The 39 Steps at HCTO

I have had season tickets at Hale Centre Theatre for years and years but I had never been to HCT Orem (which is independently owned and operated), mostly because it is 45 minute drive to get there from my house.  I decided it was worth the drive when I found out that they were performing The 39 Steps which is one of the funniest plays I have ever seen.  I just had to see it again so I went last night and I am really glad that I did.  This hilarious show is a parody of the 1935 spy movie of the same name by Alfred Hitchcock and it features four actors (and a Foley Artist) performing all of the roles.  The action is lightning fast with scene changes and costume changes happening on stage (characters are sometimes denoted with just the change of a hat).  There are also many visual and auditory references to other Hitchcock movies, such as Psycho, Strangers on a Train, Rear Window, North By Northwest, and The Birds (there may be more but these are the ones I picked up on).  Will Ingram plays Richard Hannay, a man at loose ends who becomes embroiled in a plot to stop a ring of spies from stealing military secrets when a mysterious woman named Annabella Schmidt is stabbed after taking refuge in his apartment.  Amber Dodge plays Annabella and several other women who become romantically involved with Hannay when he travels to Scotland to clear his name.  Andy Hansen and Brett Jamison play every other character, including actors, traveling salesmen, policemen, innkeepers, farmers, spies, and more.  Amanda Anne Dayton is the Foley Artist who produces various sound effects, such as footsteps, doors opening and closing, train whistles, and even, rather amusingly, the bleating of a sheep.  All four actors have brilliant comedic timing and I especially enjoyed it whenever the characters had to jump through windows and walk through doorways.  The stage is in the round (it doesn't have the state-of-the-art technology of HCT but it feels much more intimate) which is perfect for this show as characters run in and out multiple times.  The sets and props are very minimal and I was particularly impressed with how a chase sequence on top of a train is staged.  I laughed and laughed through the whole show, as did the entire audience, and I had a thoroughly wonderful time!  I enjoyed it so much I immediately bought a ticket to The Hunchback of Notre Dame in October.  The 39 Steps runs through Sept. 25 and I highly recommend getting a ticket (go here).