Pacific Index

Pacific’s theater department blends mystery and comedy in “The 39 Steps”

   “A 1930s espionage story that crashes into Looney Tunes and the Marx brothers,” remarks Stephanie Mulligan, guest director for Pacific University’s spring theatre production describing her latest directorial departure. More specifically, “The 39 Steps” is a thrilling spy comedy following the journey of Richard Hannay after he meets a mysterious woman and stumbles into a world of espionage, intrigue, and danger. Filled with looming suspense, broken up by rapid-fire comedy, the play keeps audiences on their feet, never knowing what will happen next.

   Though originally based on the 1915 novel by Scottish writer John Buchan, this production of “The 39 Steps” takes much more inspiration from the 1930s movie adaptation directed by Alfred Hitchcock. Mulligan explains, “This really pays homage to the Hitchcock film. His film did take some significant departures from the novel. There are no women in John Buchan’s novel. There are no chase scenes, either. Hitchcock, as a director of entertaining films, recognized that we definitely need some romantic subplots and we definitely need some action scenes.” By combining Buchan’s original ideas with Hitchcock’s entertaining improvements, this production captures the style of the original novel and mixes it with the era of the film adaptation into a seamless theatrical performance.

   The timing of this play and the era it takes place are essential in setting the tone for the story. Mulligan details the atmosphere of this period, sharing, “When Alfred Hitchcock made the film in 1935, Hitler was already chancellor in Germany, but he hadn’t made his big push yet, so there was a feeling of unrest. Hitchcock took this 1915 novel and dropped it into that present-day of 1935.” Mulligan further illustrates, “That gives you a protagonist who has already come out of the First World War and is just kind of meandering through life. Just a guy who doesn’t really have a lot of plans or a lot of ambitions. There is a sense of ennui there, but then something happens. Which is how all the best plays start.” As Mulligan highlights, the tension of the era adds an additional layer of historical context to the play, as it blends the ordinary with the extraordinary. 

   Unlike the 1935 film, Pacific’s production has slimmed down the cast size to a list of only five: Luke Thompson (Richard Hannay), Madison Stevens (Annabella/Margaret/Pamela), Joey Barret, Sofia Mishima, and Lindsey Vuylsteke (Clowns 1, 2, and 3). On top of the chaos of representing so many different characters with so few actors, the students have been tasked with unique accents to go with them. “We’re doing a lot of dialects: there is standard British, there is very unintelligible Scottish, there is Liverpudlian, and there is German,” Mulligan explains. Mulligan highlights additional technical elements: “We definitely have a lot of lighting and sound. Some of the sound cues that were used come directly from the original film from 1935.” With abundant mechanical feats and performance details, the play will surely be a chaotic masterpiece of fast-paced theatrical mystery with just the right amount of comedic impact. 

   Mulligan expresses her hope for the production, sharing, “I hope they (the audience) are very entertained, and I think they will be. I think because this story is set before the Second World War, we are dealing with what Churchill called ‘The gathering storm of fascism.’ And there is some heroism in standing up to that, and I think it has currency.”

The play will open on March 13 and run through March 15.