“The Thirty Nine Steps”, on Broadway
Saw this one a while ago, but since I’m on a kick of reviewing plays, why not. It’s very funny. It’s a great night out. The actors are wonderfully talented. The stage direction is terrific. I just found myself wondering, after a while, if I really cared about what was going to happen next.
Maybe this play does, in fact answer my question, “if there were no taboos, would theatre exist?” Apparently, yes. This is now the longest running comedy on Broadway, and it doesn’t try to expose any taboo at all.
It’s a wonderfully clever stage version of Alfred Hitchcock’s movie by the same name. Only four actors play dozens of roles, and they manage, with brilliant use of lighting, props, and lightning fast costume changes, to take the audience along on every scene/setting that was in the movie: lonely apartment, music hall, overnight train, Scottish highlands, farmer’s house, castle, moores, bridges, car chase — really terrific stuff. I found myself gasping that I actually believed I was watching a man jump off a bridge in Scotland.
But I didn’t really care too much if he survived. The only device the play has that I think might get one hooked is this: an innocent man is declared wanted for murder by the police, and he must prove himself innocent by finding the criminals himself, or else be unjustly imprisoned or worse.
I suppose that’s it; the well known plot device: falsely accused, must prove oneself innocent against all odds.
It’s a great device for building tension, great for creating a fast paced rythm. But it doesn’t address any polemic. These issues are pretty much settled, in principle, in nations presenting themselves as democratic: innocent until proven guilty, false imprisonment is a terrible mistake.
Anyways, for a fun evening out that won’t make anyone uncomfortable, you can’t go wrong with this one.
