MADCAP TAKE ON HITCHCOCK CLASSIC SET TO BE STAGED AT CHESTER THEATRE

Final rehearsals are underway as a Chester theatre prepares to stage its first production of 2025, a comical re-telling of a classic Alfred Hitchcock thriller.

Chester Little Theatre will stage the Tony award winning romp "The 39 Steps" from Saturday 11^th January - Saturday 18^th January at 7.30pm. The production will be directed for Chester Little Theatre by Lexie Fox-Hutchings.

Based on Alfred Hitchcock's classic film adaptation of the John Buchan novel, this hilarious, fast-paced version adapted for the stage by Patrick Barlow was first performed at the West Yorkshire Playhouse in 2005. The original London production, by arrangement with Edward Snape for Fiery Angel Limited, opened at the Tricycle Theatre in Kilburn in 2006 and later that year transferred to the Criterion Theatre in the West End. 

Described as a classic Hitchcock thriller mixed with a dash of Monty Python, "The 39 Steps" is packed with nonstop laughs, over 150 characters played by a talented cast of just 4 actors, an onstage plane crash, handcuffs, missing fingers and some good old-fashioned romance. 

Speaking about directing the production, Lexie Fox-Hutchings said:

"As much as I love directing theatre now, the idea of being a director didn’t occur to me for a long time. I would enjoy watching shows and being involved in productions wherever I could, but I didn’t feel the spark of inspiration that compels people to take on the directing of an entire production. This all changed about 8 years ago when I saw a production of "The 39 Steps" that made me realise that if I could direct plays like this then I definitely wanted to direct theatre. Now, all this time later, I’m delighted to be revisiting the play that started this journey!"

Full details of "The 39 Steps" and all upcoming shows at Chester Little Theatre can be found at: 

www.chesterlittletheatre.co.uk 

...where tickets can be booked online.

Tickets can also be booked via TicketSource on:

0333 666 3366

Pictured - The Cast of "The 39 Steps" during rehearsals for the play which opens this month at Chester Little Theatre.

Photo credit: Geoff Owens.