Shakespeare vets shine in ‘The 39 Steps’

LENOX – Four Shakespeare and Company veterans provide two solid hours of on-stage entertainment in this fall’s production of The 39 Steps.

“Four actors on a (mostly) bare stage creating a great sprawling espionage thriller? That’s just plain fun,” said Jonathan Croy, another Shakespeare and Company veteran and director of the play.

Elizabeth Aspenlieder, David Joseph and Josh Aaron McCabe all portray multiple characters in the play, each more intriguing and entertaining than the last.

Jason Asprey, as Richard Hannay, is the heart of The 39 Steps. His appearance, reminiscent of William Powell in The Thin Man movies of the 1930s, provides the perfect blend of comedy and heart needed to tell the story.

These four powerhouse performances, under the direction of Mr. Croy, give the audience a much-needed dose of laughter on a dreary fall night. The addition of clever sound cues and props makes the play that much more entertaining.

Mr. Croy’s production of The 39 Steps is based on John Buchan’s 1915 novel and Alfred Hitchcock’s 1935 film.

“For Richard Hannay, the fate of the world really is at stake,” Mr. Croy said. “Life-threatening dander really is life-threatening, and love really does hang in the balance. The comedic vocabulary is one of extremity, and the surrealist nature of these quirky people and bizarre events becomes the metaphor that lifts the story to the epic size of the film and of the book.”

The 39 Steps runs through Nov. 4 in the Elayne P. Bernstein Theatre. For tickets, visit shakespeare.org or call (413) 637-3353.

Posted by Catherine M. Krummey on October 4, 2012. Filed under Arts and Entertainment. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry