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The 39 Steps

dhermann1

I'll Lock Up
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9,154
Location
Da Bronx, NY, USA
OK, I confess right up front that this thread probably doesn't belong here, but I just wasn't sure where to put it.
I took my girlfriend to the Broadway production of "Alfred Hitchcock's The 39 Steps" last night. That's how it's billed, "Alfred Hitchcock's The 39 Steps", because the show is an amazing spoof of the original Hitchcock flick.
There is virtually no scenery, and only 4 people on the stage, but they come and go at an amazing pace. There is our hero and our heroine, but there are two other guys who play every other character in the story, and their performances are just utterly dazzling. They do the chase over the Firth of Forth Bridge with a couple of ladders, great lighting effects, and a gigantic amount of commitment and hutzpah. Along the way at least half a dozen other Hitch flicks are alluded to.
I've seen the original 39 Steps, with Robert Donat God knows how many times, plus the 1959 Kenneth More version (very worth seeing, but not the original) plus the 1978 version, which is much closer to the original story, so I knew everything that was going on. My GF never saw any of them, but was every bit as entertained as I was.
Wonderful theater, and a great tribute to a wonderful movie.
Two thumbs up.
 

PADDY

I'll Lock Up
Bartender
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7,425
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METROPOLIS OF EUROPA
Saw it a few months ago - RIPPING STUFF!!

And latterly with another Flounger outside the theatre in Piccadilly Circus.

LONDONAUGUST08027.jpg
 

dhermann1

I'll Lock Up
Messages
9,154
Location
Da Bronx, NY, USA
Interesting, in London it's advertised as John Buchan's 39 Steps. Fascinating man, Buchan, aka Lord Tweedsmuir. I guess Buchan is more well known in the UK, but I find it interesting they put either man's name in front of the title.
 

Bassman

A-List Customer
Messages
372
Location
New Jersey USA
Saw this with the family on 42nd St. last winter.
We watched the Hitchcock movie before going so we'd be familiar with the story and able to more appreciate the parody.
We all loved it.:eusa_clap
 

Doc Average

One of the Regulars
Messages
146
Location
Manchester, UK
As a Fathers' Day treat, I took my parents to see this at The Lowry Theatre in Salford, and thoroughly enjoyed it. I can highly recommend it. The inventive use of props and costumes by the small cast is great (not to mention hilarious)! I don't want to give too much away to anyone who is about to see it, but I was especially fond of the way Richard Hannay's coat flapped in the wind when he was on top of the Flying Scotsman...you have to see it to believe it. It holds up pretty well as an affectionate parody of the original film.

My family name is Hannah, which is a variation of Hannay (the names originate in Galloway in South West Scotland, an area Buchan was of course very familiar with) . My dad is very Scottish, and proud of the (slight!) connection with Buchan's original novel and the subsequent movies. He even presented the leading man with a Hannay tartan tie at the end of the performance, much to my embarrassment. Stage door attentions of that kind are normally reserved for the actresses...

And with that I'll say hello!
 

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