The 39 Steps
at Royal Palm Beach Community High School

Reviewed on April 1, 2016

Dominique Monserrat
Saint Andrew's School
Submitted for publication to Floridatheateronstage.com

An enigmatic mystery took place at Royal Palm Beach Community High School in the form of the play THE 39 STEPS on Friday evening. This thrilling play followed Richard Hannay as he encountered foreign spies--or secret agents, depending on whom you ask--an evil professor, and dozens of other eccentric characters. Originally a novel by John Buchan published in 1915, THE 39 STEPS was adapted for film by Alfred Hitchcock in 1935 and rewritten as a play by Simon Corble and Nobby Dimon. The final adaptation of the play, performed by Royal Palm Beach Community High School, was by Patrick Barlow, written in 2005. Though the play originally calls for a four-person cast, with three of the actors playing multiple roles, Royal Palm Beach Community High School adapted it for a larger cast of fifteen, still with most actors playing several roles.

Leading the play as Richard Hannay was Ryan Gosling. Gosling did a fantastic job embodying the ridiculous Hannay. His exceptional commitment to his character was humorously shown in his extreme movements. Most entertaining were his fight scenes, particularly with Julian Nieves as Professor Jordan. Nieves was also very dedicated to his character, providing another source of amusement for the audience. As he was one of the actors who played multiple roles, another role in which Nieves was exceptional was as the old man Mr. McQuarrie. In a few minutes on stage, he had the entire audience laughing with his strong use of physicality and vocal inflection.

Playing opposite both Gosling and Nieves were Selena Lugo, Ashley Watson, and Nadalie Hilario. Lugo started the play off on a good note with her ridiculous portrayal of Annabella, the secret agent who initially gets Hannay involved in finding The 39 Steps. Watson, beginning the conclusion of the first act, danced around the stage as Professor Jordan's housewife, garnering laughter from the audience for her obliviousness. Hilario, as Hannay's love interest, had excellent chemistry with Gosling, and her transition from a kidnapped woman handcuffed to Hannay to a loving woman who plays a vital role in the conclusion of the play was enjoyable to watch.

Every actor featured in THE 39 STEPS deserves to be commended for extraordinary commitment to their characters' physicalities; their extreme characterization showed their understanding of the farcical element of the play. In addition, each student brought an incredible energy to the stage. However, at times the intense energy was too great, and the play became exhausting to watch. Also, with more energy came more volume, and several times throughout the show diction and enunciation were sacrificed in place of yelling. Another thing that interfered with audience members' ability to understand the plot were the many accents; often, the accents were disruptive as opposed to adding to the humor and the message of the show.

While the complete lack of reality did not allow the audience to fully connect with the story on stage, the students of Royal Palm Beach Community High School did an admirable job creating relationships between characters and putting on an entertaining and comical performance of The 39 Steps.

Hannah Singer
South Plantation High School
Submitted for publication to Floridatheateronstage.com

"What are ‘The 39 Steps'???" Find out in a quirky show filled with hilarious accents, wild goose chases, and spies in Royal Palm Beach Community High School's production of "The 39 Steps."

Originally premiering in 2005, "The 39 Steps" is based on the 1935 Alfred Hitchcock film of the same name. The play originally features just four actors playing different roles throughout the show. It relates the story of Richard Hannay's sudden involvement in an international spy ring due to the murder of a woman in his apartment. Though he is not guilty of the crime, there is no explanation for an alternative killer, therefore leaving Hannay to be chased by the police throughout the show.

The energy was high throughout most of the production allowing the actors to have fun in this quirky show. Minimal technical aspects left the audience more able to focus on the hectic nature of the actions within the show.

Ryan Gosling's portrayal of the eccentric Richard Hannay was full of larger than life physicality. His overemphasized use of movement and gestures demonstrated his understanding of the rather unique style of physical comedy within the play.

Some actors within the rest of the ensemble stood out through quirky and comedic moments. One such actor, Claudia Torres playing the roles of Compere, Margaret, and Ms. McGarrigle was completely animated in each of her roles. Her high-pitched voice and bubbly presence created for memorable comedic moments within her roles. Mrs. Jordan played by Ashley Watson again with high energy was hilarious in her portrayal of a ditsy wife. Many of the other actors, however, had difficulty with diction and annunciation with their accents. This resulted in a great deal of lost dialogue and a misunderstanding of parts of the storyline.

The use of minimal props and a minimal set left much to the imagination in terms of thinking beyond what was currently on the stage. This worked for the show, along with the other minimal technical aspects, as they did not interfere with the actions happening on stage. Some microphone issues however, would result in lost dialogue during the show.

