The 10th anniversary season wraps at the Three Brothers Theatre in Waukegan with a Hitchcock play about murder, mystery – and clowns.
“The 39 Steps” is staged at 7:30 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays April 26-May 11. It is directed by Carol Alleman of Waukegan. The play is a parody based on a 1915 novel by John Buchan and a 1935 film by Alfred Hitchcock, written in 1996 and rewrote in 2005.
The play has four actors. The main character, Richard Hannay, meets three different women, all of whom are played by the same actress, she said. The many other characters are played by two what are referred to in the script as clowns, she said.
“It’s not a straight drama. It’s a drama-turned-parody of Hitchcock with an homage to Monty Python,” she said. “There is a lot that is left to the audiences’ imagination as it’s presented. It’s one of those plays where you have to keep up because things change real quick.”
It’s a political mystery full of secrets, danger and beautiful women, she said.
“All the things a good spy story would entail and in the midst of it all there’s comedy and chaos,” she said. “I hope everyone will enjoy it as much as we’ve enjoyed putting it together.”
Alleman is a longtime Hitchcock fan.
“I would go to my local Blockbuster and go straight to the Hitchcock section and see what was available,” she said. “I grew up watching ‘The Alfred Hitchcock Hour’ and ‘Alfred Hitchcock Presents’ in the living room with the little black and white TV with my mom and dad.
“Even though I understood probably 10 percent of what was happening at any given time, I got the deal that there was something creepy happening and then something funny happens. Usually right on the tail of the humor, there’s more creepy. You get a chance to breathe and laugh a little and then the rug gets swept out from under you again. That’s kind of what we’re trying to achieve here but maybe in a more lighthearted way.”
She saw the movie when she was in college and watched it again when she took the directing assignment.
“I watched it two times and fell asleep both times,” she admitted. “The movie is very serious. It’s heavy. There’s a lot of fog and night scenes. The play is a much lighter-hearted approach to the whole story, thank God.”
Even though the play has been performed in the area several times since Broadway released the rights, she didn’t go see any of them. That way, she and her cast had their own ideas.
“I have four of the most wonderful actors I’ve ever had the chance to work with,” she said. “Three of them are experienced directors so they were able to help me when my head started to spin.”
When she applied to direct at Three Brothers, she assumed she would be asked to do a new play in the little theater. She was surprised to learn she directing a Hitchcock play for the season finale in the large theater.
“Unlike in all the Hitchcock movies and his TV show, I will not be making a cameo,” she said, laughing.
She thinks audiences are going to enjoy “The 39 Steps.”
“People who see our shows on a regular basis are ready to be told a good story,” she said. “It’s a fun ride and a great way to spend an evening. It’s a surprising story. And when you get to see great acting, you’ve got to go.”
Annie Alleman is a freelance reporter for the News-Sun.
‘The 39 Steps’
When: 7:30 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays, April 26-May 11
Where: Three Brothers Theatre, 221 N. Genesee St., Waukegan
Tickets: $15-$25
Information: 224-419-4325; threebrotherstheatre.com
