The 39 Steps shows what can happen when a playwright's vision is brought to life by an imaginative director, talented cast and hard-working stage crew.
The spoof of the 1935 Alfred Hitchcock film - created for the stage by Patrick Barlow - opened at the Illawarra Performing Arts Centre on Wednesday.
The first production of the Merrigong Theatre Company's 2009 season did not disappoint.
The audience chuckled and chortled at the jokes and sight gags in the award-winning comedy and groaned at the many Hitchcock references.
The set's gilt proscenium arch, vibrant red curtains, covered footlights and box seats, conjured the atmosphere of an old-world concert hall and successfully set the scene for the ensuing excitement and chaos.
The play's protagonist is the stiff-lipped Richard Hannay (Mark Pegler) who laments his life and decides he will cheer himself up with a "mindless'' experience. So he heads to the theatre.
As Hannay watches the music hall's star act, Mr Memory, he is distracted by a beautiful woman in the box seat opposite.
This woman (played by Octavia Barron Martin) is clearly looking for someone and suddenly fires a shot into the air. During the following chaos she tells Hannay that she needs his protection.
That evening the woman, who turns out to be a spy, is murdered and Hannay finds himself on the run from two mysterious men and the police while trying to deliver the spy's final words to a man who lives in a big house in Alt-Na-Shellach, in Scotland.
What makes The 39 Steps memorable is not the clever plot but the antics of the four-strong cast as they share the play's 139 roles.
It could be disastrous, but Pegler, Barron Martin, Jo Turner and Drew Forsythe, under the direction of Maria Aitken, ensure it's an energetic and vibrant show.
There are some scenes which do stand out, including Hannay's escape from the train over the Forth Rail Bridge and the shadow puppet show featuring the Loch Ness Monster, a deer and a fatal plane crash.
Turner and Forsythe's many-hatted interlude at a train station was an audience favourite as the two played policemen, passengers and a paperboy with just the change of a hat or position on the stage.
The play's stage crew were certainly busy with the various scene, prop and costume changes. There were moments when pieces of scenery or a stray arm could be spotted in the wings, but in a play where the cast (deliberately) pointed out missing sound effects, this is a minor criticism.
The 39 Steps is not theatre that will change your life and nor does it tackle big political issues. It will, if you enjoy a little silliness, make you laugh. And there's nothing wrong with that.
The 39 Steps is at the Illawarra Performing Arts Centre until Sunday March 22. An extra show is on sale for Sunday 5pm. Tickets are $54-$19
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