Category: Theater

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APT’s The 39 Steps Owes More To Charlie Chaplin Than To Alfred Hitchcock

In less than a month’s time, I have been privileged to see two plays based on iconic 20th Century movies. First was the Milwaukee Rep’s It’s A Wonderful Life Radio Play and now the American Players Theater, The 39 Steps. Of course, the anticipation before both of these plays was intensified by my curiosity around how these wonderful theater companies were going to translate such memorable movies to the stage.

The underlying premise for Hitchcock’s film of the common man getting caught up in a web of deceit and intrigue and coming out the hero is absurd. Absurd! Keep that word in front of mind because Patrick Barlow’s adaptation is going to plunge us into the absurd! Barlow’s adaptation is loosely based on the film. Loosely! The basic story line remains intact: it’s a spy thriller and our hero gets caught up with a femme fatale German spy, runs across Europe trying to solve the puzzle, is falsely accused of murder, is chased by henchmen and police, is tempted by a number of captivating women, and triumphs in the end. Now, after that, take all of your preconceived notions on how that happens and what is said and throw them out the rear window (sorry, there should have been a spoiler alert there since I just twisted a joke from the play to my own devices. warning: I may do it again).

Marcus Truschinski & Laura Rook, The 39 Steps, 2025. Photo by Dan Norman Photography. Photo courtesy of APT.

Just what do we have here? Well as director John Taylor Phillips mentions in his note in the playbill, “If Alfred Hitchcock and Monty Python had a theatrical baby, it might look something like Patrick Barlow’s adaptation…”. Yes indeed, there is certainly a resemblance to Python humor…but I also sense a great deal of Charlie Chaplin…and the interactions between Nate Burger and Casey Hoekstra, probably owe something to Stan Laurel and Oliver Harvey as well. And although I have to credit Phillips with a cinematic vision across this small stage…there is no way this would have happened without the ensemble being wholly committed and inwolved (sic !!). And Phillips takes great care, great care indeed, to poke fun at any number of cinematic and theatrical norms and structures throughout. Half the fun is finding them and recognizing them as they occur. And Barlow has baked in a few references to other things Hitchcock. like my reference to Rear Window above. Every Hitchcock fan will delight in those. And I believe the trunks scattered and moved around the set to act as beds, chairs, tables, rail car seating, car seats, and the roofs (why isn’t that rooves?) of train cars, actually seem to resemble the one in Rope. Keep your eyes and ears open for Hitch references. Is this Barlow’s means of providing a Hitchcock cameo?

There are four actors in the show. Three of them play multiple roles…a couple of them dozens of characters. It gets very complicated and confusing…it’s a miracle that it all works so well.

Laura Rook, Marcus Truschinski, Casey Hoektra & Nate Burger, The 39 Steps, 2025. Photo by Dan Norman. Photo courtesy of APT.

Marcus Truschinski plays our protagonist, Richard Hannay (or Hammond or Highsmith or Hwhatever). He plays the role for all that it is worth, rising to the occasion as attractive females fawn over him, pretend to fawn over him, or actually fall over him in their death throe. Truschinski keeps his cool and pursues the solution to the mystery presented him. He proves himself to be the consummate comic actor as he gets himself out of any number of tight spots. Besides acting the quick witted and glib tongued Hannay, Truschinski also simulates the varying ‘death defying’ stunts that always enable his last minute escapes! Some of his implied escapades, to me, are reminiscent of Chaplin movie stunts.

Laura Rook gets to play three entrancing but completely different female roles. We first meet her as Annabella Schmidt, our femme fatale German spy, as she reveals the plot to Hannay just before she breathes her last in his apartment. Rook’s German accent is an ear stretching exercise in its own wit. And then she moves on to the woman who meets Hannay on the train as he dashes into her compartment and embraces her to avoid the police in pursuit…but she turns him in. And again later she turns him in but eventually comes around to understand he is telling the truth. Rook is wonderful in her transition from insulted to enamored. And finally she shows her coquettish side as she plays the young wife of a farmer who agrees to put Hannay up for the night (wink wink) Three visions of beauty, three accents, three very different characters…and Rook smoothly moves from one to the other.

Marcus Truschinski, Casey Hoekstra, Laura Rook & Nate Burger, The 39 Steps, 2025. Photo by Dan Norman. Photo courtesy of APT!

And then we come to the Clowns. Now, no actual clowns were harmed in the making of this production and no actual clowns take part. Instead clowns here is the descriptive term that lets us know what activities Nate Burger and Casey Hoekstra are going to embark in. They are about to play multiple roles, many of them slapstick, many as a pair or duo, and here’s where I feel the Laurel and Hardy influences come into play. They play spies, policemen, salesmen on a train, a Scottish couple running a hotel, and the aforementioned young wife and older farmer. Sometimes in quick unison and sometimes back and forth and back and forth. And each time with change in costume and accent and age…and sometimes gender. In through the out door and wig on wig off or give me the other wig. And there is a moment on the train as they squeeze around the compartment that does seem like a clown car skit at the circus. These gentlemen are completely fluid and nonplussed through it all, and absolutely hilarious. One paean to Hitchcock, and I got lost in transition, but I think this bit belongs to Hoekstra, but as he plays a police officer on the rail platform talking with someone on the train. He speaks in a voice oddly reminiscent of a certain James Stewart! Bravo.

