Features
'I'm just thrilled'
Award-winning playwright Patrick Barlow talks to Steve
Pratt about the story behind the success of The 39 Steps
which has led to him virtually giving up acting
ONE day actor, writer and
creator of the National Theatre
of Brent, Patrick Barlow
literally bumped into producer
Ed Snape in the street. It was
the start of an adventure that
would take him on the Flying Scotsman,
across the Forth Bridge, to the London
Palladium and to Broadway. Not to mention a
23-venue UK tour and long-running London
West End engagement.
The question Snape asked him that day was
if he'd be interested in playing Richard
Hannay, hero of John Buchan's novel The 39
Steps. Barlow wasn't sure. "I had a bit of a
read and thought it was quite fun but maybe
needed a bit of work," he recalls.
He passed on this assessment of the stage
adaptation that Snape had given him - and
was promptly asked if he'd like to do the
necessary work.
The result was a version of the Alfred
Hitchcock classic movie that won best new
comedy at the Olivier Awards 2007 and has
opened to great success on Broadway.
Barlow explains that before he came on
board, Simon Corble and Nobby Dimon had
the original idea of four people doing The 39
Steps on stage. Snape toured the production
to smaller venues before Barlow became
involved and took a different approach, while
retaining the three men and a girl cast.
"I read the novel and the early version,
which I thought was charming, was based on
that. Then I watched the movie, which I'd
seen years ago, and was utterly charmed by
what an amazing piece of cinema it was,"
explains Barlow.
"I thought if I could take the brilliant
concept and rewrite the film, put the film on
stage in a mad way."
Both the Hitchcock and Buchan estates
were okay with the idea, possibly because it
was what Hitchcock had done - entirely
rewrite the story, adding characters,
situations and locations to the original.
"I started from scratch and wrote a version
of the movie, putting in all the mad bits and
bits of craziness because of the fact it was
four people trying to put it on stage. It was a
real joy to write," he explains.
THE four actors play 139 characters in
100 minutes in the spy adventure that
includes a chase on the Flying
Scotsman, the escape on the Forth Bridge, the
first theatrical bi-plane crash ever staged and
the death-defying finale at the London
Palladium.
As well as swapping writers, the production
has switched directors. Fiona Buffini directed
the original production, first seen at West
Yorkshire Playhouse in Leeds. Now Maria
Aitken has taken the directing reins for the
Broadway, London and Australian openings.
Barlow credits Aitken for "making stuff
work that we couldn't get to work before" and
says it's "very much her production". The
Broadway opening in January was "slightly
unbelievable", he adds. "It was one of those
nights - the review came out at midnight and
we read it at the first night party, and it was a
complete rave. I'm just thrilled."
By now, Barlow must have some idea why
such a seemingly foolhardy idea as doing The
39 Steps on stage with four performers works.
"We have very funny actors. Maria is a great
wit and brings to the production enormous
wit and very funny visual ideas," he says
"It's also a gripping thriller, it's not just a
spoof. There's the love story between Hannay
and Pamela, that should be very touching
really."
He never was asked to play Richard Hannay
again, although does occasionally sit at the
back of the auditorium and say "I could have
a crack at that".
The 39 Steps has changed his work because
he's more or less abandoned acting to keep up
with the script changing and various
openings around the world.
He's probably best know as the creator of
the National Theatre of Brent in 1980, in
which he plays artistic director and chief
executive, Desmond Olivier Dingle. Their twoman
shows for the stage range from Wagner's
Ring Cycle to The Complete Guide To Sex via
the Olivier-nominated Love Upon The Throne
- The Charles And Diana Story.
HIS film acting included Shakespeare In
Love, Notting Hill, Bridget Jones's
Diary and Woody Allen's soon-to-beseen
Scoop in the cinema and most recently
Jam And Jerusalem on TV.
"Generally, I write now. I used to be just an
actor, but I've so loved writing. Now I'm
writing a novel and scripts. I've written quite
a few movie scripts that haven't been made. I
find the whole movie world quite
demoralising.
"There's always some producer who wants
to change everything. Television and theatre
are a bit more respectful," says Barlow.
Israel, Africa, Italy, Germany, North
America, Canada and Korea ("I don't know
what they'll make about jokes about
Piccadilly Circus") are among places that
have had, or are getting, productions.
Worldwide domination is on the cards.
Is he surprised by all the success? "Yes, but
we all thought it ought to be successful
because it has everything. It has comedy and
thrills and romance," says Barlow.
He has a few ideas for similar minimalist
projects but is probably joking when he talks
of doing El Cid with two people and a dog.
But you can never be sure.
12:46pm Thursday 20th March 2008
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