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The 39 Steps (play)
Encyclopedia
The 39 Steps is a farce
adapted from the 1915 novel
by John Buchan and the 1935 film
by Alfred Hitchcock
. Patrick Barlow
wrote the adaptation, based on the original concept by Simon Corble
and Nobby Dimon of a two-actor version of the play. Barlow had originally intended to portray the character of Richard Hannay, but focused solely on rewriting the original version.
The play's concept calls for the entirety of the 1935 adventure film The 39 Steps to be performed with a cast of only four. One actor plays the hero, Richard Hannay, an actress plays the three women with whom he has romantic entanglements, and two other actors play every other character in the show: heroes, villains, men, women, children and even the occasional inanimate object. This often requires lightning fast quick-change
s and occasionally for them to play multiple characters at once. Thus the film's serious spy story is played mainly for laughs, and the script is full of allusions to (and puns on the titles of) other Alfred Hitchcock films, including Rear Window
, Psycho
, Vertigo
and North by Northwest
.
, directed by Fiona Buffini. The featured actors were Robert Whitelock, Lisa Jackson, Simon Gregor and Mark Hadfield. Maria Aitken directed the revised production in its London premiere at the Tricycle Theatre
(London), which opened on 10 August 2006 titled John Buchan's The 39 Steps. The cast for the London premiere comprised Rupert Degas
, Charles Edwards
, Simon Gregor and Catherine McCormack
. The production transferred to the Criterion Theatre
in London's West End
in September 2006. On August 27, 2008 a Spanish production opened at Maravillas Theatre in Madrid directed by Eduardo Bazo and starring Gabino Diego, Jorge de Juan, Diego Molero and Patricia Conde
(later replaced by Beatriz Rico).
on September 19, 2007. Billed as Alfred Hitchcock's The 39 Steps, it opened on Broadway
in a Roundabout Theatre production at the American Airlines Theatre
, with previews beginning January 4, 2008 and the official opening on January 15, 2008. The initial run concluded on March 29, 2008, and transferred to the Cort Theatre
on April 29, 2008 and then transferred to the Helen Hayes Theatre
on January 21, 2009. Aitken also directed the United States productions, and Edwards transferred to these productions as Richard Hannay, the only actor from the UK cast to do so. The other actors in the premiere US productions were Jennifer Ferrin
, Arnie Burton and Cliff Saunders. Edwards concluded his run on July 6, 2008, and Sam Robards
took over the role of Richard Hannay.
Jeffrey Kuhn and Francesca Faridany joined the cast on October 28, 2008. In December 2008 it was announced that Sean Mahon would take over the role of Richard Hannay. The show had its final Broadway performance on 10 January 2010 after 771 performances, "the longest-running Broadway play in seven years" (according to the writer for Playbill.com). The 39 Steps transferred to the off-Broadway
venue New World Stages
, reopening on 25 March 2010.
The 2008 Roundabout Broadway production won the 2008 Drama Desk Award
for Unique Theatrical Experience and Outstanding Lighting Design (Kevin Adams). It won two Tony Award
s on June 15, 2008 for Best Lighting Design
and Best Sound Design
. It was nominated for four other Tonys: Best Play, Best Direction of a Play (Maria Aitken), Best Scenic Design of a Play (Peter McKintosh) and Best Costume Design of a Play (Peter McKintosh).
and Barlow's own National Theatre of Brent
, compared to the original and more serious film. The play incorporates references and use of music excerpts from other Hitchcock films.
As well, the cast of four actors portrays between 100 and 150 roles, including actors doubling parts within the same scene. The quick, comic changes are reminiscent of Charles Ludlam
's The Mystery of Irma Vep
. The part of Richard Hannay is the only one where the actor does not double in another role in the play.
The next day, Hannay wakes up to find her dead, stabbed with his bread knife. He sneaks out of the flat disguised as a milkman and takes a train to Scotland, where she had told him she was going to find the man. On the train, he sees the police on his trail. In desperation, he enters a compartment and kisses the sole occupant, the attractive Pamela, in an attempt to escape detection. She, however manages to free herself from his unwanted embrace and betrays him to the law. He jumps from the train onto the Forth Rail Bridge and escapes.
He stays the night with a poor older farmer and his younger wife who flirts with Hannay. The next morning, he leaves in the farmer's Sunday coat, and calls at the house the woman had told him of. There he finds the man with the missing finger-joint, the seemingly respectable Professor Jordan, who shoots him after a brief conversation and leaves him for dead. Fortunately for Hannay, the bullet is unable to pierce the farmer's prayer-book, left in a coat pocket, and Hannay flees once more.
He goes to the police, but they refuse to accept his story, since they know Jordan well. Hannay jumps through a window and escapes into the crowd. He tries to hide himself in a political meeting where he is mistaken for the keynote speaker. He subsequently gives a rather rousing impromptu speech without knowing a single thing about the candidate he is introducing, but then he is recognised by Pamela, who gives him up once more. They are handcuffed together and taken away by "policemen". Hannay eventually realises they are agents of the conspiracy when they bypass the nearest police station. When the car is forced to stop, he escapes, dragging an unwilling Pamela along.
