The 39 Steps

Everyman Palace Theatre, Cork

Theatre-goers of a certain age will find themselves briefly thinking that this presentation of

The 39 Steps

is not quite what they remember of John Buchan’s novel or Alfred Hitchcock’s film. Instead, this is a creation all on its own; it could be a spoof were it not so elegantly and skilfully managed that it qualifies as a parody both of the fiction of a particular era and of the era itself.

The crucial gamble in this adaption by Patrick Barlow, from an original concept by Simon Corble and Nobby Dimon, is that the audience can recognise and enjoy the satire. It’s a winning bet, even with the many young patrons who responded enthusiastically to the audacity of the production. It was quickly obvious that the arrangements of props, settings and furniture, which move at ice-rink speed, could not be anything other than meticulous. Even the costumes have an active role in a comedy in which four actors portray more than 100 characters, led by Dugald Bruce-Lockhart playing hero Richard Hannay as a cross between Basil Fawlty and Sir Anthony Eden. Thunderous sound effects, lighting, music, shadow-play, mime, hat juggling, coats, kilts and doors amid tsunamies of dry ice are all deployed with a freshness that belies the fact that this is a show which in one production or another has been on the road for a few years.

Surprise, innovation and energy are entertaining in themselves but even comedy as light as this has to be well-built. Directed by Maria Aitkin, this cast, crew and designer Peter McKintosh understand the architecture of entertainment and seem to take a special delight in hanging from its rafters. Ends on Saturday, then tours to Wexford Opera House (May 19-22) and Olympia Theatre, Dublin (May 25-June 5)