From Critic Jack Garner in todays DEMOCRAT AND CHRONICLE - PLEASE LIKE AND SHARE? WITH A HITCH. Alfred Hitchcock has been a favorite filmmaker of mine since I was a mere 9-year-old, getting chills as Raymond Burr slowly climbed the back steps toward Jimmy Stewart in Rear Window. So, I approached Geva Theatre’s current production of The 39 Steps with considerable eagerness. Oh, be assured, I knew it amped up the Hitchcock thriller into a zany parody, and was played extensively for laughs. And, boy, did we laugh. I think this may have been the funniest 90 minutes I’ve experienced at a Geva play. Much of the humor comes from the casting concept: Only four actors perform the play, despite the presence of a score of characters. John Gregorio plays Richard Hannay, the innocent Everyman, pulled into intrigue; Monica West plays three of the women in the story, including the love interest; and Aaron Munoz and Joel Van Liew show amazing versatility and endurance by playing several men, either with backstage or even onstage quick changes. The quick changes trigger a lot of laughs. This new production of The 39 Steps has also been a hit in London and on Broadway. Energetically directed by Sean Daniels, Geva reimagines Hitchcock as if England’s beloved, old Beyond the Fringe comedy troupe, or perhaps (in a reference for younger readers), the Monty Python gang, were performing it. The result is clever, true to the basic story, but embellished hilariously. I love Hitchcock and I love how this crackerjack show pinches the master’s rosy round cheeks! The 39 Steps runs through Nov. 17.
Posted on: Sun, 03 Nov 2013 18:41:39 +0000
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