steps in 2014, Andrew has gained an MA in Mediaeval Studies at UCL.
Rob Witcomb’s recent theatre includes The Wind in the Willows, The Taming of the Shrew (Guildford Shakespeare Company); As You Like It (Oxford Shakespeare Company); The Dragon (Southwark Playhouse); Mucky Kid (Theatre 503); The Merry Wives of Windsor (Oxford Shakespeare Company); Fuente Ovejuna (Southwark Playhouse); Newsrevue (Canal Cafe Theatre). Recent TV includes The Five (Sky 1); Soul Broken Sky (MTV); Casualty (BBC); Trying Again (Sky); Lucan (ITV) & the title role in Les Dawson, An Audience With That Never Was (ITV). Film includes Dead Cool (Glass Gun Films), Mariah Mundi (E-Motion/Arcadia) and 3 & Out (Rovinge).
Patrick Barlow’s adaptation of The 39 Steps opened at the Tricycle in 2006 and the same year transferred to the Criterion Theatre in Piccadilly Circus where it played for nine years and won the Olivier Award for best new comedy. In 2008 The 39 Steps was produced on Broadway where it was nominated for the Tony Award for best play. Patrick created the two-man National Theatre of Brent in 1980, in which he plays Artistic Director and Chief Executive Desmond Olivier Dingle. The company’s legendary two-man epics have been performed on stage, radio and television and include The Charge of the Light Brigade, Zulu!, The Black Hole of Calcutta, Wagner’s Ring Cycle, The Messiah, The Wonder of Sex, French Revolution!, Massive Landmarks of the Twentieth Century, The Complete and Utter History of the Mona Lisa, The Charles and Diana Story, The Arts and How They was Done, Iconic Icons and most recently, Giant Ladies Who Changed the World. They have won two Sony Radio Academy Awards, a Premier Ondas and New York Festival Award for Best Comedy. His other writing for film and television includes The Growing Pains of Adrian Mole, Christopher Columbus, Queen of the East, The Judgment of Paris, Why Didn’t They Ask Evans?, Van Gogh and The Young Visitors. His adaptation of Dickens’ A Christmas Carol will have its West End debut this Christmas at the Noel Coward Theatre starring Jim Broadbent as Scrooge. Concurrently to A Christmas Carol, Patrick will have his four-man adaptation of General ‘Lew’ Wallace’s Ben Hur playing at the Tricycle Theatre in London.
THE 39 STEPS is directed by Maria Aitken, with design by Peter McKintosh, lighting by Ian Scott, sound by Mic Pool, and movement by Toby Sedgwick. The Associate Director is James Farrell. It is presented by Edward Snape for Fiery Angel and Tricycle London Productions with the West Yorkshire Playhouse. From an original concept by Simon Corbleand Nobby Dimon.
After a short run at the Tricycle Theatre in London, The 39 Steps opened at the Criterion Theatre in September 2006, where it ran for 9 years, seen by over 1 million people. During that time, it attracted worldwide attention and spawned international productions in over 40 countries, including the cities of Moscow, Tokyo, New York and Paris, reaching a global audience in excess of 3 million. In addition to its Olivier Award for Best New Comedy, in the US the play co-won the Drama Desk Award and was nominated for a Tony Award for Best Play. It won a Molière Award for Best Comedy in France, and a Helpmann Award for Best Comedy in Australia.
The Thirty Nine Steps was also famously adapted for the screen by Alfred Hitchcock in what is widely regarded as one of the best films from his early period. The stage production references a number of the legendary scenes from this 1935 classic movie thriller of the same name, including the chase on the Flying Scotsman train, the escape on the Forth Road Bridge and the controversial ‘stocking and suspenders’ scene.
