Houston’s Alley Theatre welcomes you to punch your ticket and take a journey through time powered by only four actors, 150+ characters and wildly accurate accents with Alfred Hitchcock’s The 39 Steps through September 3.

Performed by actors of the Alley Theatre’s Resident Company of Artists, the audience is transported back to England and Scotland in 1935 for a story of murder mystery, drama, adventure, love and the ever-haunting question: what are the 39 Steps?  

Photo courtesy of Image courtesy of the Alley Theatre

The theater production of Alfred Hitchcock’s The 39 Steps was adapted by Broadway legend Patrick Barlow, who based the production off of the Alfred Hitchcock movie of the same name released in critical acclaim in 1935, which Hitchcock based off of a 1914 novel by John Buchan. The storyline follows a troubling time in the life of the main hero, Richard Hannay, and his quest to clear his name and save his country after his unfortunate tie to a secret plan to divulge the 39 steps to a dangerous organization.

So what keeps a story 80+ years old alive? Don’t expect robotic creatures, a full orchestra, pyrotechnics and flying actors. The beauty of this production is its small cast and simplicity in stage design and prop usage, allowing the actors to tell the story. It also may be due to the fact that it has just the right amount of drama and scandal for theater lovers of all ages, as the audience is filled with families, couples and girls-night-out groups. Did we mention the accents? Expect pauses in the play, because there’s no point in carrying on if you can’t hear over everyone’s roaring laughter. 

Photo courtesy of Image courtesy of the Alley Theatre

Located in the heart of downtown Houston, the Alley Theatre provides plenty of places to visit before and after the play and close to public transportation, especially for our friends at Camden Travis Street, Camden McGowan Station, Camden Midtown Houston and Camden City Centre. We recommend the classic, dinner – show – drinks, formula.

So, what are the 39 Steps?! The answer is simple:

Go see the production at the Alley Theatre! They’ve already extended its run once through September 3rd, so buy your tickets before time runs out. While you’re there, check out the rest of their 2017-2018 season here.