July 12, 2015
1616
A word of advice: don't fixate on the title "The 39 Steps." It will just confuse you.
Other than that, feel free to enjoy this fast-paced, zany, crazy show which zig-zags all over the stage and through the audience, over hill and dale, through a myriad of characters, until it comes to a breath-taking end, right back where it started.
That's the only way to describe the Bluewater Summer Playhouse production of "The 39 Steps" which opened Thursday and runs to July 24 at the Kincardine Arts Centre in downtown Kincardine.
From the ridiculous to the sublime, this show races through scene after scene, as a parody of the 1935 Alfred Hitchcock movie of the same name, with a dash of Monty Python mixed in to make this an absolutely wild ride.
David Rosser leads this stellar cast as Richard Hannay, a boring chap who ends up embroiled in murder and mayhem and meets the woman of his dreams over and over again.
Perrie Olthuis is that woman and another woman and then another woman. And adding to the confusion, are Bruce Davies and William Matthews who are perfectly suited to filling in all the other roles. Even as they stand in front of you, they switch hats and switch roles in the blink of an eye - and it's all totally convincing and silly and it makes you laugh.
The intermission comes as a surprise, and you'll find you just can't wait to get back to the action and see what happens next.
Also, a pleasant surprise, Nathan and Andy Smith, are guest stars as the resident Scottish piper and drummer in the show. And there are several mentions of Kincardine throughout the play.
Praise to director Ralph Small, also artistic director for this season, who has managed to keep the action somewhat contained while letting the genie out of the bottle at the same time.
This is a wildly-funny show that you won't want to miss.
"The 39 Steps" is adapted by Patrick Barlow, from the novel by John Buchan and Patrick Barlow, from the movie by Alfred Hitchcock.
For tickets or more information, contact the Bluewater Summer Playhouse Box Office by calling 519-396-5722, or toll-free at 1-877-396-5722, or by E-mail at boxoffice@bluewatersummerplayhouse.com. Bluewater Playhouse is now on both Twitter and Facebook. Follow it at BluewaterSP on Twitter, or add it on Facebook at Bluewater Summer Playhouse.
Tickets for matinee performances are $22.12 each plus HST; and $24.78 each plus HST for evening performances.
Written ByLiz Dadson is the founder and editor of the Kincardine Record and has been in the news business since 1986.
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