Novel production delights full house at Priory Theatre, Kenilworth
It is doubtful if Alfred Hitchcock ever imagined that his 1935 version of the thriller The 39 Steps would be vastly outshone by the comedic stage version, but the proof is at The Priory.
Four actors, performing 32 characters in 30 scenes, delighted this full house. Ben Wellicome, who returns to The Priory after too long an absence, was Richard Hannay, the main character. Ben gives Hannay the perfect combination of insouciance and conscientiousness, suitably nonchalant about everyday matters but dependably diligent when he realised the nation’s safety was going to be compromised.
In a box at The London Palladium he meets Annabelle Schmidt [Nicky Main]. Nicky delivers Annabelle’s German accent with delightful humour, and back at Hannay’s London flat we have the first of many hilarious scenes with the two stooges Becky Young and Rob Jones.
Becky and Rob did a first rate job of numerous accents, swift costume changes, and exaggerated characters. Hats off to their timing and word perfect delivery, without which many of the scenes would simply not have worked. Nicky then took her much larger role as Pamela, who inadvertently and reluctantly found herself tied to Hannay for the latter part of his adventure. Nicky portrays Pamela’s annoyance and irritation at Hannay as they meet highland farmers, hoteliers, corrupt and bogus police, and spymasters [Becky and Rob of course].
Director John Evans not only gets the best out of his hard working actors but he and the crew deliver some novel and wonderful visual gags and effects, some of the best this reviewer has seen in several productions of this play. The police chase using an airplane and sniffer dogs was side-splitting. Cleverly, the stage was virtually bare and props such as furniture, doors and windows were wheeled on and off as necessary, and scenes were projected onto the backdrop.
There were some first night technical glitches which will no doubt be quickly ironed out but one cannot fault the cast at all and they deserve full houses for this wonderful production. From the laughter throughout and the final applause, the audience obviously agreed.
The 39 Steps
Performed at Priory Theatre, Kenilworth, Friday 16 May 2025 [until 24 May 2025].
Director: John Evans.