Casting has been announced for a revival of a hugely popular production of The 39 Steps at Scarborough’s Stephen Joseph Theatre this summer. The show played to packed houses at the North Yorkshire theatre in the summer of 2018. The revival will be a co-production with Keswick’s Theatre by the Lake.
Dave Hearn, Lucy Keirl, Olivia Onyehara and Niall Ransome will be directed by Paul Robinson in the show, which mixes a Hitchcock masterpiece with a juicy spy novel, and adds a dash of Monty Python to create a fast-paced whodunit for anyone who loves the magic of theatre.
This Olivier Award-winning treat is packed with non-stop laughs, some good old-fashioned romance and a whole host of colourful characters (all played by a ridiculously talented cast of four). Iconic scenes include the chase on the Flying Scotsman, the first-ever theatrical biplane crash and a death-defying (well nearly) finale.
Dave Hearn is a founder member of Mischief Theatre, the award-winning comedy creators of Goes Wrong and much more, and has appeared in many Goes Wrong shows on stage and TV.
Lucy Keirl returns to the SJT after playing Mandy, the Fairy Godmother, plus many other roles in the theatre’s 2022 Christmas hit, Cinderella.
Olivia Onyehara joins the team at the SJT for the first time. Her recent credits include All’s Well That Ends Well and Richard III at the RSC.
Niall Ransome is also a member of Mischief Theatre, and returns to the SJT to play the role of one of the clowns in The 39 Steps for the second time. He was also seen in Treasure Island at Christmas 2019.
Director Paul Robinson is fresh from huge critical and audience acclaim for his last three shows: 2022’s Brief Encounter and Constellations and, last month, The Comedy of Errors (more or less), which brought a whole new audience to Shakespeare.
Paul says: “We had an absolute riot when we created our first production of The 39 Steps back in 2018 – and that was just our team! But I think that goes for the audiences, too: people have been asking us ever since to bring it back. We’re delighted that this remount is a co-production with Theatre by the Lake – we’re sure that the Lakes will love it as much as our Scarborough audience did.”
Liz Stephenson, Artistic Director at TBTL, says: “It’s great to be working with the Stephen Joseph Theatre again and we’re very much looking forward to welcoming this great production here at Theatre by the Lake. The 39 Steps is the perfect addition to our line-up of shows being staged here this year. After the success of both One Man, Two Guvnors and Brief Encounter in 2022 we felt this classic and comedic whodunit was something our audiences were keen to have more of.”
This SJT/TBTL co-production of The 39 Steps is designed by Helen Coyston, with associate designer Eve Oakley. The lighting designer is Jason Taylor, sound design and composition is by Simon Slater, Erin Carter is the movement director/associate director and Julia Perry-Mook is the wardrobe supervisor. The casting director is Sarah Hughes CDG.
It can be seen in the Round at the SJT from Friday 30 June to Saturday 29 July, and in the Main House at TBTL from Thursday 3 August to Saturday 2 September.
Tickets are available from the SJT box office on 01723 370541 and online at www.sjt.uk.com or from the TBTL box office on 017687 74411 or enquiries@theatrebythelake.com
