Godot Theatre Company is back with another adaptation of a Western classic, The 39 Steps (步步驚笑), a comedic espionage thriller that made its Taiwan debut on Thursday at Taipei’s Metropolitan Hall.
Adapted from the novel of the same title by John Buchan, which inspired Alfred Hitchcock’s classic film, the play is a theatrical spoof of the original story and has won two Tony Awards and a Laurence Olivier Award for Best Comedy.
This Chinese-language version was translated and is directed by former Hong Kong Repertory Theatre Artistic Director and Bauhinia Star winner Daniel S. P. Yang (楊世彭). This month two shows will run simultaneously in Shanghai and Taipei. The production then embarks on a country-wide tour here through the end of next month.
The show also marks the first time a major Broadway production has been licensed in Chinese while the original continues to run in New York and London.
“This is theatricalism and minimalism at its best,” said Yang in a phone interview last week. “There is laughter in every step,” and “plenty of tongue-in-cheek that will thrill the audience.”
Following the original script written by British playwright Patrick Barlow, the Chinese version features four actors who will portray a total of 48 characters. Chin Shih-chieh (金士傑), a veteran thespian and winner at this year’s National Arts Awards, will play the lead character Mr Hanny, who unwittingly becomes entangled in an espionage conspiracy. Screen siren and tabloid darling Tien Hsin (天心) will portray three different women. Theater actors Pu Hsueh-liang (卜學亮) and Renzo Liu (劉亮佐) will each tackle more than 20 roles.
The story of The 39 Steps unfolds as Mr Hanny stumbles onto an enemy spy ring and a mysterious woman dies in his home. On the run, he finds himself knee-deep in a conspiracy that threatens both his life and the nation’s safety.
“This is an early version of the James Bond story,” said Yang. “It’s a production for audiences from 9 years old to 90 years old.”
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