They travel cross country, and stay the night at an inn. The girl still not believing Hannay's story. While he sleeps, she slips out of the handcuffs, but then eavesdrops on one of the fake policemen on the telephone downstairs; the conversation confirms Hannay's assertions. She returns to the room and sleeps on a sofa. Next morning, she tells him what she heard, and is sent to London to pass it on to the police. No secrets have been reported missing however, so they do nothing to help. Instead, they follow her to get to Hannay.
She leads them to Mr. Memory's show at the London Palladium
, where the police close in on the fugitive. When the performer is introduced, Hannay recognises his theme music - it is the annoyingly catchy tune he has not been able to forget for days. Hannay puts two and two together and realises that Mr. Memory is how the spies are smuggling the secrets out: he has them memorized. As the police take him into custody, he shouts out a question about the 39 Steps. When Mr. Memory compulsively begins to answer, Jordan shoots him and tries to flee, but is shot as well. The dying Mr. Memory recites the information stored in his brain, a design for silent aircraft, and Hannay and the girl stroll off, hand in hand.
Nominations
Farce
In theatre, a farce is a comedy which aims at entertaining the audience by means of unlikely, extravagant, and improbable situations, disguise and mistaken identity, verbal humour of varying degrees of sophistication, which may include word play, and a fast-paced plot whose speed usually increases,...
adapted from the 1915 novel
The Thirty-nine Steps
The Thirty-Nine Steps is an adventure novel by the Scottish author John Buchan. It first appeared as a serial in Blackwood's Magazine in August and September 1915 before being published in book form in October that year by William Blackwood and Sons, Edinburgh...
by John Buchan and the 1935 film
The 39 Steps (1935 film)
The 39 Steps is a British thriller film directed by Alfred Hitchcock, loosely based on the adventure novel The Thirty-nine Steps by John Buchan. The film stars Robert Donat and Madeleine Carroll....
by Alfred Hitchcock
Alfred Hitchcock
Sir Alfred Joseph Hitchcock, KBE was a British film director and producer. He pioneered many techniques in the suspense and psychological thriller genres. After a successful career in British cinema in both silent films and early talkies, Hitchcock moved to Hollywood...
. Patrick Barlow
Patrick Barlow
Patrick Barlow is an English actor, comedian and playwright. His comedic alter ego, Desmond Olivier Dingle, is the founder, Artistic Director and Chief Executive of the two-man National Theatre of Brent, which has performed on stage, on television and on radio.-Radio:Barlow is the scriptwriter, as...
wrote the adaptation, based on the original concept by Simon Corble
Simon Corble
Simon Corble is an English playwright, director and performer. At the age of sixteen he played Hamlet at Lymm Grammar School, Cheshire and "never looked back". After training as an actor at Manchester Polytechnic he went on to create his own dramatic works...
and Nobby Dimon of a two-actor version of the play. Barlow had originally intended to portray the character of Richard Hannay, but focused solely on rewriting the original version.
The play's concept calls for the entirety of the 1935 adventure film The 39 Steps to be performed with a cast of only four. One actor plays the hero, Richard Hannay, an actress plays the three women with whom he has romantic entanglements, and two other actors play every other character in the show: heroes, villains, men, women, children and even the occasional inanimate object. This often requires lightning fast quick-change
Quick-change
Quick-change is a performance style in which a performer or magician changes quickly within seconds from one costume into another costume in front of the audience.-Modern Quick-Change Artists:...
s and occasionally for them to play multiple characters at once. Thus the film's serious spy story is played mainly for laughs, and the script is full of allusions to (and puns on the titles of) other Alfred Hitchcock films, including Rear Window
Rear Window
Rear Window is a 1954 American suspense film directed by Alfred Hitchcock, written by John Michael Hayes and based on Cornell Woolrich's 1942 short story "It Had to Be Murder"...
, Psycho
Psycho (1960 film)
Psycho is a 1960 American suspense/psychological horror film directed by Alfred Hitchcock and starring Janet Leigh and Anthony Perkins. The film is based on the screenplay by Joseph Stefano, who adapted it from the 1959 novel of the same name by Robert Bloch...
, Vertigo
Vertigo (film)
Vertigo is a 1958 psychological thriller film directed by Alfred Hitchcock and starring James Stewart, Kim Novak, and Barbara Bel Geddes. The screenplay was written by Alec Coppel and Samuel A...
and North by Northwest
North by Northwest
North by Northwest is a 1959 American thriller film directed by Alfred Hitchcock, starring Cary Grant, Eva Marie Saint and James Mason, and featuring Leo G. Carroll and Martin Landau...
.
