San Francisco Playhouse continues its season with The 39 Steps, a fast-paced farce that riffs on the Alfred Hitchcock thriller of the same name.
Following a mysterious murder, all-action hero Richard Hannay launches on a high-speed chase from a London music hall to Scotland’s highlands, where he must dodge devious spies, woo beautiful bombshells, and attempt to reveal secrets of The 39 Steps, an international spy ring. With inventive stagecraft and masterful performances, four nimble actors play more than 100 characters in this riotous spoof that is equal parts slapstick comedy and film noir thriller. San Francisco Playhouse Producing Director and Co-Founder Susi Damilano, who recently directed the Playhouse’s hit production of the whodunit Clue, returns to the scene of the crime(s) to stage this rollicking comedy.
The 39 Steps will perform March 7 – April 20, 2024 (opening night: March 13, 2024) at San Francisco Playhouse, 450 Post Street. For tickets ($15-$125) and more information, the public may visit sfplayhouse.org or call the box office at 415-677-9596.
Comedian and playwright Patrick Barlow’s stage adaptation debuted at London’s Tricycle Theatre before transferring to the West End, where it won the Olivier Award for Best New Comedy and ran for nearly a decade.
The Roundabout Theatre Company’s Broadway production was nominated for six Tony Awards including Best Play. The New York Times named The 39 Steps a Critic’s Pick and deemed it “absurdly enjoyable, gleefully theatrical. A perfect soufflé,” while New York Post declared it “the most entertaining show on Broadway.”
San Francisco Playhouse has assembled a talented cast of actors to bring this play to life. Recently seen in the Playhouse’s Chinglish, Phil Wong returns as action hero Richard Hannay. Wong was a Guest Artist in the Tony Award recipient National Tour of Freestyle Love Supreme, and has appeared onstage at American Conservatory Theater, Oregon Shakespeare Festival, TheatreWorks Silicon Valley, California Shakespeare Theater, ACT Contemporary Theatre, Z Space, Shotgun Players, Hillbarn Theatre, Los Altos Stage Company, Palo Alto Players, and Ray of Light Theatre. He is also the co-founder of Bay Area Theatre Cypher, a collective of local hip-hop theatre artists.