Review: The 39 Steps at the Sydney Opera House

Review by Michelle Sutton 

The iconic 1935 spy thriller film The 39 Steps by Alfred Hitchcock has been adapted by Patrick Barlow into a comedy play with a bit of mystery and intrigue thrown in. Presented by Neil Gooding Productions and Woodward Productions, the show features an accomplished cast of renowned performers undertaking multiple roles to inject light-hearted, feel-good jokes into a well-known story. 

Directed by Damien Ryan, the accomplished cast of four play numerous roles across both acts. Ian Stenlake stars as Richard Hannay, the unsuspecting everyman turned secret agent. Stenlake does an impressive job as the protagonist of the play, anchoring the production that is gleefully silly and far-fetched. Lisa McCune plays numerous roles including the femme fatale and love interest of Hannay. McCune is a chameleon and delivers on every role she transforms into however unfortunately due to the script, does not have a lot of stand-out memorable moments in the show. The Umbilical Brothers, David Collins and Shane Dundas bring their trademark style of inventive slapstick physical comedy to The 39 Steps, playing many roles ranging from inspectors, theatre performers to hotel workers.

The play pays homage to 1930s film, hamming up tropes and making fun of the visual effects in fashion at the time. There are some hilarious moments involving quick-changes on stage with wigs and costumes, slow-motion and dramatic thriller theme music. Lighting design by Matthew Marshall is creative and imperative to a lot of the humour and drama on stage. The use of shadow and windows is very fun and playful. 

The set design by James Browne is in greyscale in paying tribute to the original black and white Hitchcock film. This is a charming idea in theory, however in execution it does not give the eye a lot to grab onto, leaving the audience visually unstimulated especially when the dialogue and delivery on stage becomes repetitive. The make-up, costuming and wigs are also in greyscale which is very beautiful but makes it harder for the audience to read emotions on the faces of the actors.

The play advertised to be 100 minutes, ran about 20 minutes over. There were some issues with pacing throughout both acts, leaving windows for the audience’s attention and minds to wander. This effected any presence of tension or thrill in the production. Whilst it was enjoyable whenever the cast was on stage delivering a joke or working together to showcase their considerable comedic prowess, it appeared often as disjointed skits rather than a seamlessly flowing narrative show. 

The 39 Steps at the Sydney Opera House is a light-hearted comedy romp, it has a lot of funny moments but fails to come together as a cohesive and memorable show overall. A lot of the kinks may be ironed out during the run however it is disappointing to see a show on the Opera House stage that is less than polished. Fans of the star-studded cast will likely still be delighted by the significant talent on display but the show itself will probably not leave a lasting impact. 

Image Credit: Cameron Grant