The 39 Steps - Theatre Three | 4.17.26

Photo Credit: Steven Uihlein, Theatre Three Productions, Inc.

Theatre Three in Port Jefferson is currently presenting "The 39 Steps" from April 11 to May 3rd. The play is a parody adapted from the 1935 film from Alfred Hitchcock, performed by a cast of only four people – which is where much of the show's humor comes from. Directed by Theatre Three veteran Christine Boehm, "The 39 Steps" is a hilarious, fast-paced play that is as engaging as it is hysterical and will leave you fully entertained! The story is about Richard Hannay, who is wrongfully accused of murder and goes to great lengths to clear his name and identify the person (or persons) responsible – creating a humorous environment for the murder mystery story to unfold within. 

Michael Limone.

Photo Credit: Steven Uihlein, Theatre Three Productions, Inc.

The show is led by Michael Limone, who was a fantastic choice for playing the role of Richard Hannay. What can I say about this man? Simply fabulous. Captivating, engaging, and utilized physical comedy to perfection. No notes! This isn’t my first time seeing Limone perform and I most certainly hope it isn’t the last. Playing opposite him in the role of the Leading Lady is Ashley Brooke Curtis, playing multiple roles - Annabella Schmidt, Margaret, and Pamela -  who matched Limone’s energy wonderfully. She gets you laughing early on and uses different accents to differentiate herself from the different women she plays and does an incredible job doing so! I can think of multiple moments where she made me laugh out loud and her ability to make each character different from the other was awesome.

…and I gotta say, that didn’t end with Curtis.

Dan Schindlar, Michael Limone, Jae Hughes.

Photo Credit: Steven Uihlein, Theatre Three Productions, Inc.

Jae Hughes and Dan Schindlar filled out the company as the Clowns - but their performance was anything but trivial. The title of clown is completely accurate in that they will leave you smiling and laughing throughout as they are the two cast members that play all of the remaining characters in the show! I cannot overstate how amazing these two were, collectively and individually. They motored through this show playing countless characters - from officers to hotel owners to train passengers - and did so with great humor and enthusiasm. They would remove an article of clothing, change their accent and/or tone of voice and take on an entirely different character; sometimes all in the same scene - and the chemistry between these two was perfect. You can tell they were having the best time in this show and that was endearing to watch as well.

How Christine directed this…I still don’t know, even after she tried to explain it to me on the podcast.

I think that may be what I was most impressed with - the rapid character switching. Based on my personal onstage experience, it can be challenging enough to create a character that is different from who you are.

Ask anyone who has directed me in the past. If you cast me, you don’t get anything new…it truly is just ‘Kyle Petty as a chef’ or ‘Kyle Petty as a nurse’ - everything I do on stage is just me in a different profession!

That is not what this was, and that speaks just as much to the actors as it does to the director who knew where to bring each character. Boehm did this masterfully. You might think you’d be confused as an audience member, but I promise you won’t be. Each player does an incredible job working with each other and separating each character from one another through voice or physicality, creating some truly hysterical moments! This is also enhanced by the costumes provided by Ronald Green III; he provided plenty of pieces that made it simple to differentiate between each character and clearly worked closely with Boehm to accomplish. Randall Parsons’ set design was also very well done, offering plenty of depth to create each scene nicely. There was no shortage of windows and doors for our players to pop in and out of! Adding to that, was the lighting design by Steven Barile Jr. which added quite a bit to enhance each scene. All of these different elements created an evening of theater that I won’t soon forget and I can’t urge you enough to catch this one. “The 39 Steps” is unlike anything you’ve seen in the best way possible! If you enjoy lots of humor peppered throughout an already unique ‘whodunit’ - this is absolutely for you. “The 39 Steps” is running until May 3rd and tickets can be purchased over the phone, at the door, or via their website at www.theatrethree.com.

Dan Schindlar, Ashley Brooke Curtis, Jae Hughes, Michael Limone.

Photo Credit: Steven Uihlein, Theatre Three Productions, Inc.

Cast:

Richard Hannay - Michael Limone

Leading Lady - Ashley Brooke Curtis

Clowns - Jae Hughes, Dan Schindlar

Creative Team:

Directed by - Christine Boehm

Production Stage Manager - Melissa Troxler

SOUND Design - Tim Haggerty

Scenic Design - Randall Parsons

LIGHTING DESIGN/Technical Director - Steven Barile, Jr.

Costume Design - Ronald Green III