The mystery of "The 39 Steps" may never be completely discovered, but Richard Hannay will always find himself in another crazy adventure in Royal Palm Beach Community High School's production of "The 39 Steps."

Maya Quinones
Deerfield Beach High School
Submitted for publication to Floridatheateronstage.com

How far would you go to defend a murder you did not commit? With suspense, espionage, love, and a couple of missing fingers, Royal Palm Beach Community High School's production of the chaotic comedy The 39 Steps answers these questions and more.

Adapted from both the 1915 novel by John Buchan and the 1935 film by Alfred Hitchcock, Patrick Barlow's THE 39 STEPS combines elements of melodramatic theatre with Hitchcock's signature suspenseful style. While not nearly as spine-trembling as Hitchcock's The Birds or Psycho, Barlow's hilarious adaptation of the story lends itself well to the over exaggerated style of melodrama. Boasting two Tony Awards, THE 39 STEPS has enjoyed positive critical responses since its 2005 debut. Famous for showcasing "four fearless actors, playing 139 roles in 100 minutes," THE 39 STEPS was a theatrical feat on the West End.

Here in Palm Beach, Ryan Gosling plays the frantic bachelor Richard Hannay, on the run from the police for murder and plagued by the mystery of the elusive 39 steps. Gosling was clearly well educated in the style of melodrama, his physicality and facial expressions captivating scenes. Whether he was clinging to a moving train, sword fighting, or handcuffed to a woman, Gosling maintained a tremendous amount of energy throughout the performance. Selena Lugo plays the exotic undercover spy Annabella. Lugo's confident stage presence and exaggerated physicality paired well with Gosling's energy, the two sharing remarkable chemistry and hilarious dialogue. Constantly breaking the fourth wall, Gosling and Lugo had the audience intrigued by the mysterious 39 steps.

Opting out of the traditional four actor version of the show, Royal Palm Beach Community High School's THE 39 STEPS took the opportunity to showcase its many talented students. Notably, Julian Nieves and Claudia Torres play three characters each, paying homage to the show's original concept. Donning multiple accents, costumes, and personalities, Nieves and Torres successfully conveyed the likes of six different characters with confidence. The ensemble embodied everything from party goers to sheep, constantly molding themselves to new characters and situations. Although diction was an issue throughout the performance, it did not distract from the plot.

The minimal set had maximum effect, large blocks rearranged to represent everything from a train to a police car. In the absence of everyday household items stood actors, embodying lamps, walls, and coat racks. Scenes were differentiated well, and while set changes ran a bit long, music in the style of Alfred Hitchcock's classic films filled the empty spaces. Lighting was very diverse, from intense reds portraying a film noir atmosphere to flashing whites bringing the inside of a train to life.

The Master of Suspense Alfred Hitchcock famously stated to "Always make the audience suffer as much as possible." Royal Palm Beach High School's production of The 39 Steps proves that suspense and comedy can go hand in hand, keeping their audience laughing while also keeping them at the edge of their seat.

Hagan Oliveras
JP Taravella HS
Submitted for publication to Floridatheateronstage.com

Lights dim, an exciting action movie tune plays as an overture, an air of mystery envelops the theatre. Curtain opens and you are greeted by a question, what are the 39 steps? The Royal Palm Beach Community High School Drama Department seeks to answer that question in this high energy production of the play, The 39 Steps.

It's a fast moving, spy flick spoof following the exploits of Richard Hannay, a man who is roped into a wild goose chase across Europe to discover answers. It originated in London where it ran for nine years and won the Laurence Olivier award for best play. In America it enjoyed less success on Broadway, where it won two technical Tony awards

Ryan Gosling as our plays protagonist, Richard Hannay opts for a zany spin on the character. He has marvelous physicality and great energy on stage.

The Players in the show play a variety of different characters as Hannay's journey progresses and while each one is consistently larger and more ridiculous then the next, you never quite believe these characters who are played more as singular token quirks then actual people on top of that diction is constantly a problem.

The simple set that, in conjunction with the equally uncomplicated lighting is functional and you don't notice anything wrong with it. The sound is equally as robust and functional, however there was a fairly alarming moment late in act 1 where an actors mic wasn't properly secured and ended up staying in his hand for a large portion of the scene.

Royal Palm Beach Community High School sustains a high energy throughout a fairly long and exhausting piece, a difficult feat. But in this case the actors lack the believably required to capture an audience, as you watch them you realize that very little care was paid to the characters and story, and instead the actors focused on trying to capture the physical, farcical nature of the piece. In the end the 39 Steps is a very difficult play and Royal Palm Beach Community High School makes a grand attempt at the piece but just doesn't hit the mark.