Besides director John Taylor Phillips who kept this all straight and moving in a jagged line, there are two other heroes here who don’t appear on stage. Scenic designer, Nathan Stubar, who made a city, railway, manor, hotel, moors, car, and biplane out of nothing right here on stage in the Touchstone Theater. A couple of step ladders and a cross ladder become a very effective and believable bi-plane! And costume designer, Holly Payne, who managed to keep the costumes in place at the exact moment they were needed and looking precisely right for the character…and if someone else besides Payne was responsible for the wigs on the clowns, give them a gold star for this season ender.

Laura Rook, Marcus Truschinski, Casey Hoekstra & Nate Burger, The 39 Steps, 2025. Photo by Dan Norman Photography. Photo courtesy of APT.

And one more thing: we don’t need no stinking sound effects when the director allows the cast to channel their inner eight year old selves and make the appropriate noises! And those of you sitting front row? You may end up being inwolved for a moment or two.

And as promised, Spoiler Alert (dad joke): When is a picture frame, not a picture frame? When it’s a rear window!

The 39 Steps runs in the American Players Theatre’s Touchstone Theater through November 30, 2025 but most shows are sold out so call the box office, just in case: More info here!

Extra Credit reading: the Playbill!

Recommended reading: ^^John Taylor Phillips Director’s Note! ^^

Casey Hoekstra & Nate Burger, The 39 Steps, 2025. Photo by Dan Norman. Photo courtesy of APT!
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Renaissance Theaterworks Takes Us To Switzerland And

proves that not everyone there is, shall we say, neutral.

Patricia Highsmith was a popular 20th Century writer and novelist who is most famous for giving the world, The Talented Mr. Ripley. Despite her success as a novelist, Highsmith had a reputation for being rude and impolite and rather combative socially. A bit of a curmudgeon if you will, who has become something of a recluse in the Swiss Alps. And Joanna Murray-Smith has written Switzerland generously based on her late life with all of the angst, drama, and mystery worthy of a Ripley novel. Such elegant, dense, rich, and profound language needs to be experienced in the theater.

Highsmith the character says at one point, first, I don’t talk about writing and second, I don’t talk about writing. Which leaves me wondering where I stand…but Murray-Smith goes on to expound on writing in her dialogue. Not the how of writing but the why, the reason, the ability to create space, the sensibility to create an environment, the imagination to build a story, and finally the wherewithal to populate it all with enchanting characters. And Murray-Smith does so in spades with Switzerland.

Linda Reiter and Miles Blue in Renaissance Theaterworks’ production of “Switzerland” by Joanna Murray-Smith.  Photo by Ross Zentner. Photo courtesy of RTW.

There are only two actors here. Patricia Highsmith the novelist whom we visit in her Swiss home. An elegant spare home with the things that she values and loves. Highsmith is played by Linda Reiter but the evening I attended, understudy Laura T. Fisher brought real life to the role. And she has a visitor, Edward, played by Miles Blue, who has been sent by her American publisher to get her to sign a new contract for a hopefully in the works new Ripley novel.

Linda Reiter and Miles Blue in Renaissance Theaterworks’ production of “Switzerland” by Joanna Murray-Smith.  Photo by Ross Zentner. Photo courtesy of RTW.

It doesn’t always go well…as the two adversaries circle and parry and pace about the room looking for an opening and a place to stick the proverbial knife. Here is where we get the incredible wordplay…get distracted a moment and you will miss something deep and noteworthy. Blue is simply fluid in his movement, exhibiting the self-assuredness of his youth and position…and his confidence that he can flatter this older writer into signing the contract. But Fisher’s Highsmith is having none of that and questions his youth and his skill and his experience and insures him that she is not signing.

Here is where director Laura Gordon brings her own experience and vision to the front. It would seem to me that a two character play is very difficult to pull off effectively, visually, when the play relies so heavily on word play. But she keeps them moving around the set and keeps our attention on both actors while they discuss writing and life in the Swiss Alps and the changes in life in America and don’t you want to write a new even greater novel? Blue and Fisher stay on track, stay in character, and share the space. And of course there are threats…as Highsmith threatens to throw Edward out and when Edward threatens to leave. Both characters are willing to go to the precipice but neither is ready to take the leap. The are each too fascinated with the other to break off their engagement.

Linda Reiter in Renaissance Theaterworks’ production of “Switzerland” by Joanna Murray-Smith.  Photo by Ross Zentner. Photo courtesy of RTW.

Now don’t get me wrong, this isn’t just a word play. There is certainly a good sense of humor throughout but also more than a fair share of suspense. How could there not be when Highsmith’s occupation has led her to amass a collection of weapons proudly displayed over the mantle and an encyclopedic knowledge of poisons saucily recited over breakfast.