Production history
The first version of the play with a cast of four actors premiered in June 2005 at the West Yorkshire PlayhouseWest Yorkshire Playhouse
The West Yorkshire Playhouse in Leeds, England is a theatre which opened in March 1990 as part of the regeneration of the Quarry Hill area of the city...
, directed by Fiona Buffini. The featured actors were Robert Whitelock, Lisa Jackson, Simon Gregor and Mark Hadfield. Maria Aitken directed the revised production in its London premiere at the Tricycle Theatre
Tricycle Theatre
The Tricycle Theatre is located on Kilburn High Road in Kilburn in the London Borough of Brent, England. During the last 30 years, the Tricycle has been presenting plays reflecting the cultural diversity of its community; in particular Black, Irish, Jewish, Asian and South African works, as well as...
(London), which opened on 10 August 2006 titled John Buchan's The 39 Steps. The cast for the London premiere comprised Rupert Degas
Rupert Degas
Rupert Joel Degas is an English actor and voice artist.- Early life:Degas was born in London, the son of screenwriter Brian Degas and television presenter Maggie Clews, whose marriage ended in divorce when he was eight...
, Charles Edwards
Charles Edwards (English actor)
Charles Edwards is an English actor, the youngest of four brothers in his family He graduated from the Guildhall School of Music and Drama in 1992. His first professional theatre engagement was in Blithe Spirit at age 24...
, Simon Gregor and Catherine McCormack
Catherine McCormack
Catherine McCormack is an English actress, known for her stage acting as well as her screen performances in films such as Braveheart, Spy Game and Dangerous Beauty.- Early life :...
. The production transferred to the Criterion Theatre
Criterion Theatre
The Criterion Theatre is a West End theatre situated on Piccadilly Circus in the City of Westminster, and is a Grade II* listed building. It has an official capacity of 588.-Building the theatre:...
in London's West End
West End theatre
West End theatre is a popular term for mainstream professional theatre staged in the large theatres of London's 'Theatreland', the West End. Along with New York's Broadway theatre, West End theatre is usually considered to represent the highest level of commercial theatre in the English speaking...
in September 2006. On August 27, 2008 a Spanish production opened at Maravillas Theatre in Madrid directed by Eduardo Bazo and starring Gabino Diego, Jorge de Juan, Diego Molero and Patricia Conde
Patricia Conde
Patricia Conde Galindo is a Spanish actress, comedian, TV presenter and model.She is the second of three siblings and she started to work as a model when she was 14 years old. In 1999 she took part in Miss Spain as Miss Palencia and soon after, she started to work in television. He has worked in...
(later replaced by Beatriz Rico).
United States premiere
The play had its U.S. premiere at the Boston University Theatre, by the Huntington Theater Company, in BostonBoston
Boston is the capital of and largest city in Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England" for its economic and cultural impact on the entire New England region. The city proper had...
on September 19, 2007. Billed as Alfred Hitchcock's The 39 Steps, it opened on Broadway
Broadway theatre
Broadway theatre, commonly called simply Broadway, refers to theatrical performances presented in one of the 40 professional theatres with 500 or more seats located in the Theatre District centered along Broadway, and in Lincoln Center, in Manhattan in New York City...
in a Roundabout Theatre production at the American Airlines Theatre
American Airlines Theatre
The American Airlines Theatre is a Broadway theatre, located at 227 West 42nd Street, New York City.-Design:Originally named the Selwyn Theatre, it was constructed by the Selwyn brothers, Edgar and Archie, in 1918. It was one of three theatres they built and controlled on 42nd Street, along with...
, with previews beginning January 4, 2008 and the official opening on January 15, 2008. The initial run concluded on March 29, 2008, and transferred to the Cort Theatre
Cort Theatre
The Cort Theatre is a legitimate Broadway theatre located at 138 West 48th Street in the Theatre District of midtown Manhattan in New York City...
on April 29, 2008 and then transferred to the Helen Hayes Theatre
Helen Hayes Theatre
Helen Hayes Theatre with 597 seats is the smallest Broadway theatre and is located at 240 West 44th Street in midtown-Manhattan....
on January 21, 2009. Aitken also directed the United States productions, and Edwards transferred to these productions as Richard Hannay, the only actor from the UK cast to do so. The other actors in the premiere US productions were Jennifer Ferrin
Jennifer Ferrin
-Early life:Ferrin was born in Lawrenceville, Georgia. She attended Brookwood High where she was the lead in many high school plays and was a member of the choir...
, Arnie Burton and Cliff Saunders. Edwards concluded his run on July 6, 2008, and Sam Robards
Sam Robards
Sam Prideaux Robards is an American actor.-Life and career:Robards was born in New York City, the son of actors Jason Robards and Lauren Bacall. He began his acting career in 1980 in an off-Broadway production of Album, and made his feature film debut in director Paul Mazursky's 1982 film Tempest....
took over the role of Richard Hannay.
