The 39 Steps - Part III

(The 39 Steps, directed by Sean Daniels, opens October 22 at Geva Theatre)

"Line!"

Lego Alfred Hitchcock *

At the third rehearsal I attended, that was the word I heard most frequently. Since Sean was still on his way home from opening another show in London (because I guess having one show running and another in production here in Rochester isn't quite enough to keep him busy!), the actors decided to use the time to run through their lines in Act I.  There were definitely some missed and muffed lines - sometimes the actors drew complete blanks, in which case they'd ask for help from someone reading along in the script and call, "line!" (or sometimes pleadingly, "line?").  Many times when they made mistakes they were actually paraphrasing the script (e.g., "frankly" instead of "actually" or "the thing is" instead of "the point is"), which you would think wouldn't matter so much, but it has the potential to confuse another actor's cue, and it is important to be consistently correct.  I couldn't help wondering, though, after an actor made the same mistake several times, if he hadn't already 'learned' it incorrectly, and it would be difficult to change.  Like when I make a wrong turn going somewhere downtown, and after that the wrong way becomes familiar, and then I don't know if it's because it's wrong or right!  At one point the person making a correction even cautioned the actor about "getting married to the wrong lines."

Lego Hitchcock closeup of the nose

It was fun watching the actors review certain scenes they were having particular difficulty memorizing, and there was one passage that an actor had such a block against remembering that by the sixth time through, even I knew the line!  I know when I see the actual performance, I am going to be holding my breath at that moment, even though I'm sure that by then it won't be an issue.

When Sean arrived, the actors reran Act I on their feet, and it was fantastic to watch certain scenes evolve, in just a few minutes, with the addition of some pratfalls and other bits of humor.  One of the "clowns," in particular, is very adept at physical humor, and I was close enough to overhear him and the other "clown" working out, sotto voce, how to coordinate the details and timing of the lamppost scene to make it funnier.  In a play as popular and in the public eye as this, it's incredible that there is still such latitude for creativity and originality.  So even if you have seen the play in London, New York, or elsewhere, this will still be fresh and fun, and it will have the distinct stamp of this director, cast, and crew.

And frankly/actually, the thing is / the point is, that's what live theatre is all about - seeing something new, even if it's old.  Otherwise, you could just...watch the movie!


*since no photos of the actors are allowed, I've included artwork from The Art of the Brick Exhibit by Nathan Sawaya at the Discovery Times Square Museum.  Definitely worth a visit if you're in NYC.