Feel like having a good laugh? We’re talkin’ laugh so hard you have to stifle the cackling with your scarf and risk self-suffocation kind of good laugh? Then do not hesitate reserving tickets for The Mile Square Theatre’s production of The 39 Steps. This isn’t the first time we’ve touted the quality productions showcased at MST’s intimate setting, so if you have yet to heed our advice, this holiday is the perfect time start. Take your friends, a date, or the family to this twisted take on a classic spy mystery running now through December 23rd at The Mile Square Theatre in Hoboken.
The 39 Steps, written by Patrick Barlow, is an adaptation of the 1915 novel by John Buchan and later the 1935 film by Alfred Hitchcock. {Wait a second, Alfred Hitchcock? As in The Birds and Psycho Alfred Hitchcock? And you said this was funny?!} While the originals were made to be melodramatic mystery stories, the play follows wrongly accused murder suspect Richard Hannay as he runs from the law through England and what seems like the entirety of Scotland in an attempt to clear his name and stop the bad guys. Throughout his adventure, he is thrust into the lives of a host of characters who help, hunt, hurt, or even have no affiliation with him whatsoever… and so the fun begins. You see, this play is a cast of four. Four incredibly well-timed masters of their crafts who all play multiple characters, some at the same time, with multiple accents, with the exception of Hannay who nary has time to take a breath since he’s onstage pretty much the whole show and literally needs to be dragged offstage.
You won’t mind Hannay {played by Joe Delafield} being the center of your attention for 90 minutes or so. He plays the character with the dashing English charm of Cary Elwes in both The Princess Bride and Robin Hood: Men in Tights. It takes some serious skill to carry the pace and story line of a show and keep the audience on your side throughout. Delafield takes you with him through the ups, the downs, the literal bridges, and of course his quest for the truth… and love.
Our very own Alycia Kunkle {Hoboken represent!} plays our heroin{s}. Be prepared to be impressed by the depth and the breadth of her physicality and theatrical chops {and her wigs}. Though Kunkle plays three very different women, you’ll root for each of her/their love stories with Hannay each time. She’s absolutely adorable in this show. You’ll love her, too.
Playing approximately 52,000 other characters {give or take} in this show are Evan Zes and Zachary Fine, who go from men, to women, to children, to Scots, to Brits, to Germans, to who knows what else – sometimes literally all in the same breath. We’re first introduced to them in the beginning of the show and are quickly reintroduced to them again, and again… and again, and then it’s full steam ahead to lightening quick costume and accent changes. Evan Zes, who resembles a mix of Charlie Chaplin, Mr. Magoo, and Gilbert Gottfried, is an adept facial contortionist. To bounce from one character to the next, all with distinctly different physical traits, without mixing any of them up is truly a creative wonder. Zes’ taller comedic counterpart, Zachary Fine, goes from a dopey bobby cop, to a debonair politician, to a Mrs. Doubtfire doppelgänger. If you swear you’d never laugh at a spitting Nazi, Fine will quickly prove you wrong. Together, these two do not miss a beat – they can’t – and they make it look all too easy. But to successfully execute the quick dexterity required of this type of comedy takes the work of true professionals.
And professionals are exactly what the four actors in this cast are. With Broadway credits and multiple awards under their belts, and under the direction of Mark Shanahan {straight from the Off-Broadway production of The 39 Steps}, it’s really no surprise that this show has been welcomed with standing ovations. Ready to take our advice on MST yet? Get over to 1400 Clinton St. and don’t miss out!
The show runs Thursday – Saturday nights at 8PM and Saturdays and Sunday matinees at 3PM. Friday and Saturday evening tickets are $40, while Thursday nights and Saturday and Sunday matinees are $30. Students and Seniors are always $18. Visit www.milesquaretheatre.org for tickets.
Have you seen The 39 Steps? What did you think?
