[NEohioPAL] Review of "The 39 Steps" at Chagrin Valley Little Theatre

[Bob Abelman]

'The 39 Steps' takes flight at CVLT

Bob Abelman

 

News-Herald, Chagrin Valley Times, Solon Times,

The Morning Journal, Geauga Times Courier

Member, American Theatre Critics Association 

 

This review will appear in the News-Herald on 10/14/11

 

The 39 Steps, on stage at the Chagrin Valley Little Theatre, is dessert before dinner-the kind of indulgent, theatrical extravagance that is more likely to create a sugar-rush and brain-freeze than anything thought-provoking or spiritually enriching.  

 

Patrick Barlow's aerobic stage adaptation of the classic, 1935 Alfred Hitchcock spy movie of the same name is silly, silly stuff.   

 

It is a romp from beginning to end-a parody of film noir romantic thrillers with their low budget aesthetics, gentlemanly heroes with mysterious femme fatales, dark and misty ambiance, and abrupt twists and turns.

 

Every cinematic cliché, every cloak-and-dagger genre convention and every Hitchcockian quirk is accentuated in this hilarious play, so much so that the self-aware characters who populate it seem to recognize their own absurdity.  

 

The storyline-such that it is-follows the adventures of dashing Richard Hannay as he inadvertently gets mixed up with double agents, accidently uncovers a plot to steal vital British military secrets, gets framed for murder and, of course, takes it on the lam.  

 

As with all good parodies, The 39 Steps establishes its bad intentions from the get-go.  The play opens with a bit of old fashioned inanity that has the performers setting the stage literally and, by establishing the comic tone for the evening, figuratively.

 

As if that is insufficient notification that a parody is afoot, we meet our hero as he laments the tedium of the world, what with its war and all, and expresses his desire to do something totally "mindless, pointless and trivial."  So, he goes to the theater.  

 

Of course, parody is not completely mindless. Parody requires its audience to pay attention and have some degree of understanding of its target in order to be really in on the fun.  Knowledge of film is certainly an asset for this particular play, as the performers transform everyday objects into Objets d'art and artifice reflective of Hitchcock's signature psychological thrillers.  

 

Still, The 39 Steps is great fun even without this insight, for its antics are clever in their own right and are performed admirably by Eric Oswald as our square jawed and thin-mustached hero Richard Hannay, Amy Pelleg as all of the female prototypes found in film noir storytelling, and Lisa Tarr and Michael Prosen as everyone else.   

 

As our hero, Oswald captures every aspect of the archetypical good guy sucked into a foul situation.  His clipped diction, perpetually cocked eyebrow and cavalier approach to danger are spot on and serve as ideal conduits for the mayhem that ensues.

 

Pelleg's portrayals of dialectically opposed and dialogically diverse characters-a Mata Hari, a love interest and a Scottish farm girl-are wonderfully over-dramatic for comedic effect. They would be funnier still if performed with greater distinction, for these characters share too many characteristics.   

 

Doing the heavy lifting in this production, Tarr and Prosen serve as human sight gags and take on a multitude of eccentric characters.  While some of their bait and switch is a bit manic and their diction when doing certain dialects gets murky, they offer some truly brilliant clownery.  They are both a welcome presence each time they take the stage. 

 

Speed is crucial for not just their character shifts but for The 39 Steps in general.  Costumes, by Amber Michalak, must zip on and off.  Simple set pieces, courtesy of Edmond Wolff, must rush in and out.  Director Daniel Takacs does not quite achieve the breathless pace that made the 2008 Tony Award-winning Broadway production or last year's Cleveland Play House production such a romp, but it works.

 

One production choice that does not work is the introduction of an on-stage provider of sound effects.  The quality, cleverness and timing of the lighting and sound are as instrumental in the manifestation of parody as anything the four performers bring to the stage.  Although Leah Frires is adorable as the Foley artist, her actual contribution to the soundscape is minimal since most effects are manufactured off-stage.  She is an unnecessary distraction. 

 

These are minor shortcomings, really-the missing sprinkles on an otherwise lovely display of pure decadence on the community stage.  Loosen your belt for this one.  

 

The 39 Steps continues through October 22 at the Chagrin Valley Little Theatre, 56 River Street, Chagrin Falls.  For tickets, $12 to $16, call 440-247-8955 or visit www.cvlt.org.
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