About the work
Stage comedy by Patrick Barlow, based on an original concept by Simon Corble and Nobby Dimon, drawing on both John Buchan's 1915 spy novel "The Thirty-Nine Steps" and Alfred Hitchcock's 1935 film of the same story. Barlow's four-actor version premiered on 17 June 2005 at the West Yorkshire Playhouse, directed by Fiona Buffini.
Plot
In London, Richard Hannay is drawn by chance into a spy plot that sends him fleeing across Scotland from both agents and the police to stop a state secret from leaving the country. The entire plot of the film – train journeys, chases, arrests and several romantic entanglements – is carried by just four performers: one actress plays all the female roles, two other actors flash through dozens of minor parts, while one actor plays Hannay throughout. The earnest source material becomes a homemade, slapstick theatrical parody.
Cultural significance
The play won the 2007 Olivier Award for Best Comedy, and its New York production won two Tony Awards in 2008; after transferring to London's West End in 2006, it ran there for nine years. The German-language premiere took place on 17 April 2008 at the Grenzlandtheater Aachen.