Two by
four
by
Michael Dresdner
Perhaps
I should explain my sub-title, “Two by four.” Last night I went to see The 39
Steps, a raucous comedy at Renton Civic Theatre directed, oddly enough, by John
Munn, the artistic director of the Lakewood Playhouse. It’s a play with just
four outstanding actors playing a multitude of parts; hence the four. The two
comes from the fact that in just one week, the same play, with a different
director and cast, opens a few miles away at Centerstage, and if you keep
posted, I’ll bring you that review next week.
While it
may sound familiar, this is not the famous spy thriller of the same name
by Alfred Hitchcock. Although it borrows the plot line, these 39 steps climb a
decidedly different staircase.
Think of
the prop comedy of Jonathan Winters overlaid with the goofy physical mayhem and
overt sexual innuendo of Benny Hill and you’ll be on the right track. Add to
that all the sound skills of a whole team of Foley practitioners with the mime skills
of fine physical actors and you’ll have some idea of the tenor of the play.
Bob
DeDea plays Richard Hannay, the protagonist and only character who stays in the
same role throughout. Deya Ozburn primarily plays the raven-haired German woman
Annabella Schmidt, Scottish red-head Margaret, and English blond Pamela. Almost
all of the other male and female characters, and there are dozens of them, are portrayed
by two thoroughly adroit clowns, Bryan K. Bender and Eric Hartley. To put it
succinctly, all four actors are nothing less than amazing.
They are
supported with wonderful costumes by Rachel Wilkie, spot on lighting by Curt
Hetherington, clever props by Jessica Anderson, and superb sound effects by Jay
Biederman.
With no
set to speak of, the actors use props, mime, movement, and both self -generated
and off stage sound effects to create an airplane dogfight, a careening car replete
with working doors and windows, a comically defective window shade,
conveniently moving doors, floating hand held windows, a typically rocking
train, and more. There’s even a harrowing chase scene on a railroad trestle bridge
created on nothing but the stage apron.
The two clowns, Bender and Hartley, flip back and forth through a maze of characters in seconds, often with no more
change than yanking off one hat and replacing it with another, altering their
voices, accents, mannerisms, and even heights in the blink of an eye. In one
scene they start as annoying traveling salesmen on a train, then quickly become
a newsboy, a conductor, a brace of cops and more, cycling back and forth
through all the characters repeatedly with astonishing rapidity.
To some
extent this is an insider’s play for Hitchcock fans. It’s laced with subtle
references to his characters and movies, including Strangers on a Train, Rear
Window, Psycho, Vertigo, and North by Northwest. Naturally, that includes appearances
of the big man himself, both as his typical cameo in human form and another
time as a tiny silhouette during a shadow puppet show reflected on a back-lit
scrim.
With so
much mania packed into act one it’s hard to sustain that level of frenetic
activity, and the second act, possibly because we’ve been inundated since
opening curtain, occasionally becomes a bit tedious, especially for those not
well versed in Hitchcock trivia. Still, it is a riotous three-card Monte of a
play, designed to showcase the considerable talents of its actors while incessantly
tickling the funny bone of the audience.
The 39
Steps
Sept. 20
to Oct. 5, 2013
Renton
Civic Theatre
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