Fans of Alfred Hitchcock, Monty Python or Mel Brooks – or any combination of the three – will surely enjoy this comedy opening tomorrow night at the Hoogland Center for the Arts. The 39 Steps, written by Patrick Marlow, is a spoof of the 1935 Hitchcock spy thriller of the same name which itself was based on the 1915 novel by John Buchan. In the show, just four actors play well more than 100 characters. Yes, you read that right! The play's lead character, played by Mike Krcil, meets a woman who claims to be in danger and then winds up dead. This leads to the main character being chased by police and members of a mysterious organization called The 39 Steps. Mary Young plays three different women the lead character interacts with. According to Gus Gordon of the Hoogland, Johnny Molson and Travis Wiggins "play everyone else: heroes, villains, women, children and the occasional inanimate object." Rich McCoy is directing the show. Tickets cost $22 for adults and $20 for seniors and students.
The 39 Steps
Fri-Sat., April 26-27 and May 3-4, 7:30 p.m.; Sundays, April 28 and May 5, 3 p.m.
Hoogland Center for the Arts, Peggy Ryder Theatre
420 S. Sixth St.
217-523-2787
hcfta.org