Jeffrey Kuhn and Francesca Faridany joined the cast on October 28, 2008. In December 2008 it was announced that Sean Mahon would take over the role of Richard Hannay. The show had its final Broadway performance on 10 January 2010 after 771 performances, "the longest-running Broadway play in seven years" (according to the writer for Playbill.com). The 39 Steps transferred to the off-Broadway
Off-Broadway
Off-Broadway theater is a term for a professional venue in New York City with a seating capacity between 100 and 499, and for a specific production of a play, musical or revue that appears in such a venue, and which adheres to related trade union and other contracts...
venue New World Stages
New World Stages
New World Stages, originally Dodger Stages, is an Off-Broadway venue. The architects were Beyer, Blinder, and Belle. The theatre designers were Sachs Morgan, and the interior designer was Klara Zieglerova.It is currently home to 6 shows:* Rent...
, reopening on 25 March 2010.
Awards
The play won the Olivier Award for Best Comedy in 2007 and the What's On Stage Award for Best Comedy 2007.The 2008 Roundabout Broadway production won the 2008 Drama Desk Award
Drama Desk Award
The Drama Desk Awards, which are given annually in a number of categories, are the only major New York theater honors for which productions on Broadway, Off-Broadway, Off-Off-Broadway compete against each other in the same category...
for Unique Theatrical Experience and Outstanding Lighting Design (Kevin Adams). It won two Tony Award
Tony Award
The Antoinette Perry Award for Excellence in Theatre, more commonly known as a Tony Award, recognizes achievement in live Broadway theatre. The awards are presented by the American Theatre Wing and The Broadway League at an annual ceremony in New York City. The awards are given for Broadway...
s on June 15, 2008 for Best Lighting Design
Tony Award for Best Lighting Design
This is a list of the winners of the Tony Award for Best Lighting Design in a play or musical, first presented in 1970. In 2005 the category was divided with each genre represented separately.-1970s:* 1970: Jo Mielziner – Child's Play...
and Best Sound Design
Tony Award for Best Sound Design
The first Tony Award for "Best Sound Design of a Play" and "Best Sound Design of a Musical" was given in the 2007-2008 season.-2000s:*2008: Mic Pool – The 39 Steps**Simon Baker – Boeing-Boeing**Adam Cork – Macbeth...
. It was nominated for four other Tonys: Best Play, Best Direction of a Play (Maria Aitken), Best Scenic Design of a Play (Peter McKintosh) and Best Costume Design of a Play (Peter McKintosh).
Film references & production notes
The play shares the plot and characters with the film. However, the play is a more comic treatment of the story, in the style of Monty PythonMonty Python
Monty Python was a British surreal comedy group who created their influential Monty Python's Flying Circus, a British television comedy sketch show that first aired on the BBC on 5 October 1969. Forty-five episodes were made over four series...
and Barlow's own National Theatre of Brent
National Theatre of Brent
The National Theatre of Brent is a British comedy double-act, in the form of a mock two-man theatre troupe. Patrick Barlow plays Desmond Olivier Dingle, the troupe's founder, Artistic Director and Chief Executive...
, compared to the original and more serious film. The play incorporates references and use of music excerpts from other Hitchcock films.
As well, the cast of four actors portrays between 100 and 150 roles, including actors doubling parts within the same scene. The quick, comic changes are reminiscent of Charles Ludlam
Charles Ludlam
Charles Braun Ludlam was an American actor, director, and playwright.-Early life:Ludlam was born in Floral Park, New York, the son of Marjorie and Joseph William Ludlam. He was raised in Greenlawn, New York, on Long Island, and attended Harborfields High School. The fact that he was gay was not a...
's The Mystery of Irma Vep
The Mystery of Irma Vep
The Mystery of Irma Vep is a play in two acts by Charles Ludlam. A penny dreadful, Irma Vep is a satire of several theatrical and film genres, including Victorian melodrama, farce and the Alfred Hitchcock film Rebecca .-Background:...
. The part of Richard Hannay is the only one where the actor does not double in another role in the play.
Plot
Richard Hannay is at a London theatre, attending a demonstration of the remarkable powers of "Mr. Memory", a man with a photographic memory, when a fight breaks out and shots are fired. In the ensuing panic, he finds himself holding the hand of the frightened Annabella Schmidt, who talks him into taking her back to his flat. There, she tells him that she is a spy, being chased by assassins out to kill her. She says that she has uncovered a plot to steal vital British military secrets, implemented by a man with the top joint missing from one of his fingers, who is the head of an espionage organisation called the "39 Steps".The next day, Hannay wakes up to find her dead, stabbed with his bread knife. He sneaks out of the flat disguised as a milkman and takes a train to Scotland, where she had told him she was going to find the man. On the train, he sees the police on his trail. In desperation, he enters a compartment and kisses the sole occupant, the attractive Pamela, in an attempt to escape detection. She, however manages to free herself from his unwanted embrace and betrays him to the law. He jumps from the train onto the Forth Rail Bridge and escapes.
