In the play adaptation of Alfred Hitchcock’s, The 39 Steps, Richard Hannay (John Behlmann) goes on a quest to clear his name after he is framed by spies for the murder of a young woman (Annabella Schmidt), he met after going to the theater one night.
His journey takes him across all of England to Wales, and then to Scotland, and then back to England, trying to find a mysterious Englishman living in the Scottish highlands. The story is told by four actors, each acting out multiple parts, with the exception of Behlmann. Jamie Jackson and Cameron Folmar act out some 30 different parts during the course of the play.
The overall story is told with lots of props on the stage with Jamie Jackson and Cameron Folmar portraying random side-characters such as policemen, Inn owners, a family in the Scottish highlands, and passengers on a train. [click to continue….]
Tagged as:
New World Stages,
The 39 Steps
Who knew suspense could be so funny?
Hitchcock’s 1935 thrilling spy mystery has been re-mastered into an engaging comedy that is quick on its feet. Currently in production at the New World Stages, this adaptation of The 39 Steps is highly entertaining. Every detail is ridiculously exaggerated in a way that leaves you laughing in stitches, from the performances to the props, even down to the very plot itself.
The play centers around a young Canadian bachelor named Richard Hannay who was framed for the murder of a mysterious woman, with a heavy accent, who claims to be a spy. The woman’s dying words sends him on an adventure to to clear his name. He flees the scene of the crime and begins to piece together the reason for her death — a wild goose chase between himself, the authorities, and the people who want him eliminated. An array of unforgettable characters and surprise twists follow suit to keep the plot progressively moving forward while the four-man cast use their wit and athleticism to keep the mood silly and fun.
The play was a bit slow to start due to a lack of action, but once the play gained some momentum the theater exploded with laughter for the rest of the night. [click to continue….]
Tagged as:
New World Stages,
The 39 Stes
The Toxic Avenger: The Musical (based on the 80′s classic horror movie) is a charming love story and laugh-out-loud musical comedy, featuring an unlikely hero (mutated by toxic waste into a super — albeit, horribly scarred — hero), his beautiful girlfriend, a corrupt New Jersey mayor and two guys who play… well, everyone else in the cast — bullies, mobsters, old ladies, and even stiletto-wearing back-up singers. Great music, powerful dancing, a mutated superhero who dismembers his enemies on stage…what more could you ask for?
FRI., NOV. 13 @ 8:00 P.M. [click to continue….]
Tagged as:
New World Stages
A boy knows a girl that he has been in love with for a long time and wants his love to be reciprocal. Sounds normal and simple, right? What if the main character were a geek turned superhuman mutant, because he was dumped into a barrel toxic waste? Or if a blind girl loves him because she believes he is a big French man she nicknames “Toxie”? What? Don’t worry, although slightly disturbing, it’s laugh-out loud hilarious. Adding to that rock and roll and drag queens and you’ve got The Toxic Avenger: The Musical. [click to continue….]
Tagged as:
New World Stages
The lights shut off, the music swells and out of nowhere, a giant roar catches everyone’s ears. Silence and darkness fail to suppress the crowds’ eagerness and slight fear. The music returns and out of the intensely filled darkness, two men and a nun from New Jersey come. Smoke fills the stage as they begin to sing. [click to continue….]
Tagged as:
New World Stages