Zack Gropper
West Boca High School
Submitted for publication to Floridatheateronstage.com

If you're looking for a mysterious night full of murder and adventure, Royal Palm Beach Community High School's spring production is perfect for you! In the show "The 39 Steps," the main character, Richard Hannay, is framed for murder and uncovers a large trail of secrets and danger along his adventure running from the law.

The show is very unique and impressive in certain aspects. The show is a farce with the occasional hint that the actors and "actor technicians," who acted as a part of the set and props onstage, were aware they were in a show. The actor technicians also add a nice effect in the show as self-aware set pieces and props that hold up window frames or have lampshades on their heads, making them vital set pieces in the show that add a bit more personality than conventional set pieces would.

By far the most memorable cast member in the show was Ryan Gosling, who played the role of Richard Hannay. Many of the cast members in this show often slipped in and out of character or of their accents, but Gosling did not lose character once throughout the entire show, despite being onstage for a very large majority of the show. Another notable performer was Nadalie Hilario for her role as Pamela Edwards. She had wonderful chemistry with Gosling and also developed a consistent character.

Often in the production, many members of the cast lacked believability, and although believability is often sacrificed for the sake of the style of a farce, characters cannot be too unbelievable or the show loses the attention and investment of the audience. Additionally, actors and the actor technicians who worked as a part of sets or props often broke character and laughed or smiled during funny scenes in the show, which took away from the scenes. Even still, the actor technicians and their occasional hilarious awareness as props and set pieces in the show often brought the audience to laughter and applause. The show also featured a delightful drum line, which, although they were fantastic, their purpose in the show was quite unclear.

Technically, the show ran fairly smoothly. There weren't many major issues in the technical side of the production. That being said, some set changes took way too long for how small the changes were, the simplistic sets and use of actor technicians in the scenes brought a very unique and enjoyable feel to the show. There was also a strange mix of props that physically existed and props that were pantomimed. It wasn't very apparent where and why the line was drawn to decide when a prop should be pantomimed or not, and this gave the impression that the cast and crew forgot to set some props instead of intentionally pantomiming them since there was no clear reason that they were pantomimed.

Overall, Royal Palm's production of "The 39 Steps" was not common. The one of a kind set featuring actor technicians and talented cast members brought the farce to life to create a nice night out in the theater.

Isabella Cring
Western High School
Submitted for publication to The Forum

When one thinks of Alfred Hitchcock, words like chilling, frightening, and haunting come to mind. One wouldn't usually think of "comedy." "The 39 Steps" is a play based on the 1935 film of the same title, then adapted for the stage by Patrick Barlow in 2005. The play is a farce, designed to poke fun at the melodrama of the classic spy story and many of Hitchcock's films. The Royal Palm Beach Community High School Drama Department brought new life to this story with confidence, commitment, and cunning.

Our story begins at a sort of cabaret show with a talented gentleman showing off his ability to remember any fact. Mr. Memory (Drew Janicki) was adorably strange and set the mood for the production nicely. His "Compere" (Claudia Torres) was bubbly and exciting, just as a showgirl should be. This is the scene where we meet our leading man- Richard Hannay (Ryan Gosling). Shortly after introducing himself, he meets a ravishing woman, and we discover that Hannay has a bad habit for that type of thing. Annabella (Selena Lugo) comes back to Hannay's apartment and soon is mysteriously murdered. We learn that the perpetrator was a secret spy ring known as "The 39 Steps." Hannay spends the rest of the play on the run for Annabella's murder, while trying to find the secret of "The 39 Steps."

Along this wild ride, Hannay meets many interesting characters from all different places. While some actors struggled with their accents, all spoke with confidence and committed to their character. Part of the charm of this particular show is that there are dozens characters, but only a few actors. The students of Royal Palm Beach High pulled off this stunt effectively, often so well that the audience couldn't tell that it was the same actor until looking at the playbill! Some of the most interesting characters were the Policemen (Mitchell Saulog and Ismael Nieves), Henchmen (Peyton Davis and Kathie Torres), and Mr. and Mrs. Crofter- the Scottish couple on the countryside (Drew Janicki and Claudia Torres). All the uses of "Actor Technicians" were hilarious and effective, bringing a creative aspect to the comedy.

Royal Palm Beach Community High School gave the audience a funny and thrilling spy experience, complete with love, death, sex, and even a classic train-top chase! Through music, creative staging, and exciting stage combat, the audience was enthralled in every minute. Although we may never know what "The 39 Steps" really are, we had a fantastic time trying to figure it out.