He stays the night with a poor older farmer and his younger wife who flirts with Hannay. The next morning, he leaves in the farmer's Sunday coat, and calls at the house the woman had told him of. There he finds the man with the missing finger-joint, the seemingly respectable Professor Jordan, who shoots him after a brief conversation and leaves him for dead. Fortunately for Hannay, the bullet is unable to pierce the farmer's prayer-book, left in a coat pocket, and Hannay flees once more.
He goes to the police, but they refuse to accept his story, since they know Jordan well. Hannay jumps through a window and escapes into the crowd. He tries to hide himself in a political meeting where he is mistaken for the keynote speaker. He subsequently gives a rather rousing impromptu speech without knowing a single thing about the candidate he is introducing, but then he is recognised by Pamela, who gives him up once more. They are handcuffed together and taken away by "policemen". Hannay eventually realises they are agents of the conspiracy when they bypass the nearest police station. When the car is forced to stop, he escapes, dragging an unwilling Pamela along.
They travel cross country, and stay the night at an inn. The girl still not believing Hannay's story. While he sleeps, she slips out of the handcuffs, but then eavesdrops on one of the fake policemen on the telephone downstairs; the conversation confirms Hannay's assertions. She returns to the room and sleeps on a sofa. Next morning, she tells him what she heard, and is sent to London to pass it on to the police. No secrets have been reported missing however, so they do nothing to help. Instead, they follow her to get to Hannay.
She leads them to Mr. Memory's show at the London Palladium
London Palladium
The London Palladium is a 2,286 seat West End theatre located off Oxford Street in the City of Westminster. From the roster of stars who have played there and many televised performances, it is arguably the most famous theatre in London and the United Kingdom, especially for musical variety...
, where the police close in on the fugitive. When the performer is introduced, Hannay recognises his theme music - it is the annoyingly catchy tune he has not been able to forget for days. Hannay puts two and two together and realises that Mr. Memory is how the spies are smuggling the secrets out: he has them memorized. As the police take him into custody, he shouts out a question about the 39 Steps. When Mr. Memory compulsively begins to answer, Jordan shoots him and tries to flee, but is shot as well. The dying Mr. Memory recites the information stored in his brain, a design for silent aircraft, and Hannay and the girl stroll off, hand in hand.
Roles
| Role | World Premiere Cast17 June 2005West Yorkshire Playhouse West Yorkshire Playhouse The West Yorkshire Playhouse in Leeds, England is a theatre which opened in March 1990 as part of the regeneration of the Quarry Hill area of the city... , Leeds Leeds Leeds is a city and metropolitan borough in West Yorkshire, England. In 2001 Leeds' main urban subdivision had a population of 443,247, while the entire city has a population of 798,800 , making it the 30th-most populous city in the European Union.Leeds is the cultural, financial and commercial... |
London Premiere Cast10 August 2006Tricycle Theatre Tricycle Theatre The Tricycle Theatre is located on Kilburn High Road in Kilburn in the London Borough of Brent, England. During the last 30 years, the Tricycle has been presenting plays reflecting the cultural diversity of its community; in particular Black, Irish, Jewish, Asian and South African works, as well as... , London |
USA Premiere Cast19 September 2007Huntington Theatre Company Huntington Theatre Company The Huntington Theatre Company is a non-profit professional theater company in Boston, Massachusetts. The Huntington has garnered six Elliot Norton Awards and three Tony Award nominations for productions that were transferred to Broadway after critically acclaimed productions in Boston... , Boston Boston Boston is the capital of and largest city in Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England" for its economic and cultural impact on the entire New England region. The city proper had... |
Madrid Premiere Cast27 August 2008Teatro Maravillas, Madrid Madrid Madrid is the capital and largest city of Spain. The population of the city is roughly 3.3 million and the entire population of the Madrid metropolitan area is calculated to be 6.271 million. It is the third largest city in the European Union, after London and Berlin, and its metropolitan... |
Paris Premiere Cast10 October 2010Théâtre La Bruyère, Paris |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Richard Hannay Richard Hannay Major-General Sir Richard Hannay, KCB, OBE, DSO, Legion of Honour, is a fictional secret agent created by Scottish novelist John Buchan. In his autobiography, Memory Hold-the-Door, Buchan suggests that the character is based, in part, on Edmund Ironside, from Edinburgh, a spy during the Second Boer... |
Robert Whitelock | Charles Edwards Charles Edwards (English actor) Charles Edwards is an English actor, the youngest of four brothers in his family He graduated from the Guildhall School of Music and Drama in 1992. His first professional theatre engagement was in Blithe Spirit at age 24... |
Jorge de Juan | Christophe Laubion | |
| Annabella Schmidt / Pamela / Margaret | Lisa Jackson | Catherine McCormack Catherine McCormack Catherine McCormack is an English actress, known for her stage acting as well as her screen performances in films such as Braveheart, Spy Game and Dangerous Beauty.- Early life :... |
Jennifer Ferrin Jennifer Ferrin -Early life:Ferrin was born in Lawrenceville, Georgia. She attended Brookwood High where she was the lead in many high school plays and was a member of the choir... |
Patricia Conde Patricia Conde Patricia Conde Galindo is a Spanish actress, comedian, TV presenter and model.She is the second of three siblings and she started to work as a model when she was 14 years old. In 1999 she took part in Miss Spain as Miss Palencia and soon after, she started to work in television. He has worked in... |
Andrea Bescond |
| Clown / Man #1 | Simon Gregor | Cliff Saunders | Gabino Diego | Eric Metayer | |
| Clown / Man #2 | Mark Hadfield | Rupert Degas Rupert Degas Rupert Joel Degas is an English actor and voice artist.- Early life:Degas was born in London, the son of screenwriter Brian Degas and television presenter Maggie Clews, whose marriage ended in divorce when he was eight... |
Arnie Burton | Diego Molero | Jean-Philippe Beche |
Productions
- 2005, Leeds - West Yorkshire PlayhouseWest Yorkshire PlayhouseThe West Yorkshire Playhouse in Leeds, England is a theatre which opened in March 1990 as part of the regeneration of the Quarry Hill area of the city...
