Notre Dame's 'The 39 Steps' production a Mel Brooks twist on a Hitchcock film

Notre Dame Regional High School students will present the play "The 39 Steps" next week, but with a Mel Brooks-style twist to it.

"The 39 Steps" is adapted by Patrick Barlow from the novel by John Buchan based on an original concept by Simon Corble and Nobby Dimon. While the film plot was more of a spy thriller with the hero Richard Hannay trying to prevent a spy organization from stealing top-secret information, the play has Hannay as a man bored with his aimless life.

Hannay decides to go to the theater where he meets Annabella Schmidt, who turns out to be a secret agent trying to save England from a mysterious foreign power. When she is murdered in Hannay's apartment, he finds himself accused of the crime and escapes to Scotland, hoping to complete her mission.

On the train, he meets two salesmen and a beautiful blonde named Pamela, then barely escapes the police. As they chase him across the moors, Hannay is helped by a farmer's wife, reconnected with the same blonde, hidden in an out-of-the-way hotel and forced to outsmart a team of spies to save England.

Drama teacher Cindy King said she read a radio version of the show. It was written for four people, but more people needed to be involved with a high school production, so she passed on it.

Savanah Seyer runs the sound effects on a laptop Tuesday during a rehearsal of “The 39 Steps” at Notre Dame Regional High School.

But a former student, Matt Buttrey, said he was familiar with the show. He told her it was funny, so King got a copy of the Barlow script, thought it over and realized Buttrey was right.

"I didn't realize it would actually be harder to do with 13 people than it would be with four people because it's written for four, so we had to do some adjusting," King said.

She noted this is the first time Notre Dame has produced anything with this type of humor.

"It's not really slapstick; it's very clever in the way it's worded, and also there are [Alfred] Hitchcock titles and lines sprinkled throughout the script, but the cast is too young to know what they were," King said, adding she thinks older audience members will get it.

Although it's funny, "The 39 Steps" is challenging in terms of cast members doubling as crew, taking on multiple roles -- and accents -- and the play's humor.

GLENN LANDBERG ~ glandberg@semissourian.com Will Graham spies though a window on Elecia Worley and Andrew Bell in a scene during a rehearsal of The 39 Steps Tuesday, Oct. 28, 2014 at Notre Dame Regional High School.

"It's just difficult because it actually takes more control than just telling jokes and being slapstick," King said.

Despite the difficulty, cast members are enjoying the difference.

"It's funny to where everybody can enjoy it, not just the people who understand the jokes," said Caleb Vetter, who plays Mr. Memory and other roles in the production. Mr. Memory is a performer in the stage show Hannay attends who can reel off historic facts at will.

"It's a different sort of comedy than we've ever done before, more of the cheesy, rather than the did-you-catch-that sort of show," said Amber Vandeven, who plays Annabella and other parts.

For the most part, the performers enjoy their characters.

Vetter said likes being able to pretend he knows everything.

"It's a very fun feeling," Vetter said.

Andrew Bell, who portrays Hannay, said he's enjoyed this production best out of the three shows he's been in. He says his character is kind of James Bond-esque -- confident, suave and mysterious.

"I definitely hope to take away some confidence from Hannay; take him down a peg and push me up a little bit," Bell said.

rcampbell@semissourian.com

388-3639

Pertinent address:

265 Notre Dame Drive, Cape Girardeau, MO

---

If you go

What: *"The 39 Steps*"

The 39 Steps is adapted by Patrick Barlow from the novel by John Buchan based on an original concept by Simon Corble and Nobby Dimon.

When: 7 p.m., Nov. 6 through 8

Where: Notre Dame Regional High School Cafetorium

Tickets: All seats $10