Forever Plaid - June 5 to June 23

White Christmas (Irving Berlin) - June 25 to July 14

Cinderella (Rodgers and Hammerstein) - July 17 to August 4

The Rocky Horror Show - August 7 to August 18

Beyond the Rainbow: The New Judy Garland Musical - August 21 to September 1

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6/12/2011 The Portland Press Herald

’39 Steps’ runs at full throttle with over the top attitude,fun

by Steve Feeney

Scene from "The 39 Steps"

“The 39 Steps” a Tony Award winning comedy adapted from the legendary film directed by Alfred Hitchcock, has certainly proved popular with area theater companies.  Portland Stage offered a production last fall and the Hackmatack Playhouse has scheduled a run for later this summer.

But right now the comic thriller/farce is paying a visit to the venerable Arundel Barn Playhouse and it starts the season off on a very high note.

The Patrick Barlow play, set in between-the-wars England, concerns Richard Hannay, one of those fictional “average” guys who turns out to be not so average.  Hannay gets drawn into a no-one-knows-quite-what mystery by a femme fat-ale who is killed in his apartment.  He then embarks on a harrowing journey where he encounters all manner of odd characters, sinister and silly-often both at the same time.

A backstage setting and many figurative and literal winks aimed at the audience give the show the sort of over-the-top theatrical attitude that draws everyone in on the fun.  The allusions to other Hitchcock films alone make for a fun challenge for the crowd.

Judging from Friday’s performance, director Gary John LaRosa found just the right quartet of young actors to make the show work.

Matthew Krob, as Hannay, had the dashing, one eye-brow raise kind of spirit down perfectly as his character began to relish the intrigue of outwitting spies.  He became that classic 1930s leading man as he eluded the authorities in his attempt to unravel the secret bestowed upon him by a shady lady.  Whether hanging precariously from a railroad bridge or being menaced by airplanes, Krob’s Hannay was a charmer.

Jessica Morgan performed well in the exaggerated range of characters she was given.  Her uneasy (in more ways than one) moments while handcuffed to the hero were highlights.

Robert Rice and Danny Prather went for the laughs as Englishmen, Scotsmen, salesmen, showmen, hoteliers and in numerous other roles.  Rice particularly had a ball with those parts requiring him to wear a dress.

Credit should be given to a technical crew for the numerous lighting, sound and set changes.  This is a show that needs to stay at or near full-throttle and the Arundel staff got it done.

Having fun with theatrical conventions while also paying tribute to how entertaining they still can be, this “39 Steps” is a winner

-Steve Feeney is a freelance writer who live in Portland

»Download our new Season 2011 brochure.

The Arundel Barn Playhouse will present another season of Song, Dance and Laughter in the tourist area of Kennebunkport, Maine. The Playhouse is located in beautiful southern New England with ocean beaches, golf, biking, canoeing, restaurants and other summer attractions. It is 1 1/4 hours from Boston and 30 minutes from Portland, Maine and Portsmouth, New Hampshire. Summer climate in general is in the 80′s with low humidity.

The 39 Steps “The 39 Steps” is the two-time Tony Award-winning hit show in its THIRD SMASH YEAR IN NEW YORK, which continues to be an audience-pleaser. The amazingly brilliant cast of 4 plays over 140 characters in this fast-paced comedy thriller that’s great fun for ages 9 to 90. The New York Times calls it “Absurdly Enjoyable” and the Daily News says it’s “A Dizzy Delight!”   Click Here to purchase tickets online.

Crazy For You Crazy for You is a musical with a book by Ken Ludwig, lyrics by Ira Gershwin, and music by George Gershwin. Billed as “The New Gershwin Musical Comedy”, it is largely based on the songwriting team’s 1930 musical, Girl Crazy, but interpolates songs from several other productions as well. Crazy for You won the 1992 Tony Award for Best Musical.   Click Here to purchase tickets.

The Wizard Of Oz Little Dorothy Gale of Kansas, like so many girls her age, dreams of what lies over the rainbow. One day a twister hits her farm and carries her away over the rainbow to another world. Come join Dorothy, the Scarecrow, the Tinman, the Cowardly Lion and Toto as they travel the universe of Dorothy’s imagination.   Click Here to purchase tickets.

A Taffeta Wedding It’s 1964 and wedding bells are ringing for our favorite singing sisters, The Taffetas. Join them and their crooning beaus, The Cardigans, as they swoon and sway to favorite ’50s and ’60s pop tunes like Who’s Sorry Now, Kiss Me, Sincerely and Locomotion in this nostalgically fun musical about gals and the guys they love, written by Rick Lewis, creator of The Taffetas and A Taffeta Christmas.   Click Here to purchase tickets.

I Left My Heart: A Tribute To The Music Of Tony Bennett From the team that created My Way: A Musical Tribute to Frank Sinatra comes the jazzy new musical revue I Left My Heart – a tribute to the man Sinatra called “the greatest singer in the world,” Tony Bennett. The unforgettable score includes forty classic tunes originally recorded by Bennett, from “The Best Is Yet To Come” to “Because of You” — and, of course, “I Left My Heart in San Francisco”.   Click Here to purchase tickets.