- 2006, London - Tricycle TheatreTricycle TheatreThe Tricycle Theatre is located on Kilburn High Road in Kilburn in the London Borough of Brent, England. During the last 30 years, the Tricycle has been presenting plays reflecting the cultural diversity of its community; in particular Black, Irish, Jewish, Asian and South African works, as well as...
- 2006, London West End - Criterion TheatreCriterion TheatreThe Criterion Theatre is a West End theatre situated on Piccadilly Circus in the City of Westminster, and is a Grade II* listed building. It has an official capacity of 588.-Building the theatre:...
- 2007, Boston - Huntington Theatre
- 2007, Edinburgh - Edinburgh PlayhouseEdinburgh PlayhouseThe Edinburgh Playhouse is a former cinema in Edinburgh, Scotland which now hosts touring musicals and music concerts. Its capacity is 3,059, making it the UK's largest working theatre in terms of audience capacity....
- 2008, Windsor - Windsor TheatreTheatre Royal, WindsorThe Theatre Royal, Windsor is located in the town of Windsor, Berkshire, England, directly across the road from Windsor Castle.The present building was opened on 17 December 1910 after the previous theatre had burned down on 18 February 1908, under the ownership of Sir William Shipley.With the...
- 2008, New York City, Broadway - American Airlines TheatreAmerican Airlines TheatreThe American Airlines Theatre is a Broadway theatre, located at 227 West 42nd Street, New York City.-Design:Originally named the Selwyn Theatre, it was constructed by the Selwyn brothers, Edgar and Archie, in 1918. It was one of three theatres they built and controlled on 42nd Street, along with...
, Cort TheatreCort TheatreThe Cort Theatre is a legitimate Broadway theatre located at 138 West 48th Street in the Theatre District of midtown Manhattan in New York City...
, Helen Hayes TheatreHelen Hayes TheatreHelen Hayes Theatre with 597 seats is the smallest Broadway theatre and is located at 240 West 44th Street in midtown-Manhattan.... - 2008, Melbourne - Playhouse, Victorian Arts Centre (Melbourne Theatre CompanyMelbourne Theatre CompanyThe Melbourne Theatre Company is a theatre company based in Melbourne. Founded in 1953, it is the oldest professional theatre company in Australia, and has its own theatre, The MTC Theatre – which houses the 500-seat Sumner Theatre and the 150-seat Lawler Studio – located in Melbourne's Arts...
) - 2008, Aachen - Grenzlandttheater, first performance in German
- 2008, Tel Aviv - Habima Theatre, in Hebrew
- 2008, Hong Kong - Lyric Theatre, Hong Kong Academy for Performing ArtsHong Kong Academy for Performing ArtsThe Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts , located near the north coast of Wan Chai on the Hong Kong Island in Hong Kong, is both an academic institution and a venue for performances....
- 2008, Mexico City - Ramiro Jiménez Theatre
- 2008, Athens - Knossos Theatre ,Greek adaptation
- 2008, Madrid - Maravillas Theatre, in Spanish
- 2009, Sydney - Glenn Street Theatre
- 2009, Brisbane - Twelfth Night TheatreTwelfth Night Theatrethumb|250px|Twelfth Night TheatreThe Twelfth Night Theatre is an established Australian entertainment venue located in Bowen Hills, in Brisbane, Queensland. Australian actors such as Rowena Wallace, Sigrid Thornton, Judith McGrath, Jon English, June Salter, Penny Downie, Carol Burns, Kate Wilson,...
