Adapted by Patrick Barlow from the World War 1 spy novel of John Buchan and from the movie of Alfred Hitchcock, the fast-paced whodunit play is a two-time Tony and Drama Desk Award-winning comedy-thriller treat, featuring over 150 zany characters -- played by a extraordinarily talented cast of four!
(L-R) Rem Zamora as Mr. Memory; Juliene Mendoza as stagehand; Michael Williams as Richard Hannay; and Liza Infante as spy Annabella SchmidtIt centers on a man with a boring life, Richard Hannay (Michael Williams), who meets a mysterious foreign woman in a theater who says she's a spy (Liza Infante). When he takes her home for shelter and protection, she is murdered. Soon, a mysterious organization called "The 39 Steps" is hot on Richard's trail in a manhunt that goes back to the very same theater where it started and climaxes in a death-defying finale!
(L-R) Juliene Mendoza and Rem Zamora as husband and wife Inn Keepers; Michael Williams as Richard Hannay; and Liza Infante as Pamela
What’s interesting and exciting to see were the multiple roles that actors Rem Zamora and Juliene Mendoza played – the buzz is that they were more than a hundred roles split between them – from being Mr. Memory (Zamora) and stagehand (Mendoza) at the start, they went on to play henchmen of the 39 Steps organization, to being policemen, traveling undergarment salesmen Hannay meets on the train, to old men at a political rally, husband and wife inn keepers, among others. Imagine the quick costume changes from full gear to just a flip of hats, which surprisingly adds to the laugh factor of the show.
Ana Abad Santos, a self confessed Hitchcock fan and a theater actress as well, directed the show.
The 39 Steps held my attention from start to end and made me laugh my heart out and watching the audience reactions added to the thrill and comedy of one of the happiest nights of my life.
Photos from Repertory Philippines
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