If you’re an Alfred Hitchcock fan, you will love CVRep’s production of The 39 Steps. Based on John Buchan’s 1915 novel, the thriller deftly fleshes out a common Hitchcock theme: An innocent man must clear his name after being accused of a crime he did not commit.

Hitchcock’s 1935 film was a great success, and was a defining moment in his career. There were three subsequent films, including a 1978 version with Robert Powell in the lead role. A stage adaptation premiered in 2005 at the West Yorkshire Playhouse, but with a twist: Just four actors play all of the characters, adding a comedy element to the story. The play opened on Broadway in January 2008; it received six Tony Award nominations, including one for Best Play.  

In the film, “The 39 Steps” refers to the clandestine organization of foreign spies collecting information on the British military. In truth, the phrase originated when Buchan’s younger sister was counting the stairs down to the beach at a private nursing home where he was convalescing from a duodenal ulcer. There were actually 78 steps, but Buchan cut that number in half to make a better title…

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