Performers with the St. Francis Stage Company in a scene from "The 39 Steps" are, from left, Jim Roope, Daniel Roebuck, Chenoa Mitsui and Chris Kenney. (Photo by Joyce Rudolph)
By Joyce Rudolph BurbankNBeyond
The St. Francis Stage Company is putting its own comedic spin on a play based on the 1935 Alfred Hitchcock movie “The 39 Steps” in its sixth annual fundraiser for St. Francis Xavier Church and School in Burbank.
It’s a great family friendly production for theatergoers starting as young as 9, said veteran TV actor Daniel Roebuck who plays the lead role of Richard Hannay and is the co-director.
“This whacky night at the theater is based on the Alfred Hitchcock movie of the same title but performed in a Monty Python-esque manner,” Roebuck said.
Performers with the St. Francis Stage Company in a scene from “The 39 Steps” are, from left, Jim Roope, Daniel Roebuck, Chenoa Mitsui and Chris Kenney. (Photo by Joyce Rudolph)
The play opens at 8 p.m. Friday and continues for two weekends in the church social.
Originally a novel written in 1915 by John Buchan, the play is a comedy-parody adaptation by Patrick Barlow, written for four actors.
Co-Director Jesse J. Adams saw the award-winning production on Broadway and thought it would be a perfect fit for the church production, he said.
What makes this play fun is the producers are encouraged to use their imagination to interpret the script any way they want.
It is a unique concept, Adams said, because usually scripts are very structured.
It’s about a man who is not happy with his life and finds himself amid a conspiracy spy story that takes him on a journey throughout the United Kingdom.
Roebuck appeared on TV’s “Matlock” for three seasons and recently has been on “Glee” and “NCIS”. Others starring are Chenoa Mitsui, Jim Roope and Chris Kenney.
The play has some 30, 2 to 21/2 minute scenes, so each actor except Roebuck changes into a different character for each scene. They portray more than 100 characters throughout so it makes for fast costume changes that add to the hilarity — like men changing into women’s costumes. There are also a lot of allusions to Hitchcock films.
They have a team creating set pieces and lighting and special effects because the play moves around to numerous locations, which is new to the company because past productions have always taken place in one room.
Set designers used their imagination in the modes of transportation, specifically the train and car, Roebuck said.
He likened the comedy to watching Monty Python do drama.
“It should be ridiculously funny!” Roebuck said.
Tickets are $15 and a senior special $10 matinee is on Jan. 20. For information, call (818) 504-4400. The church is at 3801 Scott Road.
