A new Australian production of The 39 Steps, the Olivier and Tony Award-winning comedy adaptation of Alfred Hitchcock’s 1935 spy thriller, is set to tour nationally from August 2024. Combining classic espionage with rapid-fire comedy, the show features just four actors portraying 130 characters over 100 minutes.
Adapted by Patrick Barlow from John Buchan’s 1915 novel, The 39 Steps has previously played to over three million people across 39 countries. The upcoming Australian tour will be directed by Damien Ryan and feature Lisa McCune, Ian Stenlake, and The Umbilical Brothers’ David Collins and Shane Dundas.
The production will open at the Drama Theatre, Sydney Opera House on 8 August before heading to Newcastle’s Civic Theatre from 2 September, Melbourne’s Comedy Theatre from 10 September, and (as of writing), have its final leg of the tour at the QPAC Playhouse from 7 October.
The play follows the story of Richard Hannay, a seemingly ordinary man who finds himself wrongfully accused of murder. In an attempt to clear his name, he becomes entangled in a world of spies, subterfuge and adventure. With lightning-fast costume changes, inventive staging, and physical comedy, the show offers a satirical take on both the thriller genre and theatrical performance.
Producers Neil Gooding and Alex Woodward said they felt it was the right time to bring a fresh staging of the play to Australian audiences:
We have always loved the stage adaptation of The 39 Steps and feel like the time is right for Australia to have a new production of this inventive, laugh-out-loud tour de force for four actors. We are very excited to have assembled such an amazing cast to bring this show to life.
Director Damien Ryan shared his thoughts on the play’s enduring appeal:
The 39 Steps is funny, suspenseful, celebrates everything theatre can do, is a beautiful piece for actors and lovers of storytelling and after so many years, it still just explodes in the imagination.
It’s one of the world’s first and most exciting spy thrillers and I think it reaches us so powerfully because the spy is one of us.
It’s not about a titanium-built ex-soldier coolly dismantling a global threat. It’s about a listless, restless everyman who gets framed into an adventure that sees him have to escape his humble London apartment and go on an iconic journey, both through the big bad world and within himself, finding love and courage and above all standing up against the surveillance state, political intrigue and a national betrayal.
It’s a sharp and dangerous noir mystery, it’s a joyous comedy and it’s a deep romance. And it all happens simply because he went to the theatre one night!
Tickets are currently on presale in Sydney, Newcastle and Brisbane, with general public sales opening from 22 May. Melbourne presales begin on 26 May, with general sales starting on 28 May. Ticketing information for all states can be found on the official The 39 Steps Australian website.
