Entertainment

Need a reason to go to the theater? Drury Lane's masterful revival of the farcical thriller '39 Steps' is the answer

Posted July 05, 2023 4:00 pm

Barbara Vitello

Caitlin Gallogly, clockwise from upper left, Gavin Lee, Tom DeTrinis and Zuhdi Boueri star in Drury Lane Theatre's hugely entertaining revival of “The 39 Steps,” inspired by John Buchan's 1915 novel and Alfred Hitchcock's 1935 film. Courtesy of Brett Beiner

“The 39 Steps” - ★ ★ ★ ½

As the applause died down opening night of Drury Lane Theatre's merry revival of “The 39 Steps,” my seatmate turned to me, beaming.

“This is the reason we go to the theater,” he said.

Indeed. To appreciate the unbridled theatricality and inventive stagecraft of Patrick Barlow's adaptation (not to mention the physical virtuosity the play demands), “The 39 Steps” must be experienced live.

Inspired by John Buchan's 1915 man-on-the-run thriller “The Thirty-Nine Steps” and Alfred Hitchcock's 1935 film, Barlow's 2005 adaptation - based on a concept Simon Corbie and Nobby Dimon introduced in 1995 - is a spy tale wrapped in a screwball comedy that re-imagines for the stage the distinctive cinematic tropes Hitchcock pioneered on screen.

Broadway's Gavin Lee, center, plays a bored Londoner caught up in international intrigue in Drury Lane Theatre's revival of the farcical thriller "The 39 Steps," which co-stars Tom DeTrinis, left, and Zuhdi Boueri who between them play dozens of roles. Courtesy of Brett Beiner

“The 39 Steps” is droll, fast-paced and popular. Drury Lane's show marks the Oakbrook Terrace theater's second revival since 2012 and the fourth suburban revival in 11 years.

But the show poses challenges for designers and performers alike. Four actors play more than 150 characters in the play, which requires speed-of-light transitions and razor-sharp timing. It also requires a director capable of managing comedic mayhem that unfolds mostly uninterrupted. Drury Lane has such a director in Johanna McKenzie Miller, assisted by Charlie Baker, who's responsible for the comedic movement.

Caitlin Gallogly plays Annabella Schmidt, a femme fatale who enlists help from everyman Richard Hannay (Gavin Lee) in Drury Lane Theatre's delightful revival of "The 39 Steps" directed by Johanna McKenzie Miller with comedic movement by Charlie Baker. Courtesy of Brett Beiner

This revival triumphs on every level, beginning with Angela Weber Miller's handsome, artfully designed set. It also boasts superb visuals by lighting designer Lee Fiskness, sound designer Ray Nardelli, properties designer Cassy Schillo and projection designer Anthony Churchill. Together they conjure locales ranging from a London theater to a locomotive speeding over a trestle bridge, to a lonely Scottish road beset by errant sheep. Churchill's color-saturated, comic-book-inspired projections are especially impressive, particularly those accompanying the “North by Northwest”-inspired chase scene.

A successful production of “The 39 Steps” also requires excellent actors, which Drury Lane has in Gavin Lee, Zuhdi Boueri, Tom DeTrinis and Caitlin Gallogly, all of them skilled physical comedians with impeccable timing.

Gavin Lee plays lonely Londoner Richard Hannay, who gets caught up in a spy thriller in "The 39 Steps," which is running through Aug. 13 at Drury Lane Theatre. Courtesy of Brett Beiner

Lee - the lissome, likable Broadway veteran - plays Richard Hanny, a bored and lonely bachelor who meets a mysterious Hitchcockian blonde (Gallogly) at the theater and takes her to his London flat. After revealing she's a spy bound for Scotland on a mission involving national security, she's murdered. Identified by police as the killer, Richard sets out to clear his name and becomes entangled in international espionage.

Along the way he meets an array of quirky characters including cheeky lingerie salesmen, attentive innkeepers, bumbling thugs and cagey aristocrats, all of them deftly played by Boueri and DeTrinis, marvelous clowns who possess the “Olympian level of fitness” Barlow's script recommends. Gallogly who also plays a country housewife and Richard's plucky love interest Pamela.

Tom DeTrinis, left, and Zuhdi Boueri play strangers on a train who encounter Richard Hannay (Gavin Lee), center, a man falsely accused of murder in Drury Lane Theatre's comedic thriller "The 39 Steps." Courtesy of Brett Beiner

With a wink and a nudge, “The 39 Steps” both sends up and celebrates the genre in particular and theater in general. McKenzie Miller's practiced production lightly treads that tightrope.

The production opens with a bit of business from Boueri and DeTrinis that, while amusing, may confuse theatergoers unfamiliar with the play's conventions. And the pace lags slightly during the second act. But those minor details matter little when the comedy is as well-crafted as it is in this top-notch revival, which delightfully demonstrates the pleasure live theater provides.

Location: Drury Lane Theatre, 100 Drury Lane, Oakbrook Terrace, (630) 530-0111, drurylanetheatre.com

Showtimes: 1:30 p.m. Wednesday; 1:30 and 7 p.m. Thursday; 7 p.m. Friday; 3 and 8 p.m. Saturday; 2 and 6 p.m. Sunday through Aug. 13

Tickets: $85-$95, dinner-theater packages available

Running time: About 2 hours, including intermission

Parking: In the adjacent lot

Rating: For high school age and older

COVID-19 precautions: Masks optional

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