The 39 Steps – Review – Hull Truck Theatre
By Karl Hornsey, October 2026
In the incredibly unlikely scenario that sees me invited onto Desert Island Discs, John Buchan’s The 39 Steps would be one of those carefully considered as the only book that I could take to the mythical island. I’ve always loved its sense of adventure and the wronged man up against the odds; throw in my love of all things Alfred Hitchcock, and there was no way that I was going to miss Patrick Barlow’s adaptation of the novel and book, showing at Hull Truck Theatre.
This is The 39 Steps, but not as you may know it. It’s a co-production between Derby Theatre and Hull Truck Theatre and is wonderfully put together, whether that be the quality of the performers, the stage production, lighting or the ingenuity of how to move the story along at breakneck speed. While the source material is an out and out ‘Boy’s Own’ caper, this is a riotous comic adaptation that sends itself up as a bit of a shambles, when in reality, the timing of all involved and the deliberate stage mishaps simply add to the fun.
“Crazed antics”
Remarkably, there are more than 100 characters in this show, played by just four actors, or five if you include Tom Mitchell, who almost steals the show in his role as ‘understudy’, donning a black lycra outfit to supposedly blend into the background and shift the scenery around. His hilarious interventions are a wonderful addition, and add to the sheer sense of chaos that leaves the viewer simply having to sit back and go with it, never knowing what on earth will crop up next.
I’ve certainly never sat in audience that’s had Rich Tea biscuits lobbed into it, for example. Ryan Starling plays the hero of the story, Richard Hannay, and is probably relieved to be the only one of the cast who can remain in his role all evening. He’s perfect as the dashing adventurer, building up a rapport with the audience from the start, and looking and acting every inch the man on the run for his life, while joining in fully with the crazed antics going on around him. His physical comedy, as well as his verbal timing, is quite outstanding.
“Pushing each joke”
Sophie Bloor – think Madeleine Carroll as the ice-cold blonde in Hitchcock’s film – stars as Pamela, torn between falling madly in love with a potential murderer and being thoroughly appalled by him, and really comes into her own as the story unfolds. The scenes between Hannay and Pamela are among the finest, and quite how either of them managed to keep straight faces, I’ll never know. The cast is rounded off by James Keningale and Kathryn Perkins, who are essentially a double act for much of the production, initially introducing it, and bearing the load of the vast majority of the rapid costume changes, playing all manner of roles, from milkman, farmer, innkeeper and villain in Keningale’s case, to charwoman, Mr Memory and sex-starved hotelier in the case of Perkins.
This is the highest of high farce, pushing each joke and scenario to its very limit, and bringing the audience along every step of the way. The fact that references, verbal and audio, to a whole host of Hitchcock films were chucked in for good measure makes this a fantastic evening’s entertainment, and one that confirms that the comic caper can still be given a new and defining twist to provide some light relief in a mad world.
The 39 Steps is at Hull Truck Theatre until November 14th
Karl’s love of writing was piqued at the age of eight, when he won a Blue Peter badge in an essay-writing competition. The location of said badge might be a mystery now, but the memory never fades. Hours spent writing about sport as a teenager, in pre-internet years when you had to make your entertainment, honed his skills, and Karl has worked in TV and radio listings at PA Media for 28 years, and the age of hybrid working means 50% of that can be at home listening to Classic FM and thinking about his next visit to his beloved Yorkshire Dales.
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