ABOUT THE 39 STEPS
Follow the adventures of Richard Hannay, your classic ordinary man who falls into a not so ordinary adventure. When a murder accusation spirals out of control, charismatic and sharp Hannay will have to flee from Atlanta, Georgia to La Grange, Texas where he will team up with Pamela Stuart, a classy and clever Southern Bell who has no issue with setting Hannay straight. Together, the unlikely duo will have to go on a thrilling and hilarious adventure to protect a vital government secret all while trying to clear Hannay's name. Along the way, you'll meet a variety of characters: the mysterious Annabella Smith, the eccentric Mr. Memory, the peculiar Doctor, and so many more. Listen in to this adventure for an action-packed comedy that all leads to one question: What are The 39 Steps?
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ABOUT THE ORIGINAL MATERIAL
It all started with the release of James Buchan's 1915 adventure novel, The Thirty-Nine Steps, which introduced the heroic Richard Hannay.
From then on, the novel inspired several film adaptions-the most well known and regarded being Alfred Hitchcock's 1935 thriller film, The 39 Steps. Being loosely based on the original novel, the film set forth to branch out from the original story and make it its own, introducing a wide array of new characters and plot devices.
Three other major film adaptions have been made since then but Hitchcock's drama remains to be the most highly praised, with outstanding critical reviews and audience approval.
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The concept for a stage play was introduced by Simon Corble and Nobby Dimon and then later rewrote by Patrick Barlow in 2005. The play is set as a comedic parody of the 1935 film where the original production called for only four actors for the entire run. It premiered at the West Yorkshire Playhouse in 2005. From then on, a London run premiered in 2006 which later transferred to London's West End in September of 2006, ending in 2015 with an incredible 9-year run. The 39 Steps was nominated and won multiple awards.
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The Lux Radio Theatre premiered The 39 Steps as a radio play on December 13th, 1937, starring Robert Montgomery and Ida Lupino. Our radio play is adapted from this version, which of course is adapted from the 1935 film, which is adapted from the 1915 novel.
OUR CREATIVE PROCESS
How We Reimagined AÂ Classic
From a British Mystery to a Southern Comedy
"Going into the rehearsals, we originally had the intention of sticking to the original source material, but as we started to read the script together as a whole, we all began to realize that we had this great opportunity to play and experiment. Everything is so unpredictable, especially with theatre in this day and age, so we had the mindset of "Why not?".
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The moment we decided we wanted to put a twist on the play, the idea of adapting it to a western comedy came up pretty quickly. The tricky part then was the research. We began to realize just how many little details had to be adjusted. The early devising process began with:
-Choosing new locations. Our new cities would have to correlate with the time period of 1898 and ensure it would be accurate. Eventually, we decided on Atlanta, Georgia (where the very beginning of the play is introduced) to La Grange, Texas (where the majority of the play takes place).
- Editing the script. The final copy of the script actually ended up being the third draft as there were so many little details we had to look over and over.
- The characters. As the play is originally meant to be performed in British accents, we had to adjust that. Somehow we lucked out and all of the actors were able to adapt a great accent that really aids the listeners in understanding the sense of our environment.
