It’s OpenStage Theatre’s 39th season, so what better way to celebrate than by presenting The 39 Steps, featuring tour de force performances by four actors in 39 roles.
Patrick Barlow’s Tony Award winning comedy uses an original concept by Nobby Dimon and Simon Corble to combine Alfred Hitchcock’s 1935 thriller with farce in a fast-moving production. Not a single who-done-it element is missing, including murder, spies, a handsome hero, his love interest and the ultimate discovery of the real killer.
“Because of the lickety-split pacing, there’s a lot of ingenious theatrical magic required to make this happen,” said Director Wendy S. Moore. “It’s as fast and fun as Noises Off and The Complete Works of Shakespeare (Abridged). We go from scene to scene quickly so it’s heavily choreographed and orchestrated. We have to make sure the actors don’t run over each other.”
Playwright Barlow takes considerable liberties with his source material – which also includes the original book by John Buchan – to poke great fun at spy stories in general and The 39 Steps in particular. The plot also pays homage to virtually every Hitchcock film, including a stylized version of a plane attempting to mow down the hero.
“It’s a terrific evening of fun,” said Moore. “No one’s going to think a new thought, but I guarantee they’ll have a hilarious time.”
Performances of The 39 Steps are at 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday nights on Jan. 7 to Feb. 5; Sunday matinées at 2 p.m. on Jan. 29 and Feb. 5; and Thursday night at 7:30 p.m. Jan. 12.
Individual tickets are $22-27 for adults and $16-20 for seniors, students and groups of 10 or more. Matinee tickets are $16-20 all tickets. Tickets for FAB Friday, sponsored by Boulder Beer, at 8 p.m. on Jan. 13, are $14 and include a free beer at intermission provided by Boulder Beer.
Admission to the Pay-What-You-Can performance on Thursday, Jan. 12, at 7:30 p.m. will be by donation at the door only with no advance reservations.
Tickets are available from 12 p.m. to 6 p.m., Tuesdays through Saturdays, through the Lincoln Center box office at (970) 221-6730 and online at www.LCTIX.com.
Childcare is available for the Friday Jan. 20 and Feb. 3 performances through Young People's Learning Center, 209 E. Plum St. Call Young People's Learning Center at 970-482-1212 for childcare reservations.
A free performance for students and educators, funded by The Thornton Family Foundation and OtterCares Foundation, will be presented on Thursday, Jan. 5, at 7:30 p.m. To make reservations for the student/educator performance, contact OpenStage Theatre at (970) 484-5237.
An in-depth discussion, facilitated by Old Firehouse Books, will follow the Saturday, Jan. 21, performance.
Audiences are invited to meet the cast of The 39 Steps following every performance.
Major support for OpenStage Theatre’s 2011-2012 Season is provided by Michael Warne of Northern Colorado Wealth Management at UBS, Shaw and Associates, A-Train Marketing Communications, Mawson Lumber and Hardware, Amy and Paul Hach, John and Anne Blair and Witt Gross of Coldwell Banker. Major funding for The 39 Steps is provided by OpenMind for OpenStage and First National Bank. In addition, The Acting Company for The 39 Steps is underwritten by Kneeland Law, LLC, and the costumes are underwritten b Harland and Mary Ann Ranney.
Currently celebrating its 39th season, OpenStage Theatre is supported by grants from the Downtown Development Authority, the Colorado Council on the Arts, the National Endowment for the Arts and the City of Fort Collins Fort Fund. OpenStage Theatre’s student programming is underwritten by grants from The Thornton Family Foundation and OtterCares Foundation.
For more information, visit OpenStage’s website at www.openstage.com or call 970-484-5237. Founded in 1973, OpenStage Theatre is a recipient of the Governor’s Award for Excellence in the Arts and the 2011 Henry Award for Outstanding Regional Theatre, and is a member of Theatre Communications Group, the national organization for not-for-profit professional theatres.
