The 39 Steps - UK tour / Trafalgar Theatre
Sept 20, 2024 5:53:25 GMT
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drowseychap, capybara, and 1 more like this
Post by doctorshaw on Sept 20, 2024 5:53:25 GMT
I saw this on tour before it's London stint.
If there was a poll it would be 2 stars from me, a huge letdown.
I saw and enjoyed the original production several times, so understanding why I was so bored and disappointed by this revival is somewhat difficult.
The first issue is comic timing. A lot of the funniest visual gags or quips don't land in this production. E.g. Hannay's window escape. I felt these moments were slightly rushed and robbed of comic value.
Secondly, I think a lot has changed in the world and theatre since the original production and frankly there are plays like Goes Wrong doing similar gags with better sets and choreography that just look better. The 39 Steps feels very dated (not in terms of the 1930s but earlier 2000s). It's hard to justify why this version exists in 2024.
Finally, I feel the villain, the Professor, has been played more menacingly before - although Maddie Rice absolutely nails every other character and has wonderful accents and facial expressions, definitely my favourite of the cast. So I think this is more of an issue in direction and a deliberate choice to play the character with less gravitas.
If you are a fan of the original I would recommend preserving your happy memories and not seeing this revival.
If there was a poll it would be 2 stars from me, a huge letdown.
I saw and enjoyed the original production several times, so understanding why I was so bored and disappointed by this revival is somewhat difficult.
The first issue is comic timing. A lot of the funniest visual gags or quips don't land in this production. E.g. Hannay's window escape. I felt these moments were slightly rushed and robbed of comic value.
Secondly, I think a lot has changed in the world and theatre since the original production and frankly there are plays like Goes Wrong doing similar gags with better sets and choreography that just look better. The 39 Steps feels very dated (not in terms of the 1930s but earlier 2000s). It's hard to justify why this version exists in 2024.
Finally, I feel the villain, the Professor, has been played more menacingly before - although Maddie Rice absolutely nails every other character and has wonderful accents and facial expressions, definitely my favourite of the cast. So I think this is more of an issue in direction and a deliberate choice to play the character with less gravitas.
If you are a fan of the original I would recommend preserving your happy memories and not seeing this revival.