- 2009, South Korea - Sejong Arts Center
- 2009, Wellington - Circa Theatre
- 2009, La Jolla - La Jolla PlayhouseLa Jolla PlayhouseLa Jolla Playhouse is a not-for-profit, professional theatre-in-residence on the campus of the University of California, San Diego. -Background:...
(beginning of US tour) - 2009, Seattle - Seattle Repertory Theater
- 2009, Warsaw, Poland - Teatr Komedia (in Polish)
- 2010, Houston - Alley TheatreAlley TheatreThe Alley Theatre is a Tony Award-winning indoor theatre in Downtown Houston, Texas, and hosts two stages. The "Hubbard" is the main stage with seating for 824; the more intimate "Neuhaus" seats 310. Nine towers and open-air terraces give the Alley Theatre a castle-like quality. Inside, a staircase...
- 2010, Gananoque, Ontario - The Thousand Islands PlayhouseThe Thousand Islands PlayhouseThe Thousand Islands Playhouse is a highly successful summer theatre company located in Gananoque, Ontario, Canada.The Thousand Islands Playhouse was founded in 1981 by Greg Wanless and a collection of local actors and graduates from Queen's University including Timm Hughes, Joan Gardiner, Mo Bock,...
(Canadian Premiere) - 2010, Buenos Aires, Argentina - Teatro Piccadilly
- 2010, Ceder City, Utah, USA - Utah Shakespearean FestivalUtah Shakespearean FestivalThe Utah Shakespeare Festival is a festival of repertory productions of the works of William Shakespeare and other dramatists. The Festival is held during the summer and fall on the campus of Southern Utah University in Cedar City, Utah.-Awards:...
- 2010, Orlando, Florida, USA -- Orlando Shakespeare TheaterOrlando Shakespeare TheaterThe Orlando began its first season with two Shakespearean productions in 1989. Based in Florida in Orlando's Loch Haven Park, Orlando Shakes has performed 41 mainstage productions of Shakespeare's works...
- 2010, Ft. Worth, Texas, USA - Stage West Theater
- 2010, Denver, Colorado, USA - Denver Center Theater Company
- 2010, São Paulo,Brazil - Teatro Frei Caneca
- 2010, Dayton, Ohio - Human Race Theatre CompanyHuman Race Theatre CompanyThe Human Race Theatre Company is the professional producing theatre company of Dayton Ohio, dedicated to producing works on universal themes that explore the human condition and startle us all into a renewed awareness of ourselves. The HRTC is located in The Metropolitan Arts Building in downtown...
- 2010, Cumming, Georgia - West Forsyth High SchoolWest Forsyth High SchoolWest Forsyth Senior High School is a high school in central North Carolina, United States. The school has about 2,000 students. It is the largest in Forsyth County.- General :...
- 2010, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania - City Theatre
- 2010, Austin, Texas, USA - Austin Playhouse
- 2010, Syracuse, New York - Syracuse Stage
- 2010, Minneapolis, Minnesota - Guthrie TheaterGuthrie TheaterThe Guthrie Theater is a center for theater performance, production, education, and professional training in Minneapolis, Minnesota. It is the result of the desire of Sir Tyrone Guthrie, Oliver Rea, and Peter Zeisler to create a resident acting company that would produce and perform the classics in...
- 2010, Westport, New York - Depot Theatre
- 2010, Bowness-on-Winderemere, Cumbria - Old Laundry Theatre
- 2010, Vertigo Theatre, Calgary, Alberta
- 2011, Plymouth, New Hampshire - Plymouth Regional High SchoolPlymouth Regional High SchoolPlymouth Regional High School is a public secondary school in Plymouth, New Hampshire. Surrounding towns that attend PRHS are Ashland, Holderness, Campton, Rumney, Wentworth, Warren, Ellsworth, Waterville Valley and Thornton. Bruce Parsons is the current principal. The facility, opened in 1970,...
- 2011, Milwaukee, Wisconsin - Milwaukee Repertory Theater Company
- 2011, Makati City, Philippines-Greenbelt,Ayala Center
- 2011, Hilton Head Island, South Carolina - Arts Center of Coastal Carolina
- 2011, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA - Walnut Street Theater
- 2011, Gainesville, Florida, USA - Hippodrome State TheatreHippodrome State TheatreThe Hippodrome State Theatre is a regional professional theatre in downtown Gainesville, Florida, United States. It was founded in 1972 by local actors. The address is 25 Southeast 2nd Place....
- 2011, Palmerston North, New Zealand - Centrepoint Theatre
- 2011, Nashville, Tennessee, USA - Tennessee Repertory Theatre (Tennessee Performing Arts CenterTennessee Performing Arts CenterThe Tennessee Performing Arts Center, or TPAC, is located in the James K. Polk Cultural Center at 505 Deaderick Street in downtown Nashville, Tennessee, occupying an entire city block between 5th and 6th Avenues North and Deaderick and Union Streets. Also housing the Tennessee State Museum, the...