Grand Opera House York
Monday 14 – Saturday 19 March 2016
Tickets are priced from £13.50 and are available in person from the theatre box office or call ATG Tickets on 0844 871 3024. To book online go to www.atgtickets.com/york
THE 39 STEPS
UK & IRELAND TOUR 2016
Website: love39steps.com
Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VgBqiTf8lDY
Twitter: @39stepsplay
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/The39StepsPlay/
You Tube: https://www.youtube.com/user/love39stepswestend
Instagram: http://instagram.com/39stepsplay/
TOUR DETAILS
Tickets prices available on the theatre websites listed below, where some charges may apply
THURS 7 – SAT 16 JANUARY ROYAL & DERNGATE, NORTHAMPTON
Evenings at 7.45 pm www.royalandderngate.co.uk
Matinees: Sat 9, Thurs 14 & Sat 16 at 2.30 pm
Press invited from Friday 8 January at 7.45 pm
TUES 19 – SAT 23 JANUARY EVERYMAN THEATRE, CHELTENHAM
Evenings at 7.45 pm www.everymantheatre.org.uk
Matinees: Thurs 21 & Sat 23 at 2 pm
MON 25 – SAT 30 JANUARY CAMBRIDGE ARTS THEATRE
Evenings at 7.45 pm www.cambridgeartstheatre.com
Matinees: Thurs 28 & Sat 30 at 2.30 pm
MON 1 – SAT 6 FEBRUARY ORCHARD THEATRE, DARTFORD
Evenings at 7.30 pm www.orchardtheatre.co.uk
Matinees: Wed 3 & Sat 6 at 2 pm
MON 8 – SAT 13 FEBRUARY THEATRE ROYAL BATH
Evenings: Mon – Wed at 7.30 pm www.theatreroyal.org.uk
& Thurs – Sat at 8 pm
Matinees: Wed 10 & Sat 13 at 2.30 pm
TUES 16 – SAT 20 FEBRUARY SHEFFIELD LYCEUM
Evenings at 7.45 pm www.sheffieldtheatres.co.uk
Matinees: Thurs 18 at 2 pm; Sat 20 at 3 pm
MON 22 – SAT 27 FEBRUARY RICHMOND THEATRE
Evenings at 7.30 pm www.atgtickets.com
Matinees: Wed 24 & Sat 27 at 2.30 pm
MON 29 FEB – SAT 5 MARCH BIRMINGHAM REP
Evenings at Mon 29 at 7 pm, all others 7.30 pm www.birmingham-rep.co.uk
Matinees: Thurs 3 & Sat 5 at 2 pm
MON 14 – SAT 19 MARCH GRAND OPERA HOUSE, YORK
Evenings at 7.30 pm www.atgtickets.com
Matinees: Wed 16 & Sat 19 at 2.30 pm
MON 21 – SAT 26 MARCH CLIFFS PAVILION, SOUTHEND
Evenings at 8 pm www.southendtheatres.org.uk
Matinees: Thurs 24 & Sat 26 at 2.30 pm
TUES 29 MARCH – SAT 2 APRIL GAIETY THEATRE, DUBLIN
Evenings at 7.30 pm www.gaietytheatre.ie
Matinee at Sat 2 at 2.30 pm
MON 4 – SAT 9 APRIL LIVERPOOL PLAYHOUSE
Evenings at 7.30 pm www.everymanplayhouse.com
Matinees: Thurs 7 at 1.30 pm & Sat 9 at 2 pm
MON 11 – SAT 16 APRIL CREWE LYCEUM
Evenings at 7.30 pm www.crewelyceum.co.uk
Matinees: Wed 13 & Sat 16 at 2.30 pm
TUES 19 – SAT 23 APRIL KING’S THEATRE, EDINBURGH
Evenings at 7.30 pm www.edtheatres.com
Matinees: Wed 20 & Sat 23 at 2.30 pm
MON 25 – SAT 30 APRIL THEATRE ROYAL PLYMOUTH
Evenings at 7.30 pm www.theatreroyal.com
Matinees: Thurs 28 & Sat 30 at 2.30 pm
TUES 3 – SAT 7 MAY NUFFIELD THEATRE, SOUTHAMPTON
Evenings at 7 pm www.nuffieldtheatre.co.uk
Matinees: Thurs 5 & Sat 7 at 2.30 pm
TUES 10 – SAT 14 MAY WEST YORKSHIRE PLAYHOUSE, LEEDS
Evenings at 7.30 pm www.wyp.org.uk
Matinees: Thurs 12 at 1.30 pm & Sat 14 at 2 pm
MON 16 – SAT 21 MAY THEATRE ROYAL, GLASGOW
Evenings at 7.30 pm www.atgtickets.com
Matinees: Thurs 19 & Sat 21 at 2.30 pm
MON 23 – SAT 28 MAY YVONNE ARNAUD THEATRE, GUILDFORD
Evenings: Mon – Thurs at 7.45 pm; Fri & Sat at 8 pm www.yvonne-arnaud.co.uk
Matinees: Thurs 26 & Sat 28 at 2.30 pm
MON 30 MAY – SAT 4 JUNE WYCOMBE SWAN
Evenings at 7.30 pm www.wycombeswan.co.uk
Matinees: Thurs 2 & Sat 4 at 2.30 pm
TUES 7 – SAT 11 JUNE LEICESTER CURVE
Evenings at 7.30 pm www.curvetheatre.co.uk
Matinees: Wed 8 & Sat 11 at 2.15 pm
TUES 14 – SAT 18 JUNE NEW THEATRE, CARDIFF
Evenings at 7.30 pm www.newtheatrecardiff.co.uk
Matinees: Wed 15, Thurs 16 & Sat 18 at 2.30 pm
TUES 21 – SAT 25 JUNE THE LOWRY, SALFORD
Evenings at 7.30 pm www.thelowry.com
Matinees: Thurs 23 & Sat 25 at 2 pm
MON 27 JUNE – SAT 2 JULY THEATRE ROYAL NEWCASTLE
Evenings at 7.30 pm www.theatreroyal.co.uk
Matinees: Thurs 30 at 2 pm
Sat 2 at 2.30 pm