BRUISER Theatre Company's version of John Buchan's 1915 serialised novel, The 39 Steps, is a hoot. The story became a film too of course, directed by one Alfred Hitchcock.
From the start, Lisa May's trademark physical comedy that entertained the Lyric Theatre audience on Wednesday, was slick, cartoon-ish, and pinned down the period's delightful idiocy.
That Boys' Own culture, its stiff upper lip adorned with the "attractive" pencil moustache of reluctant hero Hannay ( nice performance from Michael Johnston),came across well from the start in a show that has resonance now.
As Hannay, languid in his Portland Place flat, said what with elections and rumours of wars, one needs a pointless distraction. "Going to the theatre should do it." he pronounced, which got a laugh.
The topical Brexit addition gained massive applause mid-play when the man fighting foreign espionage and the threat to national security said we needed to be nice and eschew "hard borders".
Indeed. One criticism is that as the classic adventure story becomes darker, the adaptation doesn't.
When fascist Professor Jordan (nicely OTT Benjamin Stratton) draws a gun at the end of act one, spouting his suddenly German accented propaganda, the comedy should possibly be reined in a bit. Yet the Monty Python and Keystone cop hommages are great fun and Johnston is a good Cleese lite when required.
There is also a lot of fun between Hannay and the women in his life, all evoked by sharp, statuesque Hannah Brackstone-Brown. Her best characterisation is the posh railway encounter Pamela.
Comic genius comes from Soft Border Patrol hero Michael Condron. Nobody does the humour of repetition like him and his Scottish farmer who could scarcely spit out the term "Englishman" was a tour de force.
As Mr Memory Man in the London Palladium where he ushers in the famous finale.
Our hero and heroine joined us in the stalls as the shocking conclusion plays out, with a satisfyingly happy ending to follow. If you need cheering up in these troubled times, 39 Steps is a must-see production.
