The play 39 Steps was full of drama, comedy and much more which made the play extremely thrilling. The play originated by Alfred Hitchcock then adapted by Patrick Barlow and directed by Kate Buckley. I viewed this play at the Clarence Brown Theatre on Sunday September 13,2015 at 2:00 in the afternoon. Schaad produced the play with the help of Samuel French; INC. David Brian Alley is in his sixteenth season at Clarence Brown Theatre (CBT) and has appeared in over 40 productions. Brian Gligor better know as Richard Hannay lived in worked in professionally in New York for over ten years.
David Kortemeier is returning for his tenth season at CBT and has done a numerous amount of productions. Katie Cunningham was the only female in the production and she played as Annabella Schmidt, Pamela, and Margaret. In the play it was three major areas of production that really stood out and that was Lighting Costumes, and Sets/Props. The play is a British Thriller produced in 1935 by Alfred Hitchcock while featuring Robert Donat and Madeleine Carroll. “The film is about a man in London who trying to help a counterespionage agent prevent an organization of spies called the 39 steps from stealing top secret information.
Once the agent has been killed and he stands charged of murder, he ends up going on a run away with a very beautiful woman to save himself and to stop the spy ring. ”(The 39 steps pamphlet CBT) During the play lighting was a big focus, there were many occasions where the lighting could make the scene. Changes of lighting could make the whole scene change and that is what makes this production so creative. It was on moment in the play where two spies where hanging outside of Richards Hannay’s house where the lighting really expressed the mood of the scene.
The lighting was very dim and you can tell that it was nighttime because of the light pole that was used in the scene. The emphasis on lighting in the play was very important to get the audience a better understanding of the scene. Costumes in this play were by far my favorite piece of this production. There were only four actors on stage but it was multiple characters in the play. Each actor had multiple characters to act out which made the play that more complex. You could tell the time period of the play by the dress of the actors and actress.
For the platy the male actors mainly wore suits during the play while the actress wore dresses. By examining the actress you could definitely tell the time period was set in the 1930s because the style of her dresses worn in the play. Also during the production you can tell the entire main characters in the play were well off financially because they were always dressed nicely. Also in one particular part of the play you can two of the characters weren’t very wealthy because it was a farmer with a much younger wife that thought Richard was handsome They both were not dressed up to the standard of the other characters in the play.
Overall I supported the costume designs in the play a lot they all were relative to each scene of the play. I really enjoyed the facts that the costume designer made different outfits very accessible by making it easy to change in and out of costumes in seconds that was very creative and unique. Sets and Prop is a main part of any production you may have. In 39 steps there were so many props used during the production. Every scene seemed to have something new which made you feel like you were actually there.
One time during the play were I thought producers did a great job was when Richard Hannay was running away from the police and jumped on a train to try to escape. Even though it wasn’t an actual train on set they did a great job with props to make the audience understand what was going on. Also, when Annabella was murdered the set they used for the house was amazing. It really looked like a house that was set in the 1930s. The furniture was like something you would see at your grandparent’s house. The designers were very detailed with the props they used.
The 39 Steps was a great production that was an exciting play to go see. The details used to produce this play were by far genius. The three main parts of the production involved lighting, costumes, and Sets and Props. The way he used the lighting in the play was marvelous because lighting can change the whole understanding of a scene. I thought the lighting was on cue with every aspect of the play. The costumes of the play were my favorite part of the production because it really told the story. The clothes the character wore told you a lot about the characters in the play.
I thought it was remarkable how it was only four actors but multiple characters so it made the costume production that much harder. Sets and Props were significant because it made you get a clear view of the setting, time period, and much more. In every scene the producer did an astonishing job with the props because they all were there for a purpose. It was something unique in every scene to make play stand out even more. Overall, The 39 steps was a very effective production because the use of lighting, costumes, and Sets and Props.