) - 2011, Coffs Harbour, New South Wales, AUS- Jetty Memorial Theatre Seacrest Productions
- 2011, Aberdeen - Aberdeen Arts Centre
- 2011, Memphis, Tennessee - Playhouse on the Square
- 2011, Titchfield, Hampshire, England - St Margaret's Arts Centre, Titchfield Festival Theatre
- 2011, Saugatuck, MI - Mason Street Warehouse (www.masonstreetwarehouse.org)
- 2011, Abingdon, VA - Barter TheatreBarter TheatreBarter Theatre, located in Abingdon, Virginia, opened on June 10, 1933. It is one of the longest running professional theatres in the nation. In 1933, when the country was in the middle of the Great Depression, most patrons were not able to pay the full ticket price...
, Barter Theatre Stage II - 2011, South Boston, VA - The Prizery
- 2011, Port Hope, Ontario, Canada - Capitol Theatre (Port Hope)Capitol Theatre (Port Hope)The Capitol Theatre is located in Port Hope, Ontario, Canada, and is the last fully restored atmospheric movie theatre still in operation in Canada. Constructed in 1930, the interior of the auditorium was designed to resemble a walled medieval courtyard surrounded by a forest. It was also one of...
- 2011, Charlottesville, Virginia - Culbreth Theater, Heritage Theater Festival
- 2011, Boston, MA - The Boston Teen Acting Troupe
- 2011, Montevideo, Uruguay - Gran Teatro Metro
- 2011, Juneau, Alaska, USA - Perseverance TheatrePerseverance TheatrePerseverance Theatre is a professional theater company located on Douglas Island in Juneau, Alaska. It is Alaska's only professional theater and is particularly dedicated to developing and working with Alaskan artists and to producing plays celebrating Alaskan culture, history, and...
(www.perseverancetheatre.org) - 2011, Sutton Coldfield, UK - Sutton Arts Theatre
- 2011, Reading, UK - Progress Theatre
- 2011, Barcelona, Spain - Teatre Capitol
- 2012, Oconomowoc, Wisconsin - Oconomowoc Arts Center
- 2012, Tucson and Phoenix, Arizona - Arizona Theatre CompanyArizona Theatre CompanyThe Arizona Theatre Company is a professional regional theatre company operating in both Tucson and Phoenix, Arizona. The company has been known as the official "State Theatre of Arizona" since 1978...
- 2012 Leicester England - The Little Theatre
Current West End Cast
As of November 23rd, 2011, the London West End cast is as follows:- Ian Hughes - Man
- Catherine BaileyCatherine Bailey-Acting career:Catherine Bailey started acting at the age of 12 when she landed the lead role of Helen Green in Uncle Jack, a BBC television series starring Paul Jones and Fenella Fielding...
- Annabella Schmidt / Pamela / Margaret - Stephan Critchlow - Man
- Andrew AlexanderAndrew AlexanderAndrew Alexander is a theatre, film, and television producer, known most widely for his leadership and co- ownership of The Second City, and for executive producing the television show SCTV.-Early life:...
- Richard HannayRichard HannayMajor-General Sir Richard Hannay, KCB, OBE, DSO, Legion of Honour, is a fictional secret agent created by Scottish novelist John Buchan. In his autobiography, Memory Hold-the-Door, Buchan suggests that the character is based, in part, on Edmund Ironside, from Edinburgh, a spy during the Second Boer...
Awards and nominations
Awards- 2007 Laurence Olivier Award for Best New Comedy
- 2008 Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Lighting Design (Kevin Adams)
- 2008 Drama Desk Award for Unique Theatrical ExperienceDrama Desk Award for Unique Theatrical ExperienceThe Drama Desk Award for Unique Theatrical Experience was created to honor those Broadway, off-Broadway, off-off-Broadway, and legitimate not-for-profit theater productions which, due to their unusual nature, cannot be categorized in the regular musical and play categories...
- 2008 Tony Award for Best Lighting Design of a Play (Kevin Adams)
- 2008 Tony Award for Best Sound Design of a Play (Mic Pool)
Nominations
- 2008 Tony Award for Best PlayTony Award for Best PlayThe Tony Award for Best Play is an annual award celebrating achievements in live American theatre, including musical theatre, honoring productions on Broadway in New York. It currently takes place in mid-June each year.There was no award in the Tony's first year...
- 2008 Tony Award for Best Direction of a PlayTony Award for Best Direction of a PlayThe Tony Award for Best Direction of a Play has been given since 1960. Before 1960 there was only one award for both play direction and musical direction, then in 1960 the award was split into two categories: Dramatic and Musical. In 1976 the Dramatic category was renamed to Play...
(Maria Aitken) - 2008 Tony Award for Best Scenic Design of a Play (Peter McKintosh)
- 2008 Tony Award for Best Costume Design of a Play (Peter McKintosh)
- 2008 Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Sound Design (Mic Pool)