He was known as the Master of Suspense.
Director Alfred Hitchcock created many films that became cultural and cinematic icons. Who doesn’t remember Cary Grant being chased across a cornfield by the murderous plot of a mysterious crop duster? Alternatively, Tippi Hedren being dive-bombed by countless seagulls, crows, and sparrows in The Birds? Who among us felt safe in the shower after witnessing the fate of poor Janet Leigh in our first viewing of Psycho?
Falcon Theatre will open its 2019-2020 30th anniversary season with a revival of its 2012 audience favorite The 39 Steps, the frenetically paced spoof of Hitchcock’s 1935 film of the same title.
Cut from the same creative cloth as last season’s Baskerville and The Complete Works of Wm. Shakespeare (Abridged), the play features a small team of actors who portray scores of characters throughout the performance. Often, actors are required to present more than one character at a time.
The story tracks the exploits of dashing Canadian hero Richard Hannay who finds himself inadvertently entwined in a global spy ring where he encounters the femme fatale Annabella Schmidt, a German spy. Hannay is forced to evade the law after being mistakenly identified as a murderer. Hannay’s escape takes the audience on a comical journey of Hitchcock thrillers. True Hitchcock aficionados will catch passing allusions to many of his films.
Director Bludworth is excited to bring The 39 Steps to Falcon’s small stage and intimate space.
The cast includes Ryan J. Poole, Elizabeth Chinn Molloy, Eileen Earnest, and Ben Jacobs. The production opens September 27 and runs through October 12, 2019. Ticket prices are $25 for adults and $15 for students with ID. Patrons enjoy a $5 discount for Thursday performances. Visit falcontheater.net for tickets.