At the end of the first act they come to a truce of sorts and a wager of another sort. But that just gets us ready to experience the final surprise and conclusion…which I won’t bring to the page….again something you should experience. But it is a grand surprise and an elegant if troublesome ending but it is after all about the author of the Ripley novels!

Switzerland continues at Renaissance Theaterworks through November 9. 2025 at 255 SWater Street Milwaukee, WI. Ticket information here

Content Advisory: SWITZERLAND contains bigoted language that accurately reflects Patricia Highsmith’s troubling world view.

Linda Reiter in Renaissance Theaterworks’ production of “Switzerland” by Joanna Murray-Smith.  Photo by Ross Zentner. Photo courtesy of RTW.

One quibble: given Highsmith’s focus on everything in its place, the turntable should have been out for the first act and not introduced to the set at intermission. The Marina Abramović book could have lived somewhere else but still on view.

And personal aside. As a former record store manager and owner and LP collector I so wanted to go on stage flip through Highsmith’s record collection.

Extra Credit Reading: Playbill and Audience Guide

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Tim Backes’: Cae//sura. A World Premiere At Kith And Kin Collective

It is Sunday afternoon. I am sitting in the fellowship hall of a church. The choir is singing Agnus Dei. Emma is about to have a cathartic experience. Why am I here?

There is a choir. They anchor the set and form the back scenic element through all of the play. And they play an integral role in the story as they sing Agnus Dei behind Emma, our lead character. But don’t be fooled into thinking that this is a musical. This is a very serious drama. Something of a coming of age play but unlike almost any other that you will have seen. But we are going to delve into family interactions, personal relationships, long term friendships, and the inner struggles that we all experience at pressure points in our lives.

Michael Chobanoff center with his back to us, conducting the choir. Photo by Adam Laberge and courtesy of Kith and Kin.

Emma is back home at some small town somewhere in small town America. She is here for a civic dedication of something important for her late father. This is only the second time that she has been home since she left for college, out of town, somewhere more interesting, somewhere not home. The last time she was home was a few years earlier for his funeral. Her father was a well respected and well loved music educator, best known for his high school master singers choir, the church choir, and other civic choirs. He hoped that Emma would follow in his footsteps and exceed his success. From an early age he taught her to sing and play the piano…adult complex things…that she apparently was good at…but she bristled at not being allowed a typical childhood…keeping that to herself without sharing it with her family…and so she left.

So Emma is home and staying at her parents house with her mother and her brother and sharing her childhood room with her significant other. And a lot of that hidden turmoil, angst, and resentment starts to boil up inside her with nowhere to go…until she starts having dreams of a choir signing Agnus Dei conducted by a prominent male conductor. And she is helping her mother sort out her dad’s things. Sheet music for the school or church, photos for the dedication and trash that he saved. He was one of those who couldn’t throw things out and built little piles, but he knew where everything was. So you can feel where our story is going to go.

left to right, Maggie Marks, Malcolm McCanles (foreground), Gray Berendt, Alyssa Booten, and Ekene Ikegwuani. Photo by Adam Laberge and courtesy of Kith and Kin.

Alyssa Booten understands Emma better than I think Emma does. She cleanly expresses the angst that Emma is feeling and with a clear eyed stare out into space narrates the situation and her feelings to the audience. So we know more than even her mother. And she slowly starts to confront the recurring choir. Will is her significant other, played with great compassion and love for Emma by Ekene Ikegwuani. And he has amazing empathy for the rest of her family as well. He is quick on his feet and defuses a number of tense moments. Sam is Emma’s best friend here. Played by Gray Berendt, Sam is a constant calm and support, and a source of gossip and local history that at times intrigues Emma and at time annoys her. Her brother Aaron is played by Malcolm McCanles, described as a ne’er do well by Emma, he still lives at home with his mother. Backes provides plenty of proof of his lowly status and McCanles plays it with an intensity. But he too has feelings and is hurting, but unlike Emma doesn’t feel the need to keep it bottled up inside and just lets it out at often the wrong time and with little nuance. Jan is Emma and Aaron’s mother. Played by Maggie Marks, we are offered a solid middle American mother, seemingly more 20th Century in type than I would have expected. She is handling her husband’s loss with a certain stoicism and is proud of the honors that he is receiving. And that leaves The Conductor. He is emphatic in conducting our choir, always with his back to us, until he finally answers one of Emma’s challenges. Michael Chobanoff has the proper pomp and circumstance here as The Conductor!

the cast of Cae//sura. Photo by Adam Laberge and courtesy of Kith and Kin.

This is a World Premiere written and directed by Tim Backes. And he hits it out of the park as both author and director. The drama is intense and telling and revealing of human nature and human relationships at their core…and given the complex nature of the text, he carefully controls the movement and timing on the stage.

Kith and Kin Collective is presenting Cae//sura through October 19th, 2020 at Resurrection Lutheran Church at 12400 W. Cold Spring in New Berlin.

Additional information and tickets can be found here. This show has adult language.

Extra Credit Reading: It is worth reading the synopsis before you go