The Utah Shakespeare Festival is thrilled to have the Tony Award-winning play, The 39 Steps, in our 2024 play lineup. An uproarious comedy that blends farce, suspense, and romance, this play is a must-see for patrons.
Brought back by popular demand, this is the second time the Festival has produced this show. “I saw the Festival’s 2010 production of The 39 Steps, and could not stop laughing the entire show,” says Festival Artistic Director John DiAntonio. “The 39 Steps is an important piece of theatre because it celebrates story, action, and humor in a way that can only flourish in live theatre.”
(Karl Hugh) | A scene from "The 39 Steps", 2024.
Here are some fun facts about this popular production.
1. Director Aaron Galligan-Stierle was in the Festival’s first production of The 39 Steps. This season, he returned to direct the play and chose to set it up as a play-within-a-play. The idea is that the four cast members work at a theatre and decide to put on the story themselves with the props, set pieces, and costumes they have on hand.
2. This cast of only four actors requires that they play a plethora of characters onstage, which is one of the comedic highlights in this show. In fact, there are over 100 characters portrayed by the small cast!
3. Three of the four actors in the show have appeared on Festival stages before––Tracie Lane as Annabella/Margaret/Pamela, Michael Doherty as Clown 1, and Bailey Savage as Clown 2. New to the Festival is Tom Coiner as the main character of Richard Hannay.
4. The play is two hours of nonstop action, quick changes, and character/accent changes. The fast-paced nature of the production results in a demanding mental and physical workout for the actors. They tackle this show six days per week for a total of 83 performances over the course of the 2024 season!
5. Over 80 costume changes happen during the show, many of which happen on stage in the blink of an eye.
6. Over 120 props make an appearance in this production, including everything from a tiny toothpick in the mouth of a “heavy” to four trunks that make up a train car, from handcuffs to haddock. The creative use of props invites the imagination of the audience into the fun.
7. Look out! These characters are on the move. More than once during this production our players find themselves interacting, even shimmying shoulder to shoulder, with our audience members.
(Karl Hugh) | A scene from "The 39 Steps", 2024.
8. Galligan-Stierle says the piece is “an homage to film” but is done in a way “that can only be told on the stage.” He used the inspiration of film noir, and hopes audience members will feel as if they’re in a movie theatre, “but…experiencing…theatrical conventions and stage magic to consistently delight and surprise.”
9. The 39 Steps began as a 1915 novel by John Buchan and later became a famous Alfred Hitchcock film in 1935, ranked as one of the greatest British films. The play, a parody of both the novel and the film, was originally adapted by Simon Corble and Nobby Dimon in 1996, with Patrick Barlow revising it in 2005.
10. Alfred Hitchcock made this story into a film in 1935. If you are a fan of his, there are quite a number of Easter eggs throughout the show that will be homages and visual and verbal references to his movies.
Bonus Fact: The production hit London’s West End in 2006 and closed in 2015, making it the fifth longest running play in West End history.
For those that are new to theatre, longtime theatre-goers, or families, The 39 Steps will be a highlight of your visit. It plays through October 5. Save $10 on your tickets using code SLTrib24 at checkout. Visit bard.org for tickets and information.