The 39 Steps Director's Notes

If Alfred Hitchcock and Monty Python had a theatrical baby, it might look something like Patrick Barlow’s adaptation of The 39 Steps. Written in 1915 by John Buchan, The 39 Steps was a classic example of the “dime novel” or “shocker”, or as Buchan wrote: “the romance where the incidents defy the probabilities, and march just inside the borders of the possible.” That description is certainly accurate of Hitchcock’s 1935 film adaptation, and I can’t think of a better way to describe Barlow’s play. What begins as a shadowy spy thriller soon becomes a gleeful chase through train compartments, Scottish moors, and shadowy city streets filled with fog, handcuffs, and the sheer limits of human dignity — often in rapid succession. This show is a love letter to cinema, theatre, and the chaos that happens when the two collide.

We’re working with a deceptively simple set, which is a polite way of saying: we gave our actors a ladder, a few crates, and an obscene number of sound cues and said, “Go build a movie.” With four actors playing dozens of roles, it’s a bit like watching a film spool out in real time — if the film were self-aware, short-staffed, and highly caffeinated. The result is a kind of theatrical magic trick: one moment, a quiet scene in a London flat; the next, we’re hanging off a moving train. All without leaving the stage.

One of the keys to unlocking this production was the technique of clowning — not the red-nose, floppy-shoes kind (though we do love a good pratfall), but the deeper practice of embracing failure, play, and presence. We’ve given our actors permission to be bold, to trust impulse over polish, and to treat every obstacle — a missed prop, a costume mishap, an overambitious accent — as an opportunity for discovery. It’s not just about being funny. It’s about being alive in the moment, and letting the audience in on the game.

Hitchcock’s fingerprints are everywhere — in the suspense, the shadows, the unspoken romance — but so is the spirit of invention that only live theatre can provide. We hope this production keeps you guessing, laughing, and maybe even holding your breath… right before the next costume change.

Thanks for coming. Enjoy the ride.

- John Taylor Phillips, Director of The 39 Steps