West End Smash The 39 Steps returns to the Liverpool Playhouse

Alfred Hitchcock’s classic spy thriller, The 39 Steps, which was a runaway success at the Playhouse at Christmas 2009, returns to Liverpool for a limited one-week run. The story has been brilliantly and hilariously recreated by Patrick Barlow as the smash hit Olivier Award Winner for Best New Comedy. This witty adaptation is sure to be a spiffing night out for all to enjoy from Monday 4 to Saturday 9 April.

Adapted from John Buchan’s novel of the same name, this blissfully funny show follows the incredible adventures of our handsome hero Richard Hannay, complete with stiff-upper-lip, British gung-ho and pencil moustache, as he encounters dastardly murders, double-crossing secret agents, and, of course, devastatingly beautiful women. 

The play is one of the longest running West End shows ever with over 3,500 performances over nine years.

Director Maria Aitken’s production contains every single legendary scene from the award-winning 1935 classic Hitchcock movie thriller – including the chase on the Flying Scotsman, the escape on the Forth Bridge, the first theatrical bi-plane crash ever staged and the sensational death-defying finale in the London Palladium. 

This wonderfully inventive and gripping comedy thriller features four fearless actors, playing 139 roles in 100 minutes of fast-paced fun and thrilling action.

The cast for this touring production are Richard Ede (the intrepid hero Hannay), Olivia Greene (the three women in Hannay’s life, Pamela, Annabella and Margaret) and the myriad of other roles are played with breath-taking speed and dexterity by Andrew Hodges and Rob Witcomb in this fast-paced caper.

The 39 Steps has attracted worldwide attention and spawned international productions in over 40 countries, including the cities of Moscow, Tokyo, New York and Paris, reaching a global audience in excess of 3 million. In addition to its Olivier Award for Best New Comedy, in the US the play co-won the Drama Desk Award and was nominated for a Tony Award for Best Play. It won a Molière Award for Best Comedy in France, and a Helpmann Award for Best Comedy in Australia.

Watch the teaser video above for more.