Damian Ryan’s production of The 39 Steps is a collision of high adventure, parody, and theatrical ingenuity. Adapted by Patrick Barlow from John Buchan’s 1915 novel and Alfred Hitchcock’s 1935 film, the play takes the bones of the classic spy thriller and gleefully reinvents them as slapstick farce.
With Ian Stenlake, Lisa McCune, and the inimitable Umbilical Brothers (David Collins and Shane Dundas) leading the charge, this production of The 39 Steps revels in its own playfulness while never losing its affection for Hitchcock’s world of suspense and intrigue.
The plot begins with Richard Hannay (Stenlake), a man of leisure in search of excitement, who finds more than he bargained for when he meets Annabella Schmidt (McCune), a mysterious woman claiming to be a spy.
When she is murdered in his London flat, Hannay becomes both prime suspect and reluctant hero, fleeing across the Scottish Highlands in pursuit of the truth behind a shadowy organisation known as ‘The 39 Steps’.
What was once taut suspense under Hitchcock’s direction is here transformed into a whirlwind of comic invention, complete with mistaken identities, unlikely escapes, and affectionate nods to the director’s other films, including Strangers on a Train, The Birds, Rear Window and North by Northwest, just to name a few… you may even spot the great man in one scene!
Stenlake grounds the production with a perfectly measured performance: dashing, unflappable, and all the funnier for taking the absurdity around him so seriously. McCune demonstrates impressive range, morphing between Annabella, the kind-hearted Margaret, and the fiery Pamela with deft comic timing.
Yet it is Collins and Dundas who provide the evening’s greatest astonishments. Between them, they play more than 100 characters across the 100-minute running time. Policemen, innkeepers, assassins, vaudeville performers, each materialising and vanishing in the blink of an eye, delivered with dazzling speed, physical precision, and boundless comic imagination.
Ryan’s direction revels in theatricality, managing the precarious balance between structure and spontaneity. The production is meticulously choreographed, yet never loses its sense of play. Actors morphing into multiple characters before our eyes, sound effects where they shouldn’t, and props misbehaving at just the right moment.
James Browne’s set and costume design cleverly balance period authenticity with playful invention, enabling lightning-fast transformations between drawing rooms, train carriages, and windswept Scottish moors.
Matthew Marshall’s lighting design punctuates the comedy with cinematic flair, nodding knowingly to Hitchcock’s moody aesthetics, while Brady Watkins’ composition and sound design add both suspense and silliness to the proceedings.
The 39 Steps
Comedy Theatre, 240 Exhibition Street, Melbourne
Performance: Thursday 11 September 2025
Season continues to 4 October 2025
Bookings: www.ticketek.com.au
Following the Melbourne season, The 39 Steps will play the Playhouse – QPAC, Brisbane from 7 – 19 October 2025. For more information, visit: www.the39steps.com.au for details.
Images: The 39 Steps – photo by Cameron Grant | Lisa McCune and Ian Stenlake in The 39 Steps – photo by Cameron Grant | Shane Dundas and David Collins in The 39 Steps – photo by Cameron Grant | Lisa McCune, Shane Dundas, David Collins Ian Stenlake in The 39 Steps – photo by Cameron Grant
Review: Rohan Shearn