‘The 39 Steps’ @ Theatre Frisco
Graphic by Pearl Creative Consulting; photos by Alex Rain
Carol M. Rice
It takes a creative person to look at a 1935 Alfred Hitchcock spy thriller and decide that the old movie needs to become a stage comedy—performed by just four actors. Yet that’s exactly what Patrick Barlow did when he adapted the novel by John Buchan (and the movie by Hitchcock) into the stage version of The 39 Steps, playing now through May 18 at Theatre Frisco.
Despite being completely different genres, The 39 Steps onstage actually follows the plot of the film pretty closely. Richard Hannay is bored and goes to the theatre to see Mr. Memory, who seems to know every answer to any question he is asked. There Hannay encounters Annabelle Schmidt, a beautiful and enigmatic woman who claims to be frightened and asks Hannay if she can come home with him—where she is mysteriously murdered in the middle of the night. This sets off a chain of events that have Hannay running for his life and trying to figure out what Annabelle’s last words meant.
DR Hanson could not be more ideal as Richard Hannay. As my companion said, “he’s just the perfect Hitchcock guy!” Tall, suave, and sophisticated, Hanson has exceptional charisma onstage and must run through a gamut of emotions ranging from blasé to fearful to confused to heroic to loving. He plays all of them well. Hanson is almost never offstage and gives an amazing tour de force performance, complete with lots of physical comedy.
Rebecca Litsey gets to show off her range as not only the inscrutable Annabelle, but also as sweet Margaret and “girl next door” Pamela. Her stunning costumes and wigs help with the illusion that she’s three different people, but she also gives each character a unique accent and distinctive mannerisms. Litsey knows how to take the stage and run with it, and her facial expressions are worth the price of admission. She and Hanson have excellent chemistry.
Jake Lawrence Geary and Cody Alexander Tabor are the “Clowns” of the piece, which means they play every other role. Both these actors are pros at accents and physical stunts (and quick costume changes!), making them perfect to portray a vast variety of characters.
While Logan Garconnier, Lilly McCullough, and Dalhia Parks are listed as understudies, they also serve as the crew of set changers. Each one of the three actors takes on additional small “Clown” parts throughout the show. I especially enjoyed the various sound effects they did.
Director Ashley Puckett Gonzales has put together a strong cast for this deceptively difficult piece—and gives it a carnival atmosphere, complete with actors regularly breaking the fourth wall to wave or bow to the audience. Some bits of stage “business” seemed to slow the action down (the pacing overall could have been faster), but it was a fun take on the story—and I do think the pace will tighten up as the run continues.
Costumes by Michael Robinson and the Dallas Costume Shoppe were period appropriate (I especially loved Hanson’s suit and Litsey’s Annabelle outfit) and, in the case of the Clowns, were obviously easy to get on and off quickly. The sheer variety of hats, wigs, dresses, and suits were enough to make one’s head spin!
The set by Josh Hensley consisted of furniture and windows and other items brought on and off, usually by the understudies. The one constant was a gramophone inexplicably set on a tiny table. I would have bet that it wouldn’t last the whole show without getting knocked to the floor—but somehow it survived.
WHEN: May 2-18, 2025
WHERE: Frisco Discovery Center, 8004 Dallas North Tollway, Frisco TX
WEB: theatrefrisco.com
