"Hitchcock meets Vaudeville" is how director Kevin Dodd describes the stage adaptation of The 39 Steps, which opens at the Kalamazoo Civic Theatre on Mar 8. "It's a lot of things," he says. "It's an comedy, absolutely first and foremost. It is also the adaptation of a book and Hitchcock film." Katherine Harte-DeCoux, who plays three roles — the doomed spy Annabella, the crofter's wife Margaret, and love interest Pamela — was already on board: "I was fortunate enough to see The 39 Steps on Broadway in 2009," she tells Cara Lieurance in an interview with Dodd and actor Drew Dixon. "And I've been one of those people who has been telling everyone else how brilliant this play is since the day I saw it."
It's a fast-moving, physical play that puts the 4-person cast into an adventure that starts in London and continues over the moors of Scotland. Says Dixon, "I'm literally running around all the time, which is something that I didn't necessarily realize was going to be taking place when I got the role."
The 39 Steps runs from Mar 8 - 17. For tickets and more information, visit the Kalamazoo Civic Theatre website.
