The action-packed comedic thriller “39 Steps” opens Feb. 17 at the San Juan Community Theatre. The play is based on a movie by Alfred Hitchcock, which is based on a novel by John Buchanan.
“For the past couple of years, the world seems like it’s been in a bit of a rut. We decided that what we needed most to pull us out of this would be a zany comedy,” director Eric Concord said when asked why he chose the play. “I had heard about the success of ‘39 Steps’ on the West End and Broadway and was excited to see if we could pull it off here. I always love a challenge and when I heard the play was originally staged with four people playing up to 150 characters, I knew we had to try.”
In this local production, there are seven actors playing all the roles.
While he had never seen the show, Concord said he has always loved Hitchcock films, especially “Rear Window.” The play “39 Steps” closely follows the movie which is considered to be one of Hitchcock’s early masterpieces and one of his most comedic, and the play is very Monty Pythonesk.
“Protagonist Richard Hannay, played by Scott Mapstead, finds himself mixed up with a beautiful mysterious spy, played by Jordana Ainsley, who he finds dead in his apartment. Wanted for murder and being pursued by a secret organization, he is chased across England and Scotland trying to solve the mystery,” Concord explained. Hannay escapes across the top of trains, falls from bridges, and narrowly avoids being shot down by planes, which results in spectacular crashes.
All of this occurs, Concord added, while saving the world and falling in love.
Concord’s love of theater can be traced back to his childhood and his involvement in the Seattle Children’s Theater. After his family moved to San Juan Island, where he grew up, he found new venues for his passion.
“The island had a rich theatrical history and my family was deeply involved. Theater gave us a creative outlet and helped create community. We worked with Herb and Martha Gubleman and the Straits of Juan de Fuca, performing shows at the old Royal Theatre,” Concord said. The Royal Theatre is now known as the Palace Theatre.
In college, he studied acting. Years later, Concord studied directing during the theatre’s first Director’s Program under Andrew V. McLaglen. and his wife Laura also worked in professional theatre on the West Coast and in Montana. Islanders may also recognize him in Dan and Helen Mayes and Island Stage Left performances or one of the numerous one-man shows he has performed in. Most recently he stared as Sterling, in the theatre’s production of “Mauritius,” a role he was particularly fond of.
“I consider myself an actor first,” Concord said.
Besides Scott Mapstead and Jordana Ainsley, the cast of Thirty-Nine Steps includes Owen Kreger-Stickles, Cris DuVall, Melody Smith, Justin Platts and Rowan Roberts-Davis.
The seven actors take on roles as vaudeville actors, salesmen, Scottish farmers, BBC announcers, paperboys, milkmen, mysterious professors, spies and Scotland Yard detectives, occasionally switching genders as the story unfolds.
“The are lots of accents, props, costume changes and stage magic,” Concord said, adding that a show like this depends on an amazing production team and designers.
“The original production won awards for set design, lighting design, sound design and costume design. Our team is exceptional and brings so much creativity to the process,” Concord said. “Larz Anderson, our set designer comes to us by way of film and television work in LA. We are so fortunate to have him. He has created a magical world, all hand drawn like a graphic novel.”
Lighting designer Colleen Roberts, Concord added, has been the champion and inspiration for this show. “They get to work with spotlights, footlights, shadow puppetry and fog machines.”
Sound designers Gary Ford and Rowan Roberts Davis built a rich soundscape, using music from Hitchcock films and lots of sound effects, while costume designer Anna Frampton has brought our world to life with vintage clothing, lots of hats and wigs, and more costumes than a musical, according to Concord. Props designer Kim Long has hundreds of props to juggle and has made many of them herself.
“There is lots of sound underscored through the whole play,” Concord said, including both music and sound effects. “It’s as close to directing a movie, without directing a movie as you can get.”
The show runs from Feb. 17-March 5. Thursday-Friday performances begin at 7:30 p.m., and Sundays begin at 2 p.m. Tickets for adults: $24. student reserved: $13 and student rush $5. Thursdays are pay what you can. Tickets can be purchased by calling the box office at 360-278-3210.
To find out more information visit https://www.sjctheatre.org/whats-happening/calendar/eventdetail/115542/39-steps.
Heather Spaulding \ Staff photo Scott Mapstead as protagonist Richard Hannay and a love interest played by Jordana Ainsley, on a train.
Heather Spaulding \ Staff photo Scott Mapstead as protagonist Richard Hannay and a love interest, played by Jordana Ainsley, on a train Heather Spaulding \ Staff photo Scott Mapstead as protagonist Richard Hannay and a love interest, played by Jordana Ainsley, on a train.
Heather Spaulding Staff photo Scott Mapstead as protagonist Richard Hannay and a love interest, played by Jordana Ainsley, try to escape over a fence while handcuffed together.
Heather Spaulding Staff photo
Heather Spaulding Staff photo Scott Mapstead, Jordana Ainsley, Owen Kreger-Stickles, Cris DuVall, Melody Smith, Justin Platts and Rowan Roberts-Davis
