The 39 steps

Patrick Barlow, Simon Corble, Nobby Dimon

Samuel French Trade, 2009 - Drama - 105 pages

From the Movie by Alfred Hitchcock, Licensed by ITV Global Entertainment Limited and an original concept by Simon Corble and Nobby Dimon Characters: 3m, 1f Comedy WINNER! 2 Tony(r) and Drama Desk Awards, 2008 WINNER! BEST NEW COMEDY Laurence Olivier Award, 2007 The 39 Steps, is Broadway's longest running comedy, playing its 500th performance on Broadway, May 19th, 2009! Mix a Hitchcock masterpiece with a juicy spy novel, add a dash of Monty Python and you have The 39 Steps, a fast-paced whodunit for anyone who loves the magic of theatre! This 2-time Tony(r) and Drama Desk Award-winning treat is packed with nonstop laughs, over 150 zany characters (played by a ridiculously talented cast of 4), an on-stage plane crash, handcuffs, missing fingers and some good old-fashioned romance! In The 39 Steps, a man with a boring life meets a woman with a thick accent who says she's a spy. When he takes her home, she is murdered. Soon, a mysterious organization called "The 39 Steps" is hot on the man's trail in a nationwide manhunt that climaxes in a death-defying finale! A riotous blend of virtuoso performances and wildly inventive stagecraft, The 39 Steps amounts to an unforgettable evening of pure pleasure! "A wonderful triumph of theatre!" -BBC Radio 4 "It's really not so much about a spoof of Hitchcock, which it is, of course; it's really an homage to the theater. Not the contemporary theater, where mermaids traverse the stage on wheels and gargantuan mechanical sets get bigger applause than the actors, but the nostalgic version that survives on greasepaint and hammy actors. It's a valentine to that kind of creativity and imagination, of doing so much with so little..." -The New York Times "THEATER AT ITS FINEST... Absurdly enjoyable! This gleefully theatrical riff on Hitchcock's film is fast and frothy, performed by a cast of four that seems like a cast of thousands." -Ben Brantley, The New York Times "The most entertaining show on Broadway!" -Liz Smith, The New York Post "INGENIOUS! A DIZZY DELIGHT!" -Joe Dziemianowicz, Daily News "RIOTOUS & MARVELOUS!" -Clive Barnes, The New York Post "Whirlwind funny business!" -Michael Sommers, The Star-Ledger "a giddy display of theatrical invention!" -David Rooney, Variety "comedy of the highest order!" -Roma Torre, NY1 "About the cleverest show on Broadway in a long time!" -David Richardson, WOR Radio "Rollicking Fun! Hugely Entertaining!" -Sunday Times "Clever, very funny, imaginative and brilliantly acted!" -The Guardian "Dizzyingly entertaining show!" -Daily Teleg

What people are saying

Review: The 39 Steps: A Play

User Review  - Cameron Crawford-mook - Goodreads

Must be seen to really be appreciated. This is a play where the actors must bring it to life

Review: The 39 Steps: A Play

User Review  - Ali Adenwala - Goodreads

Going to be performing this play soon at my school. Actually doing the play makes me enjoy the script a lot more so thats the main reason for giving it three stars. :)

About the author

Author of the iconic novel The Thirty-Nine Steps, John Buchan filled many roles including barrister, colonial administrator, publisher, Director of Intelligence, and Member of Parliament. The Thirty-Nine Steps, first in the Richard Hannay series, is widely regarded as the starting point for espionage fiction and was written to pass time while Buchan recovered from an illness. During the outbreak of the First World War, Buchan wrote propaganda for the British war effort, combining his skills as author and politician. In 1935 Buchan was appointed the 15th Governor General of Canada and established the Governor General's Literacy Award. Buchan was enthusiastic about literacy and the evolution of Canadian culture. He died in 1940 and received a state funeral in Canada before his ashes were returned to the United Kingdom.

Bibliographic information

• Title: The 39 steps
• Authors: Patrick Barlow, Simon Corble, Nobby Dimon
• Editor: Patrick Barlow
• Contributors: Patrick Barlow, John Buchan
• Edition: reprint
• Publisher: Samuel French Trade, 2009
• ISBN: 0573697140, 9780573697142
• Length: 105 pages
• Subjects: Drama / General